Substance use during pregnancy can lead to poor outcomes. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) can occur when a developing baby is exposed to alcohol before birth. People with FASDs can live with lifelong behavioral, intellectual, and physical disabilities. Tobacco use during pregnancy increases the risks for birth defects of the mouth and lip, as well as preterm birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome. In addition, prenatal cannabis use has been linked to fetal anomalies as well as developmental problems such as low birth weight and attention and learning issues, as well as higher stillbirth rates, lower Apgar scores (which measure a newborn’s health after birth), and increased risk of neonatal intensive care unit admission.

Social workers are uniquely positioned to put prevention into practice by screening all clients, including pregnant people, for alcohol and other substance use. And they can talk with clients who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant about avoiding alcohol and other substances during pregnancy. Given that every pregnancy is different, it is not possible to predict how each baby will be affected by maternal substance use. The safest pathway is to avoid any type of substance use during pregnancy.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the NASW Foundation are collaborating with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work in a national effort to engage social workers in the prevention of substance-exposed pregnancy. The FASD National Partner Network is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative that puts social work at the center of prevention practice, along with colleagues in family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, nursing, and medical assisting.

Resources

• NASW Practice Perspectives: Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
• FASD Fact Sheets (FASD United)
• Glimpses of FASD – Meet Brenna! (youtube.com) (FASD United)
• Video Series: Lived Experiences with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CDC)
• Cannabis Use During Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians)

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Article by Diana Ling, MA, Senior Program Manager; and Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH, Senior Health Strategist; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin.

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This initiative, Engaging Social Workers in Preventing Alcohol- and Other Substance-Exposed Pregnancies, is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $913,610 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

In October 2024, NASW Senior Practice Associate, April Ferguson,  participated in the Center for American Progress 10th National Gun Violence Prevention Summit as a panelist in a morning breakout session; Safe Learning Environments: Investing in School-Based Behavioral Health Personnel and Community Partnerships.

The panelists discussed contributing factors to school gun violence, the school social workers role in creating a safe learning environment, and preventative practices to reduce violence in schools. NASW highlighted the importance of multi-disciplinary collaboration, threat assessments, Multi-Tiered System of Support interventions and the importance of safe storage and responsible gun ownership.

Given the concerns around school gun violence, school social workers are an integral part to ensuring safety in the education system. School social workers are tasked with completing assessments, addressing mental health challenges, providing interventions, completing referrals, and engaging families. They also use evidenced based practices to remove barriers to academic success and support students and families to improve their wellbeing. All these responsibilities can be challenging when school social workers are supporting multiple schools or when a single school social worker is responsible for an entire school.

Gun-violence prevention is absolutely a social work issue and NASW supports advocacy and legislation that puts more school social workers in the education system. NASW invited the testimony of school social work members for a July 2024 Congressional briefing titled Rooted in Change Cultivating Youth Behavioral Wellness at Home& in Communities. NASW also supports School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act (SWISS) which aims to hire and retain school social workers.

NASW also offers professional development resources to assist school social workers in learning more about gun violence prevention. The theme for the October 2024 Virtual Fall Forum was Mental Health Matters: Working with Children, Youth, and Families. The forum addressed a wide range of topics including gun violence prevention

NASW recognizes the important role of school social workers and how their contributions support safe learning environments. School gun violence is preventable and social workers must do our part to ensure that students feel safe, connected and supported at school. Children and youth deserve an inclusive and accepting environment that is free from all forms of violence and caregivers should feel secure sending their kids to school to further their education. With preventative interventions and advocacy, school social workers can support safer school environments.

Sekou “Koe” Murphy

Financial security is a top concern for most of us, and it creates a lot of stress the older we get. Making matters worse, some employees are the main breadwinners in their households and may live in multi-generational homes, where financial security becomes even more critical.

Years ago, the attractive retirement benefit was a defined benefit plan. This kind of plan provided for a lifetime of financial payments in retirement to employees. The risk was on the employer to manage investments so that it could provide a defined amount of these payments.

But some employers ran into trouble with managing the investments so that there wasn’t enough to make these payments. To note, many didn’t do this intentionally. In some cases, miscues in assumptions like life expectancy and interest rates caused the plans to be underfunded (for example, unable to fully meet the required retirement payments).

To alleviate this, defined contribution plans became more popular in the mid-1980s. This shifted the risk to employees, where retirement was based on the amount contributed and the performance of the investment funds chosen.

One of the things that employers should do for their staff is to periodically benchmark their plans to ensure that plan costs, investment performance and diversification, as well as plan services are reasonable. Lower costs directly contribute to higher returns. It means that investments don’t have to work as hard to overcome high fees in addition to providing a return on investment.

Better-performing investment choices allow for improved performance compared to lower-performing funds.

At NASW, we undertook this kind of analysis. It was exciting to know that we were lowering plan expenses by over $100,000 for employees every single year—and providing better quality funds. When evaluating investment firms, we also included diversity equity and inclusion as that was part of our mission, as well as value-added benefits such as free tools that staff may wish to use (such as will prep and modeling retirement outcomes). The firm’s experience with defined contribution plans, and their years of experience.

It was a long process, but we think the process resulted in something that will best meet our staff’s retirement needs and financial goals.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this post should be considered financial, tax, or legal advice and that employees/readers should consult their own financial, accounting, or legal advisors. 

Sekou (Koe) Murphy, is NASW’s Chief Financial Officer and director of NASW’s Insurance Company, Inc. (NASWIC).

A COVID-19 summer wave and new 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines this fall—the virus is still a part of our day-to-day lives, but not the dominant force that it once was. Vigilance continues to be a wise practice to stay healthy and safe, yet we live, today, with a far less intense focus on COVID-19 compared with the early months and years of the pandemic.

During the pandemic, social workers, like most helping professionals, were called to action. They helped individuals and families to make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. As part of a national response to the pandemic, Connect to End COVID-19 is a $3.3 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded initiative to help social workers and their clients to make informed decisions about life-saving vaccines.

Since July of 2021, NASW and the NASW Foundation have partnered in this initiative with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work to provide national and state chapter-level training, tools, and information that promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake.

Highlights of Connect to End COVID-19’s achievements include:

• A three-year national communications campaign in which NASW and its Chapters administered fact-based information, tools, and training to promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence.
• A collaboration between HBRT and NASW Chapters that provided 27 free six-hour MI-SBIRT Trainings with five complimentary CEUs for social workers. More than 1,000 social workers were trained and an app was created and launched.
• Seven live 90-minute complimentary webinars hosted by NASW that offered free CEUS (also available for self-study through August 31, 2024). Approximately 19,000 people registered and earned more than 14,000 CEUs.
• Close to 40 Ambassadors, recruited from NASW Specialty Practice Section (SPS) member ranks, amplified the initiative’s messaging to their audiences; and three Sister Social Work Organizations engaged in communications campaigns that augmented messaging.

While the grant concludes September 29, 2024, work around COVID-19 continues for social workers and other helping professionals. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. have died and new COVID-19 strains continue to circulate causing illness and death. Approximately 112 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded, though current illness and death tallies are far below levels experienced during the height of the pandemic, according to CDC data. COVID-19 surges and waves come and go, now often causing milder illness. The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect individuals from severe disease, hospitalization, and death, according to the CDC.

A Look Back, A Look Ahead: Part Three of a Three-Part Series

In a three-part series, the Connect to End COVID-19 team examines the impact of this initiative, lessons learned, the important role social workers played in the pandemic, as well as lingering questions around the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and the pandemic.

In Part Three, closing thoughts about the about the initiative’s successes and achievements from Connect to End COVID-19 partners from the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work and NASW Chapter Executive Directors.

I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved through this grant, including training over 1,000 social workers from 27 NASW state chapters in how to use motivational interviewing (MI) and screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to help clients make informed vaccine decisions. Our NASW National Webinar on MI and SBIRT also reached thousands of social workers, with over 3,500 complimentary CEs issued. We are thrilled to have empowered social workers nationwide with tools to help them serve clients making important health decisions.

—Mary M. Velasquez, PhD, Director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. NASW and the NASW Foundation partnered with HBRT in the $3.3 million CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Grant, Engaging Social Workers in Boosting COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake.

We are also proud to have created SBIRT/MI for Vaccines, a set of two web-based apps that equip social workers with tools for navigating vaccine conversations with clients in real time. Our SBIRT app gives social workers scripts for our SBIRT model, including a video demonstration of each step. And our MI app shares core MI skills social workers can use to help clients explore concerns about vaccination and make informed choices. Our apps are there to help support social workers, wherever they may be, in client conversations about vaccines.

—Kirk von Sternberg, PhD, Associate Director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. HBRT partnered with NASW and the NASW Foundation in the $3.3 million CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Grant, Engaging Social Workers in Boosting COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake.

‘Kentucky Proud’ is how we speak when something is a good reflection on our bluegrass state. NASW-KY is Kentucky Proud of the work we have done with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NASW across the pandemic and beyond. Here in Kentucky, free programs for social workers continuing education for licensure are greatly appreciated because social workers are often working more than one job just to make ends meet due to the lower salary standards in such a poor state. [Excerpt from Connect to End COVID-19 Section, NASW Website.]

—Brenda Rosen, MSW, CSW, Executive Director, NASW Kentucky Chapter. Brenda implemented NASW Chapter communications and outreach in Kentucky on behalf of the Connect to End COVID-19 Campaign and hosted a MI-SBIRT Training (2022) in collaboration with the UT Austin HBRT team.

The Connect to End COVID-19 campaign enabled the Virginia Chapter and its nearly 2,800 members to engage directly in the COVID-19 pandemic emergency response. Vaccination is a personal decision, but the COVID-19 courses were truly lifesaving and had plenty of evidence-based data that simply needed trusted messengers such as social workers to deliver it to even the most hesitant and often the most vulnerable of clients. We found special success in educating social workers about the campaign during our in-person and virtual conferences throughout the pandemic. Using a multi-channel strategy to promote the conference and NASW membership, we could piggyback news of the Connect to End COVID-19 campaign with this outreach. [Excerpt from Connect to End COVID-19 Section, NASW Website.]

—Debra Riggs, CAE, Executive Director, NASW Metro DC Chapter and NASW Virginia Chapter. Debra and her team implemented NASW Chapter communications and outreach in Virginia and Metro DC on behalf of the Connect to End COVID-19 Campaign and hosted a MI-SBIRT Training (2023) in collaboration with the UT Austin HBRT team.

Wisconsin social workers had one central place from a trusted source to go for the most up to date accurate information on vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. Wisconsin social workers benefitted from having a place to go for any resources they would need, particularly with special populations, to help them understand the problems that exist and ways to address them. Our webinar on MI-SBIRT was a huge success. It filled up almost immediately and the evaluations were outstanding. Our intern, Oliver Wink, did an exceptional job gathering information, especially on at-risk communities, for our webpage on vaccine hesitancy and special populations. Slightly higher open rates on social media posts over time. [Excerpt from Connect to End COVID-19 Section, NASW Website.]

—Marc Herstad, MSW, CISW, Executive Director, NASW Wisconsin Chapter. Marc and his team implemented NASW Chapter communications and outreach in Wisconsin on behalf of the Connect to End COVID-19 Campaign and hosted a MI-SBIRT Training (2023) in collaboration with the UT Austin HBRT team.

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A Look Back, A Look Ahead: Part One and Part Two Excerpts

In Part One of this series, an interview with Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW—Executive Director, NASW MS Chapter and NASW Alabama Chapter; and, Project Coordinator, Connect to End COVID-19 Special Populations. Dr. Bouie-Haynes implemented NASW Chapter communications and outreach in Mississippi on behalf of Connect to End COVID-19 and hosted a MI-SBIRT Training (2022) in collaboration with the UT Austin HBRT team.

Excerpt Part One—on the importance of social workers at the table during the pandemic: I think social workers being ‘at the table’ is important and should be included in crisis planning during any pandemic. Social workers bring a plethora of skills to navigate working with systems quickly, and they are trained to identify services and impact policies and decision-making. The fact that social workers are employed everywhere in all sectors of society working with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations makes individuals in the social work profession unique.

This uniqueness can help to address access to resources and educate communities when working with Special Populations. Social workers are considered the trusted professionals working directly with people. During the past three (3) years of the vaccine confidence grant, Special Populations of people have been reached across many communities in the different states where vaccine confidence was low. The importance of social workers in this vaccine confidence grant cannot be underestimated as it completes the “menu” of services that can be available to special groups of people and the essential deliverables for the grant.

To read Part One, follow this link.

In Part Two of this series, an interview with Barbara Bedney, PhD, MSW—NASW Chief of Programs and Principal Investigator (PI) on this CDC-funded grant, Engaging Social Workers in Boosting COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake. 

Excerpt Part Two—on lessons learned: I agree with Gwen and would only add, again, the importance of ongoing communication, relationship-building, and networking before, during, and after disasters such as pandemics. I had a colleague in New York who ran an agency that provided critical support services to those affected by the attacks on 9/11 who used to say “we were there on 9/11 because we were there on 9/10.” That phrase has always stuck with me. Crisis prevention and amelioration starts before a crisis ever occurs, with strong, pre-existing, trusting relationships that can be rapidly mobilized in times of crisis. I think that is a key lesson from this pandemic, and that it is up to social workers to make sure that lesson isn’t lost.

To read Part Two, follow this link.

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The Connect to End COVID-19 initiative is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $3.3 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Visit Connect to End COVID-19 on the NASW Website to learn more about the initiative.

This Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Month, social workers can deepen their understanding of FASDs and how to prevent them. A key tool in FASD prevention is universal alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT), an evidence-based, highly effective modality for evoking a client’s motivation to address risky substance use.

To get started, here are five facts about FASDs social workers need to know.

One: FASDs are a leading preventable cause of lifelong behavioral, intellectual, and physical disabilities in the U.S.

FASDs are preventable if a baby is not exposed to alcohol before birth. Despite redoubled efforts over the past 30 years to prevent prenatal alcohol exposure, nearly 1 in 7 pregnant people report current alcohol use, and about 1 in 20 report binge drinking in the past 30 days.

People with FASDs are at high risk for difficulty in school, including learning disabilities, sensory issues, and behavior problems. They are also at risk for trouble with the law, substance use disorders, and mental health disorders. As social workers know well, these risks can impact individuals and families at every age and stage of life, making prevention, early identification, and intervention crucial.

Two: FASDs are identified in higher rates in Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and low-socioeconomic class communities, and pregnant BIPOC people with substance use disorders are less likely to seek and receive substance use treatment.

As with other health conditions, there are racial/ethnic disparities in FASD prevention and care.

Three: There is no known no safe time, safe amount, and no safe type of alcohol use during pregnancy.

Alcohol use at any time during pregnancy can harm a developing baby. There is also no known safe amount of alcohol or safe type of alcohol to drink while pregnant, since all types of alcohol can be harmful, including wine, beer, and liquor. Though some babies might not be affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, it is impossible to know which babies will be affected.

Four: Social workers are uniquely positioned to support FASD prevention efforts.

As one of the nation’s key providers of mental and behavioral health services, social workers play a key role in preventing FASDs through universal alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). Via SBIRT, clients complete a short screening tool. This is followed by a guided conversation (“brief intervention”) with a health professional skilled in SBIRT, and referral to treatment when appropriate. SBIRT is a crucially important public health and behavior change modality and part of a robust social work practice portfolio.

In recognition of social work’s essential role in addressing prenatal alcohol use, NASW Foundation, together with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work, are collaborating on the FASD National Partners Network. This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded initiative is the only one of its kind that includes social work at the center of prevention practice—along with family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, nursing, and medical assisting.

Five: Alcohol SBIRT is a highly effective prevention tool—but it remains underused.

Based on more than 30 years of research, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended alcohol SBI for all adults, including pregnant people, in primary healthcare settings. Despite the evidence, alcohol SBIRT remains underutilized. A recent study found that 80% of pregnant people were asked about recent alcohol use at their last healthcare visit, but just 16% who reported current drinking were advised to stop or cut back on drinking. These findings highlight the significant opportunity for social workers to integrate alcohol SBIRT into routine practice to help prevent and reduce alcohol use during pregnancy.

Resources

• NASW Practice Perspectives: Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
• SBIRT Pocket Card (Health Behavior Research and Training Institute in partnership with Oak Ridge Associated Universities and CDC)
• FASD Fact Sheets (FASD United)
• Glimpses of FASD—Meet Brenna! (youtube.com) (FASD United)
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Training and Resources (CDC)

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Article by Diana Ling, MA, Senior Program Manager; and Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH, Senior Health Strategist; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin.

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This initiative, Engaging Social Workers in Preventing Alcohol- and Other Substance-Exposed Pregnancies, is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $560,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

As each day passes, we move farther and farther away from being dominated by the COVID-19 Pandemic that began in 2020. We view the pandemic in the rear-view mirror. COVID-19 strains continue to morph and circulate, causing illness and death—though far below levels experienced in the early days, months, years, of the pandemic, thanks to life-saving vaccines and increased immunity. Yet questions linger about the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on individuals, families, society, and social workers.

Social workers, like most helping professionals, were called upon during the pandemic to help individuals and families to make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. As part of a national response to the pandemic, Connect to End COVID-19 is a $3.3 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded initiative to help social workers and their clients to make informed decisions about life-saving vaccines.

Since July of 2021, NASW and the NASW Foundation have partnered in this initiative with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. The mission: to provide tools and information in a national communications campaign and, national and state chapter-level training, that collectively promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake.

Connect to End COVID-19 achievements during the three-year CDC grant include:

• A collaboration between HBRT and NASW Chapters to provide 27 free six-hour MI-SBIRT Trainings that include five complimentary CEUs for social workers. More than 1,000 social workers have been trained and an app was created and launched.
• Seven live 90-minute complimentary webinars hosted by NASW, provided free CEUS, also available for self-study (close to 18,000 people registered and earned nearly 14,000 CEUs).
• Approximately 40 Ambassadors, recruited from NASW Specialty Practice Section (SPS) member ranks, amplified the initiative’s messaging to their audiences; and, three Sister Social Work Organizations engaged in communications campaigns that augmented messaging.

The grant concludes September 29, 2024, but the need continues, on the part of the social work profession, to promote vaccine confidence and to help individuals and families to make decisions about life-saving vaccines.

A Look Back, A Look Ahead: Part Two of a Three-Part Series

In a three-part series, the Connect to End COVID-19 team examines the impact of this initiative, the important role social workers played in the pandemic, as well as lingering questions around the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and the pandemic. To read Part One, follow this link.

In Part Two of this series, an interview with Barbara Bedney, PhD, MSW—NASW Chief of Programs and Principal Investigator (PI) on this CDC-funded grant, Engaging Social Workers in Boosting COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake.

Why was it important to have social workers ‘at the table’ during the COVID-19 Pandemic—especially within the context of Connect to End COVID-19 / CDC Vaccine Confidence Grant?

I couldn’t agree with Gwen more and will just add a few additional points of my own.

About the skills and frameworks we bring to the table:

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the principles of ‘trauma-informed care’ include safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice, and cultural, historical, and gender issues. In a trauma-intense environment such as natural disasters or pandemics, the implementation of these principles is critical to ensure that individuals, families, and communities receive the services and supports they need and are not re-traumatized during the process.

Based on their knowledge base, skills, frameworks, and relationship-building skills, social workers are uniquely suited to infusing these principles into their work during disasters and to promoting the safety and resilience of individuals, families, and communities during pandemics and other crises. It is critical that we be at the table to ensure that all crisis-related work incorporates these principles. It is similarly critical that social workers be at the table to develop and implement culturally relevant messages to ensure reliable, accurate, and timely information is distributed to populations known to be at high risk for COVID-19 infection and hospitalization.

About special populations, health disparities, and social determinants of health:

African Americans, Latino individuals, and Native Americans in the US have experienced a disproportionate burden of COVID-19-related infections and deaths (Gray et al., 2020). Individuals with disabilities were also disproportionately affected by the hardships of COVID-19 (ACL, 2022) as were immigrant communities (Clark et al., 2020), rural communities, and older adults.

Social workers understand that health disparities—including disparities in social determinants of health such as education, transportation, housing, and employment (such as overcrowded housing and jobs that prevent social distancing); disparities in access to preventive care (including disparities in access to COVID vaccines, testing, and masks); and disparities in access to health care among others—all play a role in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and other disasters on minority and vulnerable populations, and we are committed to ensuring that those populations have access to the services and supports they need to promote their health and well-being. It is part of the mission of social work to bring the issues those populations face to the surface and ensure that they are addressed. This is less likely to happen without social workers advocating for these populations and ensuring that their voices and concerns are heard and addressed.

What is the biggest success of Connect to End COVID-19? What are related smaller successes?

Going back to my previous answer, I believe our biggest success is calling attention to the fact that social workers need to be involved in every aspect of public health, from ensuring that public health interventions are designed with a focus on historically underserved and vulnerable populations (and with an understanding of the social determinants of health that put them at risk in the first place), to developing and implementing communication and outreach strategies to reach populations who may be fearful of public health interventions based on past experiences and traumas and those who may become overwhelmed by misinformation and disinformation about vaccines and other health-related measures; to educating ourselves about the different modalities we can use, such as MI-SBIRT, to promote confidence about vaccines and other preventive measures in the clients we serve. The Connect to End COVID-19 project was a multi-level, multi-pronged intervention, and I believe it demonstrated that preventing and ameliorating any such crisis in the future will require that type of intervention in order to successfully have the desired impact.

In addition, the participation of our sister organizations and chapters from across the country demonstrated the reach and capacity that NASW has in being able to mobilize an entire system to address public health issues and crises, a success which, as suggested previously, calls attention to the need for us to be at the table before, during, and after the next crisis or pandemic occurs. I’m not sure I see any ‘smaller’ successes here, but I do also want to call attention to the outstanding team NASW put together to implement this intervention that enabled us to achieve all the successes we have had!

What are lessons learned, within the context of social work, from the COVID-19 Pandemic?

I agree with Gwen and would only add, again, the importance of ongoing communication, relationship-building, and networking before, during, and after disasters such as pandemics. I had a colleague in New York who ran an agency that provided critical support services to those affected by the attacks on 9/11 who used to say “we were there on 9/11 because we were there on 9/10.” That phrase has always stuck with me. Crisis prevention and amelioration starts before a crisis ever occurs, with strong, pre-existing, trusting relationships that can be rapidly mobilized in times of crisis. I think that is a key lesson from this pandemic, and that it is up to social workers to make sure that lesson isn’t lost.

As for communication, I agree with these sentiments from Crawford (2021), who noted that, “COVID-19 has taught us that information-sharing is not always straightforward. Rather, in this time of widespread misinformation and politization of public health, there has been a greater need for identifying reliable sources and correcting misinformation.”

Social workers, as trusted, empathetic, trauma-informed sources of reliable information, are ideally suited to fulfill that need.

What are some of the lessons learned from the CDC Vaccine Confidence Grant?

In addition to what’s already been said, I think part of what we’ve learned is the importance of vaccine confidence itself as a public health intervention, which again highlights the importance of social workers in public health. Our public health institutions could develop the most safe, most accurate, most reliable, least risky vaccine ever produced, but if the people it is designed for don’t have confidence in it, don’t trust it, are fearful of it (and separately, don’t have access to it), they won’t take advantage of it, and it will fail to stop the spread of whatever virus or disease it is designed to prevent.

Doctors, nurses, researchers, academics, etc. all have a critical role to play in the development of vaccines and other public health measures designed to keep us safe; but unless they simultaneously include social workers in the development of outreach strategies and communication

channels designed to promote confidence in those measures, those measures are likely to fail, and we will likely see again the hesitancy, fear, and distrust that has pervaded the COVID-19 pandemic. So, to me, that is one of the urgent lessons learned from our grant—the imperative that social workers be included, from the beginning, in all public health interventions to ensure that those interventions are successfully translated to the public—and to vulnerable populations in particular—in ways that promote confidence and trust.

Of course the corollary to that is that members of those special populations need to be at the table with social workers to ensure that those messages are culturally competent, trauma-informed, and delivered by trusted sources. Our Ambassadors program shows the importance and impact of messages designed and delivered by community members and local leaders, and this is a lesson that should be incorporated into all crisis prevention and remediation efforts.

Did the Pandemic adversely impact the mental Health of social workers and the individuals and families with whom they work?

Absolutely, and on this the research is pretty unequivocal. McCoyd et al. (2023), for example, suggest that “self-reported symptoms of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress, combined with concerns about safety and difficulties connecting clients with needed services, have combined to yield “a perfect storm of frustration and burnout” (McCoyd et al., 2023). In 2021, Holmes found that the prevalence rate of 26.2% of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported by social workers was five times higher than the national estimates of 5.3% (Kilpatrick et al. 2013) and over three times higher than the 7.6% reported PTSD rates of active duty and Reserve/National Guard personnel deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq with combat exposure (Holmes et al., 2021).

Lack of information in the early days of the pandemic, changing guidelines and safety precautions, overwhelming work schedules, agency closures, difficulties transitioning to telehealth services, fear of being exposed to COIVD-19 and fear of exposing others, lack of access to personal protective equipment, and personal losses associated with the pandemic all while trying to keep others safe have all been cited as sources of stress for social workers—and all need to be studied and addressed to prevent that kind of stress and burnout in future crises and pandemics.

How do we, as a country, begin to deal with the mental health (and other) related impacts of the pandemic?

I think that is a great question. I think for one, we need to recognize the collective trauma that the pandemic has inflicted upon us as a society. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “we cannot ignore the fact that we have been significantly changed by the loss of more than 1 million Americans as well as the shift in our workplaces, school systems, and culture at large,” and that there is mounting evidence that our society is experiencing the psychological impacts of a collective trauma. While the lockdowns are gone, the aftermath remains. Chronic illnesses between the ages of 35–44 increased from 48% in 2019 to 58% in 2023. Adults 35–44 also experienced the highest increase in mental health diagnoses—from 31% reported in 2019 to 45% in 2023.”

Once we acknowledge that, we can begin to help each other to recover from what we have collectively experienced, and social workers have an obvious critical role to play here—we can help create safe spaces and re-establish the sense of safety and control many of us lost during the pandemic; we can develop interventions to close the gaps in health and health care and resources the pandemic has tragically highlighted; we can expand our use of telehealth and other new modalities (and existing modalities such as MI-SBIRT) to reach out to new clients; we can continue to advocate for appropriate reimbursement for our profession and the critical mental health services we provide; and we can continue our important role in de-stigmatizing mental health conditions and promoting equal access to mental health services for everyone who can benefit from those services.

Are we ready for another pandemic (or crisis of another nature) in the future? If not, how do we better prepare?

I’d like to think so, but there are some steps I think need to be taken before the next pandemic to ensure that we are as prepared as possible when it happens. These include:

• The inclusion of social workers and social work frameworks into every aspect of public health planning and intervention and disaster preparedness and response
• Addressing the inequities in social determinants of health that promote inequities in the prevalence and impact of pandemics and other disasters
• Continuing to develop and solidify trusting relationships with community members and leaders from vulnerable populations, and having teams of local leaders (Ambassadors) on the ground ready to delivery culturally competent messages as immediately and as frequently as possible
• Relationship building with communities and populations known to be impacted the most by disasters, and planning with them now to avert the harsh consequences of the next disaster
• Building and solidifying partnerships with a wide variety of organizations to build the infrastructure, safety net, and networks necessary for timely responses to disasters
• The incorporation of social workers as first responders on equal footing with doctors, nurses, EMTs, etc.
• The recognition of the importance of self-care, supervision, and peer support in all aspects of disaster preparedness and response
• The development of multi-level, redundant communication channels that can be called upon to deliver effective, timely, accurate messages through as many means as possible

Anything else that you believe is important to mention?

Nothing more to add here to what Gwen said. This project has elevated the social work profession by showing how intricately tied pandemics are to the social determinants of health, and thereby showcasing the vital, successful, and impactful role that social work can and needs to play in preventing and responding to future pandemics and crises. It has been a privilege and an honor to work with the team on project and I look forward to doing my part to ensure that the many lessons learned from your work are incorporated into all future efforts to promote and protect the public good.

References

• Administration for Community Living (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities. Research Findings, April, 2022.
• American Psychological Association (2023). Stress in America 2023: A Nation Recovering from Collective Trauma.
• Clark, E., et al (2020). Disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant populations in the United States. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14(7).
• Crawford, C.A. (2021). Studying social workers’ roles in natural disaster during a global pandemic: What can we learn? Qualitative Social Work, 20(1-2), 456-462.
• Gray, D. et al (2020). COVID-19 and the other pandemic: Populations made vulnerable by systemic inequity. Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 17, 520-522.
• Holmes, M.R., et al (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Posttraumatic stress, grief, burnout, and secondary trauma of social workers in the United States. Clinical Social Work Journal, 49, 495-504.
• McCoyd, J. LM, Curran, L., Candelario, E., Findley, P.A., and Hennessey, K. (2023). Social service providers under COVID-19 duress: Adaptation, burnout, and resilience. Journal of Social Work, 23(1).

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Stay tuned for Part three of this three-part series in September. Follow this link to Part One in the series: an interview with Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW—Executive Director, NASW MS Chapter and NASW Alabama Chapter; and, Project Coordinator, Connect to End COVID-19 Special Populations.

Visit Connect to End COVID-19 on the NASW Website to learn more about the initiative.

The Connect to End COVID-19 initiative is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $3.3 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers, like most helping professionals, ramped up quickly under intense circumstances to help individuals and families to make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. As part of a national response to the pandemic, Connect to End COVID-19 is a $3.3 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded initiative to help social workers and their clients to make informed decisions about life-saving vaccines.

Since July of 2021, NASW and the NASW Foundation have partnered in this initiative with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work to provide national and state chapter-level training, tools, and information that promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake.

Highlights of Connect to End COVID-19’s record of achievement include:

• In a three-year national communications campaign, NASW and its Chapters administered fact-based information, tools, and training to promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence.
• In collaboration with HBRT, NASW Chapters are on track to provide 27 free six-hour MI-SBIRT Trainings that include five complimentary CEUs for social workers. More than 1,000 social workers have been trained and an app was created and launched.
• NASW hosted seven live 90-minute complimentary webinars that provided free CEUS (also available for self-study). Close to 18,000 people registered and earned nearly 14,000 CEUs.
• Approximately 40 Ambassadors, recruited from NASW Specialty Practice Section (SPS) member ranks, amplified the initiative’s messaging to their audiences; and three Sister Social Work Organizations engaged in communications campaigns that augmented messaging.

Though the grant concludes September 29, 2024, work around COVID-19 continues for social workers and other helping professionals. More than 1.2 million people in the U.S. have died since the start of the pandemic in 2020 and new COVID-19 strains continue to circulate causing illness and death. Approximately 112 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded, though current illness and death tallies are far below levels experienced during the height of the pandemic, according to CDC data.

A Look Back, A Look Ahead: Part One of a Three-Part Series

In a three-part series, the Connect to End COVID-19 team examines the impact of this initiative, the important role social workers played in the pandemic, as well as lingering questions around the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and the pandemic.

In Part One, an interview with Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW—Executive Director, NASW MS Chapter and NASW Alabama Chapter; and, Project Coordinator, Connect to End COVID-19 Special Populations. Dr. Bouie-Haynes has implemented NASW Chapter communications and outreach in Mississippi on behalf of Connect to End COVID-19 and hosted a MI-SBIRT Training (2022) in collaboration with the UT Austin HBRT team.

Why was it important to have social workers ‘at the table’ during the COVID-19 Pandemic—especially within the context of Connect to End COVID-19 / CDC vaccine confidence grant?

I think social workers being ‘at the table’ is important and should be included in crisis planning during any pandemic. Social workers bring a plethora of skills to navigate working with systems quickly, and they are trained to identify services and impact policies and decision-making. The fact that social workers are employed everywhere in all sectors of society working with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations makes individuals in the social work profession unique.

This uniqueness can help to address access to resources and educate communities when working with Special Populations. Social workers are considered the trusted professionals working directly with people. During the past three (3) years of the vaccine confidence grant, Special Populations of people have been reached across many communities in the different states where vaccine confidence was low. The importance of social workers in this vaccine confidence grant cannot be underestimated as it completes the “menu” of services that can be available to special groups of people and the essential deliverables for the grant.

What is the biggest success of Connect to End COVID-19? What are related smaller successes?

There are several successes of the grant; however, I will only mention a few here. The biggest success of the COVID-19 grant is the presence of social workers in many states being at the forefront of the project to ensure the needs of Special Populations of people are met. It has been very rewarding for social workers to review data regarding the gaps in resources and to consider assessment of vaccine confidence in their communities. The communication toolkits, chapter dialogue discussions, and meetings have opened plans for long-term sustainability needs in this grant given the changing landscape and different messaging.

The training aspect of the grant is a success also on Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). I recall one local social worker attending the first training from my Chapter comment, “By having the opportunity to receive training through the Connect to End COVID-19 grant I feel confident and prepared to support and help Special Populations that may seek out help for mental health services, vaccine confidence decision-making, and to provide educational information.”

The Sister Social Work Organizations and social work Ambassadors have been noted as defining highlights of the project. The smaller success might be the limited potential to address the needs of all Special Populations and the difficulty to reach people such as the unhoused, justice involved individuals, rural areas, people with disabilities, people in recovery, or long-term care settings.

What are lessons learned, within the context of social work, from the COVID-19 Pandemic?

At the height of the pandemic, there were many inequities and gaps in services and vaccine confidence. If nothing else, I believe social workers and public health officials must align their work to ensure Special Populations have access to vaccine confidence early during a pandemic. For example, Special Populations such as children, older adults, pregnant persons, people with disabilities, minority populations, people in recovery require early identification. Early access must be done to perhaps limit the number of perceived deaths in communities and to address existing social determinants of health such as food insecurities, medications, and basic or medical needs.

What are some of the lessons learned from the CDC vaccine confidence grant?

Social workers across the country have been critical in the vaccine confidence grant. This is the essential part of the grant. Equitable collaboration with organizations has been a lesson learned on ways to diversify coordination in communities. This might be an impactful way to respond to the more difficult to reach Special Populations and underserved people experiencing a lack of services.

Did the pandemic adversely impact the mental health of social workers and the individuals and families with whom they work?

I have read information that social workers have been impacted by secondary mental health needs, and I attended and organized the Connect to End COVID-19 national webinar on this topic. One area that might help explain the impact of the pandemic on social workers is the need for more research to examine the impact of the pandemic on social workers and continuous service delivery. Given the scope and magnitude of the pandemic, social workers may be reporting increased conditions for compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, traumatic stress, and burnout now and in the future.

How do we, as a country, begin to deal with the mental health (and other) related impacts of the pandemic?

I think organizations can focus on Employee Well-Being and supports. This would include checking in with employees and ensuring resources are provided, recognizing social workers as first responders in all communities, assuring equitable compensation, and providing mental health time from work monthly. It is challenging at best for social workers to practice self-care, but it is essential. I do believe that being prepared for another pandemic is critical. This preparedness requires knowing the community needs, developing train the trainer teams, and collaborating consistently with organizations to include the social work professionals in the crisis planning process.

Are we ready for another pandemic (or crisis of another nature) in the future? If not, how do we better prepare?

This is a good question. Given the scope and magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, I think it is imperative to build on the perceptions of booster hesitancy to counter any new waves of inaccurate information especially concerns of booster safety. Pandemic fatigue is continuously experienced as well. I think ways to act is to have social workers and professionals engaged in communities as trusted ‘Social Work Navigators’ providing accurate, educational information.

Anything else that you believe is important to mention?

There are so many successful efforts of the project, and I am honored to be a part of this work. However, there might be threats or challenges to the long-term sustainability of vaccine confidence which could affect the difficult to reach communities. The challenges might possibly be continuous limited access to resources in already frail communities.

Lastly, I think there is a clear need for more research about COVID-19 and social workers. Given the continuous data on healthcare professionals and first responders, research is also needed to help understand COVID-19 and how to effectively support social work practitioners during the pandemic. I did not think I would have been as informed and confident in my vaccine decision-making without resources from this project and my family supporting me. This has been a very satisfying experience to elevate the social work professional in this grant.

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Stay tuned for Part Two of this three-part series on July 31: an interview with Barbara Bedney, PhD, MSW—NASW Chief of Programs and Principal Investigator (PI) on this CDC-funded grant, Engaging Social Workers in Boosting COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake. The final installment in the series will be available in September.

Visit Connect to End COVID-19 on the NASW Website to learn more about the initiative.

The Connect to End COVID-19 initiative is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $3.3 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

We want to know your thoughts on discussing COVID-19 vaccines with clients, and your experience with NASW’s Connect to End COVID-19 initiative.

Eight minutes is all it takes to help us better train and educate social workers to have informed conversations with clients about COVID-19 vaccination. Your responses will be completely anonymous.

Connect to End COVID-19 is a national NASW initiative funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote COVID-19 vaccine confidence, access, and uptake, especially among vulnerable populations. In partnership with the NASW Foundation and the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work, NASW is working to support social workers and their clients in informed vaccine decision-making.

Learn more by visiting the NASW Connect to End COVID-19 website section and the CDC Vaccinate with Confidence website section. We are grateful for your participation and support for fellow social workers.

Take The Survey >>

The Connect to End COVID-19 initiative is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $3.3 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

By Heather Rose Artushin, LISW-CP

People have long understood the healing power of words. In ancient Egypt, intentional words of healing were written on papyrus, then dissolved into a solution so that it could be physically ingested, like medicine. Today, a growing body of research confirms that reading and writing can be therapeutic, even reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Reading fiction in particular builds emotional literacy and empathy, research shows.

The International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy (IFBPT) champions this approach, offering certification for social workers and other professionals interested in specializing in this creative modality. Owner of Change Your Narrative consulting and training practice, Nancy S. Scherlong, LCSW-R, CHHC, SEP, PTR/CJT-CM is a licensed clinical social worker and the current president of the IFBPT.

Scherlong discovered a passion for doing healing work with words when she was an MFA student with a background in creative writing and psychology. “I was going to do this work as a visiting artist,” Scherlong explained, “and all my friends at the time were therapists and suggested that I get a social work degree. I found that doing this work through the therapy door, for me, is a more intuitive way.”

Scherlong explains biblio/poetry therapy as the use of reading materials, like a book well-matched to a client’s circumstance, can be therapeutic with discussion or reflective writing. When it comes to poetry, Scherlong focuses on the use of metaphor. “Metaphor is another language specifically for trauma,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t have words for unspeakable things that have happened to them, and with metaphor they have privacy and a secret language to say, or not say, what they’re trying to convey. I think story is a word I use a lot, because it’s familiar.”

Nicholas Mazza Ph.D., licensed clinical social worker and Professor and Dean Emeritus at the Florida State University College of Social Work, has been involved in the practice, research, and teaching of poetry therapy for over 50 years. He is the author of Poetry Therapy; Theory and Practice, 3^rd Edition (Routledge; 2022), and president of the National Association for Poetry Therapy (NAPT).

“Poetry therapy has emerged as an independent field that is inclusive of bibliotherapy, narrative therapy, expressive writing, and journal therapy, all of which maintain their own independent field of study and practice,” Dr. Mazza explained. “Poetry and narrative can be powerful tools in promoting social justice. Poetic approaches have been and continue to be used to promote awareness of such critical problems as domestic violence, poverty, racism, sexism, and so much more. Poetry lends voice to the oppressed and can be empowering. Consider the invasion of Ukraine, gun violence, oppression, and women’s rights as just a few examples. The writing and sharing of poetry offer hope during troubled times.”

Whether social workers use books, poetry, and writing exercises with individual clients in individual therapy, with groups of nursing home residents, or patients in a hospital setting, the possibilities are endless. Sherry Reiter, PhD, LCSW, PTR-CM of The Creative “Righting” Center, has worked in private practice for over 30 years. “Bibliotherapy gets the maximum mileage out of words, powered by our own voices, fueled by our needs to be seen and heard in a meaningful way,” she said. “One of the many extraordinary moments was when my 87-year-old client held a published chapbook with all the poems she had written in therapy. It was called ‘This Is My Life’ by It’s-Never-2-Late-Productions. The author could not stop smiling and a feeling of pride and triumph overcame her feelings of helplessness and depression.”

Scherlong used this approach with children in foster care who had endured what she described as “horrific losses.” The results were powerful. “They would write letters to people no longer here, read them out loud, and write imaginary responses,” she said. “That dialogue ended up being healing.” Social workers can consider creative ways to tailor reading and writing prompts to a client’s unique situation, offering a non-threatening opportunity for expression.

In today’s post-pandemic world, the chance to heal through storytelling is something many people are discovering on their own. “As hard as the pandemic was, people have really started writing their own stories, and memoir is at an all-time high, and self-publishing is at an all-time high,” Scherlong said. “People are discovering on their own the healing power of words, and writing their stories.”

Social workers seeking more information on ways to incorporate books, poetry, and journaling into their work with clients can pursue continuing education courses in biblio/poetry therapy, seek one-on-one consultation, or pursue certification through the IFBPT. The certification process is a mentorship program, and according to Scherlong more than half of current mentors are social workers. “I think social work pairs well with expressive therapy modalities because it is already strengths-based, holistic, and affirms what’s right,” she said.

More than anything, viewing our work with people through the lens of storytelling can be a humbling, inspiring experience as a social worker. “I see their story before I see their problem,” Scherlong shared. “Stories can always be changed, by writing a new ending, or revising the middle, or shifting an arc of a narrative. It’s an affirmative process for people.”

Learn more by visiting the IFBPT website at https://ifbpt.org/ and the NAPT website at https://poetrytherapy.org/

This week, the Arizona State Legislature once again failed to advance lifesaving mental health legislation.

Social workers across our country work tirelessly to combat the ever-growing mental health crisis facing our nation. The Social Work Licensure Compact, spearheaded by the Department of Defense, seeks to address the critically important issue of licensure mobility for military spouses and enhances access to critical mental health services nationwide. In Arizona, we are fighting for our right to licensure mobility with SB 1036: social work compact. Despite the demonstrated need, SB 1036 continues to be held hostage in the Arizona State House of Representatives and may not become a reality for our profession or those we serve.

The statistics are striking. Despite data showing that there are 708,000 social workers nationwide, there is only 1 social worker for every 184 Arizonans. With such a large gap and high load on our profession, we must advocate for increased access to services and licensure portability. The Social Work Licensure Compact directly addresses this disparity by enabling social workers to reach underserved and geographically isolated areas, including military service members, veterans, and their loved ones. Key provisions of the bill encompass a wide range of benefits, including support for relocating military spouses and families, improved access to professional social work services, enhanced public safety, and continuity of care. Moreover, by streamlining regulatory processes and reducing administrative barriers, the compact ensures a more responsive and competitive workforce long term.

In our testimony of SB 1036, Retired Sergeant Daniel Brown, who tragically lost a friend and fellow veteran to suicide, shared openly with lawmakers just how these barriers keep some veterans from accessing lifesaving mental health services:

“I want you to imagine a young airman getting out of the air force here at Luke Air Force Base. He has been receiving care for PTSD and he wants to go home to his home state. Without SB 1036, he would have to stop his care and start over. I can tell you they don’t start over. My friend didn’t.” 

Download and watch Dan Brown Testimony

Also, in support of SB 1036, Angela Boswell, a licensed social worker and military spouse in Arizona, courageously shared her family’s very personal journey in trying to obtain mental health services despite laws and regulations that kept her family from healing:

“My husband, a retired 20-year Infantry Marine, bravely served our country, but the toll on his mental health, particularly PTSD, has been profound. Tragically, navigating the maze of interstate licensure laws meant that when he needed care the most, we were met with barriers rather than support. The story of countless military spouses facing similar struggles echoes loudly in my ears. SB1036 offers a beacon of hope by facilitating licensure mobility for social workers like myself, ensuring uninterrupted access to vital mental health services for our veterans and their families.”

Terri Waibel, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Arizona’s Center for Compassion, added to these stories and shared the heart wrenching experience of being prevented from supporting a family whose child died in another state:

“Throughout their weeks of time out of state, they were forced to attempt to emotionally cope on their own without familiar and trusted professional therapeutic support.

Just three examples, these strong voices represent hundreds of thousands of others who have fared just as bad, if not worse. Individuals seeking help and being denied access due to unnecessary and cumbersome barriers are struggling and some not surviving.

The need is apparent, and the clients are waiting. Given that recent similar compact legislation passed for Licensed Professional Counselors (SB 1173) it would be highly unprecedented for our lawmakers to prioritize one mental health profession over another.  Joining us in this fight are our colleagues in 18 other states who have passed this legislation without issue. Those states include: Missouri, South Dakota, Washington, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Maine, Virginia, Vermont, Connecticut, and Kansas.

Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we take decisive action to support our military, Arizona communities and the dedicated professionals who serve them! We call upon our elected officials and urge them to stop playing political games with lifesaving legislation and swiftly pass SB 1036!

To Dan, Terri, Angela, the military community, and our social work professionals, we thank you for your continued service. We vow to never stop advocating for you! We will now, and always have your six.