Personal Learning Networks: Why (& How) to Use Twitter Have you heard about twitter but are concerned that it is too hard to figure out, or may have no relevance to you? Would you like to know how you may use twitter to help you learn about different topics and/or advance in your career? This post will provide you with the […]
How to Build Mental Strength (Even If You’re Overwhelmed)
Want to know how to build mental strength even when you’re feeling overwhelmed? This review of Amy Morin’s Mental Strength course reveals proven CBT-based techniques for regulating your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Learn how building mental strength differs from mental health, why getting rid of bad habits matters as much as developing good ones, and specific strategies to improve resilience, increase happiness, and enhance decision-making. Based on Amy Morin’s bestselling book “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,” this course offers practical exercises, progress tracking, and tools especially valuable for social workers and helping professionals. Discover how to control your emotions so they don’t control you and behave productively regardless of your circumstances.
How to Promote Community Resilience Outside Therapy
How to Help Communities Recover From Disasters Have you wanted to find out how you may employ your clinical skills to help individuals/the community outside of the traditional setting? As per the inspiring talk “Outside the Four Walls,” Jack Saul, PhD gave at the 2015 Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, there are many different ways that mental health professionals and social […]
Best in Mental Health (9/21/15 – 10/4/15)
Below is a round-up of some of the latest news in mental health (and more)! This week’s wrap-up has 5 main themes: Advocacy/Cultural Sensitivity Technology and Mental Health Therapy/Relationships Self-Care Career/Non-Profit Advocacy/Cultural Sensitivity Asylum Discourse in New Zealand: Moral Panic and a Culture of Indifference – Bogen & Marlowe share their paper in which they discuss how the social work profession may address […]
Race Matters: How to Talk Effectively About Race
Have you wanted to be able to have a conversation about race but not really known how? Or have you wanted to help your clients feel comfortable in talking to you about race? While many of us recognize that racism is a big problem in the United States, we tend to be uncomfortable discussing race. This is because […]
Online Toolkit for New Social Workers
Essential new social worker resources created by Laurel Hitchcock, PhD, MPH, LCSW and Dorlee Michaeli, MBA, LCSW. This online toolkit features 10 carefully curated posts to help social work students and new practitioners develop professional skills, build their online presence, and advance their careers. Resources cover getting strong recommendation letters, acing job interviews, passing the LMSW exam, developing clinical and macro practice skills, leveraging social media for career growth, building online authority, and employing best practices in therapy. Includes potential assignments and exercises aligned with 2015 CSWE Social Work Competencies for classroom use or individual professional development.
Play Therapy: Healing Through Play
Comprehensive play therapy interview with Jennifer Taylor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Registered Play Therapist (RPT) specializing in individual, group, and family therapy with children. Learn what play therapy is—a developmentally sensitive mental health counseling approach that allows children to use a specially designed playroom to facilitate expression of emotions and feelings. Discover how play therapy helps children who are not yet ready for traditional talk therapy designed for adults. Jennifer explains child-centered play therapy where children choose what they’d like to do and the therapist follows the child’s lead, with the relationship valued over specific techniques. Includes real examples of how play helps children process trauma like witnessing violence, an Inside Out Feelings Activity video and infographic for ages 5-8, assessment tools (ASQ-3, MCHAT, CATS, PHQ-9), recommended play therapy room equipment (expressive, aggressive, real-life toys, sandbox), essential books (The Art of the Relationship by Gary Landreth, The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry), and 9 practical tips for mental health professionals interested in becoming play therapists including joining the Association for Play Therapy, getting quality training and supervision, and trusting the process.
3 Secrets Every Macro Social Worker Must Know
3 Macro Social Work Job Search Tips Are you interested in a Macro Social Work position but are having a hard time finding one? This post will provide you with some guidance to both help you find a Macro Social Work job and move up the Macro Social Worker career ladder. We are fortunate to have Rachel L. […]
10 Must-Know Private Practice Start-Up Tips
Essential private practice startup tips infographic from Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC – mental health counselor with 20+ years experience and private practice coach. This visual summary distills the most critical strategies for successfully launching your private practice: start networking NOW even if practice is years away, create your self-care plan before scheduling your first client, join or create a consultation group to combat isolation, be strategic in networking by declaring both strengths and weaknesses, build reciprocal referring relationships, get paperwork in order before seeing clients, establish systems for everything early, invest in a quality WordPress website, blog to get known online efficiently, and remember private practice is a marathon not a sprint. Includes bonus Q&A on establishing a practice in foreign countries. Based on comprehensive interview featured in “Complete Guide to Starting Your Private Practice” where Tamara shares decades of wisdom alongside social worker Michael Langlois.
How Volunteering Is Good for Your Well-Being and Career
Volunteering is alive and well in the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an estimated 62 million people in the U.S. volunteered from September 2013 to September 2014. Doing good for others not only helps people in need but also the person donating his/her time! As per United Health Group‘s 2013 […]
