The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals: Book Review Looking for practical self-care tips for social workers? Are you a social worker or other helping professional who struggles with incorporating self-care into your daily life? If yes, you are likely to find Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin “Jay” Miller, and Mindy Eaves book […]
Genograms: A Powerful Therapy Tool
The Genogram Casebook: Book Review Are you looking for a new way to engage your clients in therapy? Or are you looking for some additional methods to help your clients get unstuck, or better understand why they are in their current situations? If yes, you are likely to find Monica McGoldrick’s book “The Genogram Casebook: […]
Real World Clinical Social Work: 7 Career Tips
Essential clinical social work career tips from Dr. Danna Bodenheimer’s book “Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way.” Dr. Bodenheimer, educator, psychotherapist, and head of Walnut Psychotherapy Center (trauma-informed outpatient setting specializing in LGBTQ treatment), wrote this book specifically to help new social workers feel more prepared as they leave graduate school and take on their first post-graduate position. The book’s five sections cover thinking clinically, getting your theoretical groove on, practical considerations, practice matters, and thinking ahead—nearly every clinical social work topic of concern before taking your first position including salary, setting choice, supervision use, key theories, case conceptualization, social work lens, and post-graduate options. Seven key takeaways include: (1) Meet clients where they are—they’re experts about their lives; cultural competence, strengths perspective, trauma sensitivity are key, (2) Relationship heals—honor your role as attachment figure, (3) Employ countertransference—make its presence known transparently for emotionally corrective experiences, (4) Use supervision—ask questions, admit mistakes, acknowledge struggles to grow, (5) Brand yourself—decide how you want to be known and where to spend continuing education money, (6) Money matters—don’t take salary below what you can live on; first job sets bar for subsequent salaries, (7) Self-care—spend time with other social workers, do low-cost recharging activities. Includes author interview discussing abundance/scarcity themes, financial freedom realities, geographic variations in career advancement, and agency culture challenges.
Got Anger? Try HEArt Anger Management!
The #1 Reason for Anger (and What You Can Do About It) Could you, or some of your clients benefit from a method of anger management? If yes, you may be interested in the powerful HEArt Program developed by Howard Lipke, Ph.D. It is a unique anger prevention system that he developed based upon his work with Veterans. This post […]
Living Forward: 3 Questions to Create the Life You Want
Learn how to create a life plan in one day using “Living Forward” by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy. Answer 3 questions: How you want to be remembered (legacy), what matters most (priorities), and your action plan (SMART goals). Stop drifting and get the life you want. Essential self-care tool for helping professionals—practice before you preach.
