Best in Mental Health (1/25/15 – 2/8/15)

I’m watching twitter, google+ and the web so you don’t have to…

This post is part of a weekly (or bi-weekly) series, Best in Mental Health, featuring some of the best posts of the week, in social work, psychology, evidence-based practice/healthcare, non-profit and private practice concerns.

Side Note: Social Work.Career [formerly Social Work Career Development on www.dorleem.com] has undergone a blog make-over and migration from google blogger to wordpress platform. I hope you like the new layout/look!

Evidence Based Practice/Healthcare:

Babies Aren’t ‘Born Addicted’ and Other Misconceptions About Drug Use in Pregnancy
ireta

“headlines don’t differentiate between physiological dependence on opioids… which is treatable and not permanent–and psychological compulsion, which has never been proven to exist in infants…. women impacted by discriminatory policies… among the most vulnerable…”

From OpenNotes to OurNotes: New project heads toward *real* participatory medicine
e-Patient Dave

“For years we’ve written here about the OpenNotes study… which established that when patients can read their doctors’ unedited visit notes… things overall work better… big next step… a grant… develop OurNotes, in which patients will get to contribute to what’s in the record…”

Is a phone call good enough for telehealth?
mHealth News (Eric Wicklund)

“Not every state is a telehealth battleground… Earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill mandating that telehealth visits be reimbursed by insurers at the same rate as in-person visits…”

Social determinants of mental health: how our societies are making us mentally unwell and what we can do about it
The Mental Elf (Mark Horowitz)

“new WHO and UCL Institute of Health Equity (Michael Marmot) report… on social determinants of mental health… root causes of mental distress, namely poverty, unemployment, poor education and social isolation… … life-course approach, addressing each stage with appropriate interventions…”

Social Work:

BC Social Work Convenes Diversity Conference on ‘Race + Justice’
Innovate@BCSocialWork

“exploration of the intersections of diversity and social work practice… Keynote speaker John H. Jackson… speech… policies are what lead to difference, not biology… If we want to change the culture, we must institutionalize policies to change the trajectory…”

The Best Advice a Therapist Could Get? Stop Giving Advice
Good Therapy (Justin Lioi, LCSW)

“The person in therapy is the expert…  my main job is to guide your thinking (and feeling) through the situation. Someday, you’re probably going to not be in therapy. Am I preparing you for that?… It’s the relationship that heals…”

Got Barriers? Improving Access to Mental Health Care for Children & Adolescents
Behind the Human Curtain (Melanie Washington, LMSW, MPH candidate, PhD student)

“If it were not for social work interventions I had as a child, my life trajectory may have been completely different… many barriers faced by families as they attempt to obtain mental health services for their children… Pursue grants… integration of physical and mental healthcare…”

Healthy Healers: Broken People Can Make the Best Healers
Child Welfare Blog (ckhayek)

“trend towards encouraging former foster youth to go into child welfare… former foster youth are able to pick up on the subtle biases, unconscious discrimination, and insensitive language that may get perpetuated in child welfare systems…”

It Just Crept In: The Digital Age and Its Implications for Social Work Practice
inSocialWork – UBSSW (Nancy Smyth & Dr. Faye Mishna)

“social workers’ experiences and how communication technology has entered their daily practice… Dr. Mishna recommends that social workers rethink the restrictions and attempt to maximize the potential that may be present… practice implications…”

Marketing Your BSW or MSW From A to Z
The New Social Worker Online (Regina Praetorius and Laura Lawson)

“Assessment:  Consider your options. What are your strengths?… Begin Deciding What You Do and Don’t Want… What has worked for me before? What has not?… Network through NASW and never say never……”

On The Social Construction of Disability
Relando Thompkins, MSW, LLMSW

“People are not disabled because of some inherent flaw on their part… because of a society that is unwilling to… provide the supports that are necessary to enable them to live their lives as full citizens… there are all kinds of supports… “able-bodied” people utilize…”

Power, Prejudice, and Paradox
Social Work Helper (Philip Patston)

“we need to decay labels to reveal diversity… Power and privilege have long been part of the politics of diversity and discrimination…  there are more complex subtleties at work, like context, subjectivity and objectivity, that paint… more complex picture…”

Resource Alert: Characteristics of Adolescents Exposed to Violence
Social Justice Solutions (Cancer InCytes)

“almost 17% experienced dating violence, sexual violence or both dating and sexual violence… one out of every six teen girls are exposed to DSV before they graduate from high school. Exposure to DSV was a stronger predictor of risky sexual behavior than… race…”

Spring 2015 Live Twitter Chat for Social Work Students & Educators
Teaching Social Work (Laurel Hitchcock)

“assignment for social work students that involves joining a live Twitter chat with other… students, educators and practitioners from around the country to talk about important social and economic justice issues… March 12, 2015 at 8:00 PM CST…”

Ten Ways to Stop Texting Behind the Wheel
Everyone Needs Therapy (therapydoc)

“Texting causes more accidents on the road, more fatalities, than alcohol… Think…  If I don’t answer the text, the sender will have to think more independently… Ask yourself, Is this making me happy, being at the world’s beck and call?…”

Transcript: Roe V Wade #MacroSW
The Political Social Worker (Rachel L. West)

“Below is the transcript for the January 22, 2015 #MacroSW Twitter chat on Roe V. Wade… next chat… Feb 12th at 9 PM EST… “@SocialWorkersRJ: And @provide_access has a Referrals Program that offers training to social service providers…””

Psychology:

3 Valuable Aspergers Workplace Tips You Need Now
Thrive With Aspergers (Stephen Borgman)

“Learn to Navigate Small Talk… Seek social skills training help when you need it, or read books that will help… Curb your urge to talk too much about your ideas, unless you are being asked for advice or information…”

Ten Scientific Reasons Why You’re Feeling Depressed
The Mindful Self-Express by Melanie.Greenberg, Ph.D.

“Some of us have brains that are more sensitive to the effects of stress… Less sunshine during the winter months can give us the blues… Most people in the US have insufficient or deficient levels of Vitamin D…”

Addressing fear in child victims of sexual abuse
Counseling Today (Jennifer M. Foster)

“Because fear is a central part of the child victim’s experience… be prepared to implement interventions that address past, present and future fears… Trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) provides an evidence-based approach… trauma narrative… and the lifeline intervention…”

All Things Poop
JKP Blog (Kate Wilde)

“children on the autism spectrum can be very protective about where and how they poop… Embrace the way your child… interacts with poop… When we embrace something we move towards it and learn much more about it…”

Creativity exercise for therapists #4: Stop and Tune into Images
Inner Canvas (Lisa Mitchell, MFT, ATR)

“how to STOP and tune into your images in order to be more creative, and be even better at helping your clients… Describe your client’s presenting problem to yourself… pay attention to any images that come into your mind… Consider what they might be telling you that your words didn’t…”

Dr. Eric Maisel: Putting Purpose Into Your PTSD Recovery
Your Life After Trauma (Michele Rosenthal)

“One of the most important things in healing from trauma and PTSD is reclaiming your sense of self. That is, creating The New You even when you don’t know what that means… how life purpose supports the recovery process…”

Parenting Strategies That Work: Helping Children to Become Achieving and Caring People
Trauma Institute (Ricky Greenwald, PhD)

“To promote achievement, praise the effort/behavior, not the talent/result… To promote ethical/caring behavior, praise the child’s (related) quality, not the behavior… To discourage negative/harmful behaviors, inspire guilt, not shame… Set a good example…”

Staying in the Moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Psychotherapy Networker

“message of mindfulness is an invitation to… wake up to the true dimensionality of who we all are… move in a direction of maximizing the good that comes from our activities and minimizing the harm… as a species, we’re starving for authentic experience…”

Taking the Leap
SoundsTrue (Tami Simon and Seth Godin)

“concept of resistance and how it must be sought out in any effective pursuit of art… no guarantee that one can make a living through genuine self-expression… do so anyway… connections… enable us to make the changes that we need to make in the world now…”

Technology Enhanced Research
The Digital Day (Bob Ridge-Stearn)

“a list of tools that might be useful for those engaged in research… Piirus helps you to connect other researchers… developed by the University of Warwick and is a free service… Academia.edu… allows you to share papers and follow other people’s research…”

Triggered by Shame
After Psychotherapy (Joseph Burgo, PhD)

“this is what “after psychotherapy” looks like: old parts of you don’t disappear, but they no longer control your behavior in the same way… Shame is an inevitable part of life, especially for people like me who grew up in a dysfunctional family with a narcissistic mother…”

What Is Creative Self-Care?
Amy Johnson Maricle (LMHC, ATR-BC)

“Creative self-care is about feeding your soul. It’s making sure that you have something to be excited about when you get up in the morning… Creativity Challenge #1: Paint with Your Non-Dominant Hand… This exercise is about getting out of your own way…”

Nonprofit:

Healthy and Productive Meetings: Free Guidestar Webinar on Feb. 12th
Beth’s Blog

“The benefits of walking to “clear your brain” or build relationships is not a new leadership technique… walking with colleagues can boost relationship-building and collaboration. That means rethinking meetings… give enough warning for a walking meeting so people can dress accordingly…”

Power of the User: Lessons learned from mHealth usability testing & tips for your innovation
Inpatient Optimists

“Put the technology in the hands of the user, and sit back… Build user confidence in giving feedback… Consider filming the screen of the technology… Have users test the technology on their own devices… Ask questions…”

Smarter Nonprofit Networking: Building A Professional Network That Works for You
Beth’s Blog

“balance two different approaches to professional networking, strategic and serendipitous… strategic approach encourages you to analyze your network, find alignment for making connections, and have purpose-driven meetings… serendipitous approach… casual…”

Private Practice:

Friend, not foe: Blogging for counselors
Counseling Today (Bethany Bray and Tamara Suttle)

“blogging is a way to spread a message, whether to raise attention for a social justice or nonprofit cause or to gain visibility for an agency or private practice… [Blogging] is the smartest thing I’ve ever done for myself professionally, but also one of the most rewarding things…”

How to Become a Consultant When You Are Brand New
Psych Central Professional (Joseph R. Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC)

“Once you determine your existing skillset, you should take those stated skills and start evaluating pains in the business world. What pains are there that need consulting?… see your newness as a gift… keep growing your skills…”

How Media Exposure Can Grow Your Practice: Podcast Interview
Private Practice Toolbox (Julie Hanks, LCSW)

“Tips to land high profile media interviews… The book that helped transform my practice… Tips for finding blog topics to write about… The role of social media and building an online presence…How I became a private practice consultant…”

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Which of the above posts was your favorite for this week? Also, if you have a #mustread article to recommend, please share it below.