Have you ever been asked on a job interview for a prospective new social work position: How would you react to a person who just walked in and appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol? To help you be prepared for such a question, I consulted with two social workers who are currently […]
Complete Guide to Motivational Interviewing: From OARS to Stages of Change
Motivational interviewing is a powerful client-centered approach that helps clients make lasting behavioral changes. Whether you’re working with substance use, chronic health conditions, mental health issues, or co-occurring disorders, motivational interviewing (MI) respects autonomy while evoking intrinsic motivation to change. This complete guide to motivational interviewing features an in-depth interview with Kathleen Sciacca, a trainer […]
Key Take-Aways from NASW’s Trauma & Addictions Workshop
The New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) provided a wonderful program with 34 different seminars about Trauma and Addictions Across the Life Cycle. The key take-aways from my day were as follows: I. An Overview of Trauma and Addictions Through the Life Cycle Prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder […]
A Day in the Life of a Prison Social Worker
Have you ever wondered what a typical day would be like for a social worker who works in a prison setting? This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Kays, a social worker, LGSW, who works with women at a prison in the Northeast region of the United States and will be able to […]
Social Work in Substance Abuse
As per Dr. Straussner, “if one is interested in learning and being challenged, it’s [the substance abuse area] a wonderful field. The knowledge of addictions treatment will come in handy no matter where one works.” Dr. Straussner is a professor of social work at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work. Aside from being a lecturer, […]
