Category: Reflections on Practice
How Data Became An Essential Part Of My SSW Self-Care Plan
SSW data did that. It wasn’t politicking, petitions, or a serious legal issue that moved the hand of the district- it was data on my SSW practice. Using a well thought-data collection system that was matched by the visual representations extracted-turned advocacy into action, and eventually results.
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Shifting Practice with LGBTQ+ Students: Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Schools, although sites of victimization, often are places where students feel safe to express their sexual and gender identities and receive mental health support and services. With the shift to remote learning, many LGBTQ+ are spending more time at home. Students who are not out to their families are experiencing increased stress related to concealing aspects of their identity and students who are out but do not receive support from their family are facing rejection and harassment (Salerno, Devadas, Pease, Nketia, & Fish, 2020).
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Thoughts on Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline
The school-to-prison pipeline is a system that currently harms our students, and we can do something about it. School social workers have the knowledge and skills – as well as an ethical commitment – to see it eliminated.
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Trauma-Informed Programs for K-6 Schools: Sharing the Bounce Back Program Example (Hope Bray, LCSW)
We are re-sharing this LiveChat Transcript from May 20, 2020 as we wind down our school semester, and take stock of what the ongoing disaster of the pandemic is doing to ourselves, our schools, and our students and their families. Fortunately, we have a fantastic SSW at SSWNetwork, Ms. Hope Bray from Netwown, CT, who shared how she has been working for years now as a trainer and clinician delivering the Bounce Back Program as a component of her school district’s trauma-informed care work, work that became ever more vital after the Sandy Hook school shootings of December 14, 2012. Thanks again Hope for sharing all your evidence-informed practice wisdom with us!
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Revisiting Trauma-Informed Care and The BLM Uprising in a June 2020 SSWNetwork LIveChat
We had a great conversation that day on SSWNetwork about ideas for a trauma-informed re-opening response for both the COVID-19 crisis and the BLM uprising that was happening around the country, and that is still challenging all of us as we head into 2021.
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Self-Care for School Mental Health Professionals: SSWNetwork Chat Transcript from Before…
I’m posting some additional LiveChats from our Loyola SMHAPP students and others who joined us on SSWNetwork before the pandemic changed a lot of how we live and how we do SSW. My co-host for this chat, Ms. Shannon Sterling of our Loyola SMHAPP Certificate, hosted the week of January 20, 2020 on our network and along with fellow SMHAPP colleague Samantha Prystawik, posted a bunch of excellent resources and ideas in their post “Getting Real About Educator Mental Health”) and this work has only become more necessary as we all head towards the end of 2020 with the pandemic still very much impacting all of us. We invite you to read this chat and let us know over at SSWNetwork what you think are the main issues for you and your schools now as we prepare to take a well-deserved rest and then start our school mental health work in 2021.
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Effective Interventions & Strategies with Students on the Autistic Spectrum with SMHAPP Alum Jaclyn Williams: SSWNetwork Chat transcript
“Over the years, I’ve come across so many different SEL programs geared towards gen ed students and students on the spectrum — I’ve tried a lot of things that didn’t really work with my students, and then some things that actually resonated with them. I figured a good “jumping off point” for my SSWN post was to share some of the curriculum I’ve used that has been successful with my students in captivating their attention and helping them learn social skills.”
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Exploring Why Some SSW Feel Unprepared: SSWN Open Access 2020
New article from IJSSW: “Quantitative data from Likert-scale items suggested that respondents felt generally underprepared for practice upon entering the field. This lack of preparation was felt generally and in regard to four areas of school-specific practice: knowledge of education policy, knowledge of special education, knowledge of school-based assessments and knowledge of school-based interventions.”
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