NASW Social Work Talks

Vote ER and NASW on mobilizing for the extremely important 2024 presidential and down ballot elections. It goes without saying that the upcoming election is one of the most important elections in terms of preserving America's democracy since the Civil War. Hopefully, this podcast will be able to share some important information about what is at stake for social workers, and more importantly, what is at stake for the individuals and families that you serve.

In our latest podcast we chat with Relationship Expert, Author and Social Worker Terry Real!  An internationally recognized family therapist and best-selling author, Real is dedicated to helping couples build lasting, loving relationships. With a revolutionary approach known as Relational Life Therapy (RLT), Terry equips individuals and couples with the skills needed for deeper intimacy and authentic connections, transforming both their personal lives and their relationships with others.

Dr. Dale Masi is  a pioneering social worker renowned for her work in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Dr. Masi, who recently edited the Fifth International EAP Compendium, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, where she taught and directed the Employee Assistance Specialization for 22 years. With 16 books and over 70 articles to her name, Dr. Masi’s expertise spans EAPs, evaluation, and mental health issues. She holds a doctorate from the Catholic University of America and has received prestigious awards, including a post-doctoral research award from the American Association of University Women. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Masi has lectured in more than 45 countries and consults globally through her company, Masi Research Consultants, Inc., which serves a diverse range of clients from major corporations to government agencies. Click here for her insights on EAPs and the evolving landscape of workplace mental health.

In this NASW podcast episode of Social Work Talks we examine why it’s Never Too Late to enter the field of therapy. Our host NASW member Elisabeth Joy LaMotte, LICSW chats with chef Karey Swartwout, and political organizer and journalist Dr. Brooke Stroud, now a clinical psychologist, and author Daniel Duane (who today is featured in an article in The New York Times). Today, each discusses why they left past careers to enter the profession of therapy. Listen as they discuss why they leapt, later in life, to a field inhabited by many social workers.

Dr. Michael Kaufman, MSW, PhD., author of the new book, Doing Good & Doing Well: Inspiring Helping Professionals to Become Leaders in Their Organizations, has managed countless crises that have needed quick, level-headed thinking and tough decisions delivered with empathy and heart. Board chair of Premier Education Partners he has seen other helping professionals, including social workers, do the same thing. In his book, Dr. Kaufman shares the lessons he has learned throughout his 30-year career and uses anecdotes to illustrate the pointed discussions to inspire social workers by realizing that their specific characteristics, distinct aptitudes, and mindsets as servant leaders have already prepared them to work in the C-Suite.  

Mary Cosimano, LMSW, has been with the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research since 2000 when they began research with psilocybin. She is currently a Psychedelic Session Facilitator and has served as Director of Clinical Services and as a research coordinator. She has been involved with all the psilocybin studies and has conducted over 500 study sessions including Club Drug studies with Salvia Divinorum and Dextromethorphan. Mary has trained postdoctoral fellows, faculty, clinicians, and research assistants as guides and taught individual and group meditation to breast cancer patients in a Johns Hopkins research study. She completed MAPS MDMA therapy training program. She is a teacher and mentor at California Institute to Integral Studies for their Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research (CPTR) certificate program and conducts training for therapists in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Mary is a Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration Coach and leads a Death Awareness/Death and Psychedelics Workshop. In 2003 she started a meditation group for employees in her department. She also has 15 years of experience with direct patient care as a hospice volunteer.

Jasmin Saville, RN, MPH, MSSW, is whole health and equity director for Amerigroup, a health insurance and managed health care provider that covers older adults, low income families, state and federally sponsored beneficiaries and federal employees in 26 states. Saville talks about how she combined social work and nursing, why public health care could be a good career choice for social workers, and what it is like being a woman of color in the field.       

As of April 20, 2024, recreational use of marijuana has been legalized in 24 states, three U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C. But how have marijuana reforms affected Black and Brown populations that were heavily impacted by marijuana criminal prosecutions before legalization? NASW Senior Policy Adviser Mel Wilson sits down with Maritza Perez Medina, director of the Office of Federal Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance; Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of Marijuana Justice; and Marvin Tolliver, a therapist at the Radical Therapy Center, to discuss this important issue.

Social Work Instructor Dr. Thalia Anderen, MSW, RCSW, LCSW, and Social Work Talks Podcast Host Lorrie Appleton, LCSW, dive into the concerning trend of student-initiated confrontations (SIC) in universities. With over 20 years of experience as a therapist, Anderen's research sheds light on the impact of these behaviors on both educators and the field of social work. These confrontations in universities are often exacerbated by a lack of guidance and support by institutional administration, as well as inadequate training with respect to SIC and classroom management. Discover how universities can better support professors and enlighten students regarding the impact their classroom behaviors may have on their careers.

During Social Work Month 2024, the University of Kentucky College of Social Work is celebrating with the campaign "Social Work is Everywhere." The college is seeking to raise awareness that social workers help millions of people each day and work in a variety of settings, including many people may not be aware of such as sports and financial planning. NASW CEO Dr. Anthony Estreet sits down with Dr. Jay Miller, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, to talk about the campaign and the importance of promoting the profession.

Gun violence remains a serious public health issue in the United States. About 46,000 Americans died due to gun violence in 2023, with half using guns to die by suicide. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a partner with Brady, a campaign to end our nation's gun violence epidemic. In this episode of NASW's Social Work Talks podcast, NASW Policy Advisor Mel Wilson talks to Kelly Sampson, senior counsel and director of Racial Justice at Brady, and Colleen Creighton, senior director of End Family Fire at Brady, to get the latest news on the organization's campaign.

Mirean Coleman, LICSW, director of clinical practice at the National Association of Social Workers, talks about a new regulation that will allow clinical social workers to bill for Health Behavior Assessment and Intervention (HBAI) Services. Learn why this development is so important for social workers.

White Ribbon VA is a national call to action to eliminate sexual harassment, sexual assault, and domestic violence across the Department of Veterans Affairs by promoting a positive change in culture so that the actions outlined in the pledge become the organizational norm. NASW and other mental health organizations have partnered with White Ribbon. In this episode we talk about the importance of White Ribbon VA with  Dr. Bridget Truman, associate director of the Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior at the Veterans Central Office, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Asheville, NC;  Doctor Angela Lamson is a professor at East Carolina University and a representative of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; and Doctor Carole Warshaw, MD, director of the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health and a representative of the American Psychiatric Association.

Rachel Forbes, MSW, Associate Professor of the Practice of Social Work and Western Colorado MSW Program Director at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, and Kelly Smith, DSW, founder and the director of the Institute of Social Work and Ecological Justice, and a social work instructor at Columbia University and the Adelphi University, discuss what social workers can help communities deal with environmental issues. They are editors of the newly released NASW Press Book, EcoSocialWork, Environmental Practice and Advocacy.

JC Hall, MSW, LCSW, is a hip hop therapist and school social worker in the South Bronx, New York. He works at a high school there, where he is the Hip Hop Therapy Studio Program Director. JC says that hip hop saved his life. He talks about his mentor, the late Dr. Edgar H. Tyson, and how he turned his love of hip hop and working with youth into a career that he loves. The U.S. Census Bureau found that 38 percent of South Bronx residents live below the poverty line. The students JC works with in the South Bronx use this genre of music as a form of self-expression. Hip hop helps them to share their stories and provides a sense of belonging and empowerment, helping them navigate through their daily challenges. See the show notes for related resources