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.
Evidence Based Practice/Healthcare:
Everyone has a bias blind spot, researchers find
Science News (Carnegie Mellon University)
“tool to measure the bias blind spot… believing that you are less biased than your peers has detrimental consequences on judgments and behaviors, such as accurately judging whether advice is useful… unrelated to people’s intelligence, self-esteem…”
A New Healthcare Ecosystem based on 95 Theses
Healthcare Leadership Blog (Colin Hung)
“95 Theses is to healthcare what Cluetrain is to tech businesses… my favorite… #40 – The effectiveness of engagement is tightly aligned with how convenient it is, how easily it integrates with where we live, work and play, how culturally relevant it is, and how cost effective it is…”
Placebo effect in psychiatry: what do we really know?
The Mental Elf (David Steele)
“what are the mediators and moderators of the placebo response?… the less severe the symptoms of a person’s mental illness are, the more likely they are to experience a placebo response to an inactive treatment purporting to be an active psychiatric treatment…”
Social Work:
ACLU Launches Mobile Justice App for Recording Interactions With Law Enforcement
Relando Thompkins-Jones, MSW, LLMSW
“It is legal to record the police in public in all 50 states. The American Civil Liberties Union has launched an app that allows users to record and upload police activity, particularly police brutality…”
Dearing to Washington: Keep ‘Poverty on the Map’ in 2016
Innovate@BCSocialWork
““Five Issues to Keep Poverty on the Agenda in 2016” appeared… The Hill’s Congress Blog… raising the minimum wage, affordable health insurance, providing basic adult education, asset building, and social capital… Poverty affects who we are as a country…”
Financial Social Work: An Emergent Macro PracticeDiscipline #MacroSW
Karen Zgoda
“@SunyaFolayan & @FinancialMSW discussing Financial Social Work… @FinancialMSW:
Financial Social Work is an interactive, introspective behavioral model that is heavily psychosocial… @laurelhitchcock… back in 1920s SWKers called for living wage for families…”
‘Going Live’ : An Exploration of Models of Peer, Supervisor Observation and Observation for Assessment
Social Work Research in New Zealand (Allyson Mary Davys, Liz Beddoe)
“live observation of practice has increasingly become a routine event for health and social service professions… outline of a model for observation which can fit each form of observation and which offers social workers purposeful engagement and ownership within the process…”
How Did You Pass the LMSW Exam on the First Try?
Nicole Clark Consulting
“If you could choose to study only one thing for this exam, it should be the Code of Ethics… take practice exams… figure out how you like to retain information… take study breaks… Don’t answer exam questions based on what you’d do at your agency…”
Naledge Pushes the Limit
MSW@USC (Gabriela Acosta)
“Jabari Evans, MSW ’14… new song and music video, “Push the Limit,” … hip-hop as a tool to motivate youth to pursue a college education… recent project, Naledge is Power: The Social Work of Hip-Hop, a music compilation, book and film project, examines hip-hop culture… music video…”
NASW Updates and Seeks Comments on Cultural Competency Standards
Social Justice Solutions (Kristin Phoenix, MSW)
“Cultural competence is the understanding, and respect for, the numerous diverse cultures, beliefs, values, and norms that exist within our society… NASW is encouraging social workers to review and provide comments on the amendments… Comments… accepted until June 22…”
Reflection on “Weapon of War – Confessions of Rape in Congo”
The New Social Worker Online (Tiffany M. Thompson, MSW)
“Weapon of War” exposes the atrocities of rape and war through the voices of militia men and a few female survivors… more than 150,000 women, and some men and boys, have been raped in the Congo… sense of loyalty to their commanding officers, a dehumanized view of women…”
Screening Tool Helps Identify Sexually Exploited Minors
The Chronicle of Social Change
“early three-quarters of all youth in the study had been exploited for two or more years by the time they were referred for services to address it… professionals… often miss the signs “is because the child doesn’t realize she’s being exploited… screening tool… set of ten key indicators…”
Social Workers for Reproductive Justice
inSocialWork/UBSSW (Katherine Bisanz)
“Reproductive justice is a framework grounded in international human rights that seeks to increase social, political, and economic power and resources so that people can make healthy decisions about gender, sexuality, and families for themselves and their communities…”
Understanding Youth Suicidal Behaviors
Stuck on Social Work
“meta-analysis of qualitative research around youth suicide. The main theme they found was that youth “felt” the fear of suicide from their parents and professionals… difficult to empathize… when the violence of the message is not heard in treatment, the suicidal potential remains present…”
What I Have Learned About Grief
Cathy Hanville, LCSW
“People want to do the right thing and help but many will not be able to… Some people will surprise you… There is no way around it. You can only go through it. Our tendency is to want to avoid pain but with grief the only way to move on is to go through the pain…”
Who takes care of the caregiver?
JKP Blog
“Possibly one of the most difficult issues with being a caregiver is setting boundaries… With all the good that is done by being the generous and attentive caregiver, it can also work against you… The big question is how you take care of yourself and if you don’t, why not?…”
Psychology:
The Beauty of Life in the Face of Death
Dr. Rick Hanson
“No matter what your religious – or existential – orientation may be, it is an undeniable fact that every year contains two special days… Let’s do a practice together and embrace this preciousness… you are lying in a comfortable bed, with one or more loved ones by your side. There is no pain…”
Behind the Book: Harm to Others: The Assessment and Treatment of Dangerousness
Counseling Today (Bethany Bray)
“book provides… clear and practical guidance on the fundamentals of how to conduct a violence risk assessment… those who most need to be in counseling to change the path to violence they are on are the least likely to show up and remain connected to care…”
Boys to Men Post Domestic Violence
Jane Evans Trauma Parenting
“inspired and educated… video… Mizan the Poet… ‘Eat or be eaten’ ‘beat or be beaten’ was ingrained and embraced from an early age, but not enjoyed… insight into… impact and the musings of a boy impacted by violence… an answer… or something to be avoided at all costs…”
Coming Out Proud to Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness
Dr. Deb
“Coming Out Proud to Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness… collection of personal reflections by people with mental illness… one of the most effective ways to erase public stigma is through hearing first-hand experiences of people telling their stories of recovery…”
Core Beliefs and Assumptions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Example
Beck Institute Blog (Norman Cotterell, Ph.D.)
“Mike… tells his wife, “Everything is fine.” … But he doesn’t own up to any emotional distress… One key belief… “If I reveal any vulnerability, people will… view me as weak.”… The trauma itself doesn’t directly lead to PTSD; rather it is the meanings they attribute to the trauma…”
The Family that FEELs Together Heals Together–The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Dr. Christina Hibbert
“There are many ways to deal with powerful emotions… Emotional Freedom Technique uses tapping to help you release both the physical response to the trauma and the thoughts associated with it… technique is a simple, potentially powerful way to help yourself and your family…”
How Eating Disorders Affect Your Teeth
HealthyPlace (Alan McGee)
“Anorexia … severe malnutrition since your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs in order for it to properly function… bleeding gums, dry mouth, periodontal disease as well as tooth decay… seek help from your doctor, your therapist… go to your dentist…”
How to Improve Your Communication in the Workplace
Prosper with Aspergers (Stephen Borgman)
“communication with co-workers is different from trying to make close friends… Develop Self Awareness With the Johari Window… Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the positive attributes, ask a trusted friend or colleague to fill in weaknesses, or areas you need to work on…”
Respecting Patient Choices
ottiti (Victoria Brewster)
” a TEDx talk by Dr. Peter Saul… medical community using terminology of ‘life saving’ when it should be ‘prolonging life’ or ‘delaying death.’ The question to ask ourselves is how do I want to die? Patients want a sense of control about the dying process more than anything else…”
RUSH Prevention Program Helping Children of Bipolar Parents
The Trauma and Attachment Report (Robert T. Muller)
“Bipolar Disorder (BD)… marked by alternating periods of manic euphoria and intense depression… children of bipolar parents are 14 times more likely to develop… Reducing the stressors in early childhood may help… ward off the development of BD…”
Time It Takes to Recover from Depression after Hypomania
Bipolar Burble | Natasha Tracy
“the depression after a hypomania is so much worse than an average depression… no matter how hard they fight the bipolar, they won’t always win… the fight is important, but realizing that the fight isn’t enough to beat a sick brain is also important… give themselves a break…”
Using Food as a Drug
Frieda Ferrick, MFT
“Steps to Stop Over eating… Recognize your trigger feelings… Recognize what you are feeling when you begin to overeat. What is that feeling? What causes it?… Have some alternative ready to do other than eating… Have a support system in place where you can communicate your feelings…”
What is PTSD? In the Words of Survivors….
Heal My PTSD (Michele Rosenthal)
“he “professional” perspective of PTSD can’t get down to or substantially express what it feels like to live the PTSD lifestyle of anxiety, insomnia, panic, hypervigilance, fear, pain, grief, anger, numbness, dissociation and emotional dysregulation… answers they allowed me to share with you…”
NonProfit:
Four Learning Principles for the Social Sector
SSIR
“Nonprofits need alternatives for professional development… Social innovators can’t depend on traditional learning methods… Social sector leaders need their own learning community… Nonprofits need to prioritize learning, despite limited resources…”
Looking For A Nonprofit Job? Join Guidestar and Idealist For A Free Webinar!
Idealist Careers
“Thursday, June 18th at 2pm EST…free… how to use Idealist and Guidestar to find and vet a job, internship, or volunteer opportunity; specific tips to improve how you search, advice on cover letters, resumes, and interviews; and general nonprofit resources…”
Playing by the Rules: Creating an Effective Volunteer Handbook
VolunteerMatch
Thursday, June 18 at 2PM EST: “free… How to create a living document that can help both paid and volunteer staff be better informed and know what is expected of them… How to deal with challenging volunteers… How to create a stronger framework for your volunteer engagement program…”
Private Practice:
10 Reasons to Become a Media-Savvy Therapist
(Private Practice Toolbox) Dr. Julie Hanks, LCSW
“Educate Your Community; Educate The World… No matter your area of expertise… you have valuable insight that you can share with your community to serve them and better their lives… Grow Your Practice (even during an economic downturn!)…”
Free Training: How To Develop A Niche
Psych Central Professional (Kelly Higdon, LMFT)
“July 29 at 2PM EST: To niche or not to niche…and if you do niche, HOW do you do it?…training on developing a niche in private practice and learn how creating a niche can have a positive clinical impact in your private practice…”
Register With Free Directories
The Counselor Entrepreneur
“If you have a physical office, register it on Google Maps… free way to get the ball rolling on your advertising… you will need to incorporate other methods, but this is one easy way to help people find you on the web…”
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Thank you for both the list of this weeks best of and for including me on the list. I very much appreciate it.
It was my pleasure, Cathy!
Thank you for your kind feedback and your touching post about lessons learned about grief and how we can all better be there for one another.
Warmly,
Dorlee
Hi there! The post for the bias blind spot leads me to a hoarding study. Was that intentional? Was the survey there and I didn’t see it? Thank you! These posts are incredibly helpful!
Thanks, Casey for catching that error; I just fixed it!
Best,
Dorlee