Friday, March 29, 2013

Social Workers Make A Difference

 
  • Professional social workers assist individuals, groups, or communities to restore or enhance their capacity for social functioning, while creating societal conditions favorable to their goals. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior, of social, economic and cultural institutions, and of the interaction of all these factors.
  • According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), social work is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States.
  • Social workers are highly trained and experienced professionals. Only those who have earned social work degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral levels, and completed a minimum number of hours in supervised fieldwork, are “professional social workers.”
  • Social workers help people overcome some of life’s most difficult challenges: poverty, discrimination, abuse, addiction, physical illness, divorce, loss, unemployment, educational problems, disability, and mental illness. They help prevent crises and counsel individuals, families, and communities to cope more effectively with the stresses of everyday life.
  • Professional social workers are found in every facet of community life—in schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, senior centers, elected office, private practices, prisons, military, corporations, and in numerous public and private agencies that serve individuals and families in need. They often specialize in one or more of the following practice areas:
    Mental Health Therapy
    Disaster Relief
    Military Social Work
    Rural Social Work
    Adoption & Foster Care
    Child Welfare Services
    Family Preservation Services
    Homeless Family Assistance
    Eating Disorders
    Genetics
    Hospital Social Work
    Crisis Intervention
    School Violence
    Hospice and Palliative Care
    Depression
    Institutional Care
    Chronic Pain
    Outpatient Treatment
    Development Disabilities
    International Social Work
    Advocacy, Consulting and Planning
    Community Mental Health
    Employee Assistance
    Private Practice
    Veterans Services
    Child Abuse & Neglect
    Domestic Violence
    Political Development
    Parent Education
    Family Planning
    HIV/AIDS
    School Alternative Programs
    Difficulties in School
    Gerontology Services
    Community-Based Services
    In-Home Services
    Senile Dementia and Alzheimer’s
    Addictions Prevention/Treatment
    Criminal Justice
    Housing Assistance
    Public Welfare
    Employment Services
  • Please visit HelpStartsHere.org for more information on how Social Workers help.
  • Over 40% of all disaster mental health volunteers trained by the American Red Cross are professional social workers.
  • “There are over 170 social workers in national, state and local elected office, including two U.S. Senators and seven U.S. Representatives.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Birth Parent & Adult Adoptee Support Group

"...the support group came into my life - I do not know how I would be handling my life today without it." Birth Mother

For more information about this group or other related questions, 
please contact Audrey R. Derevenko, LCSW at adereven@childrensaid.org or 205-943-5343.
    

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Free Webinar: Lying, Cheating and Stealing

All children go through phases of "bending" the truth or taking something that excites his or her interest. Both of these are signs of healthy development. However, these behaviors can quickly become very troublesome when they extend past their normal lifespan. This is very common for foster and adopted children and these behaviors could be described as the most familiar difficulty parents and professionals face when serving this population.

This training will examine lying, cheating, and stealing from a developmental perspective and why foster and adoptive children may be more susceptible to acting out in these ways. It will also provide ways parents and professionals can help reduce the frequency, severity, and duration of these types of behaviors.

Tuesday, April 23
 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm (CST) 

CEUs available for the following:
  • Adoptive Parents
  • Foster Parents
  • Social Workers
  • Counselors
CAS is an approved CE Provider NBCC #6459 ABSWE #0039. 

Kathy I. Hummel, LCSW, PIP and certified sex therapist (AASECT) has over 35 years of clinical and administrative experience in the field of social work. She is the Regional Coordinator for the Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections (APAC) Northern Region and Statewide Clinical Coordinator. Ms. Hummel’s areas of concentration are adolescence, child development, attachment, sexual abuse and perpetration, and sex addiction. Ms. Hummel has facilitated trainings nationally and has co-written a book on infant attachment. She has also helped to develop, reorganize, and implement several of the APAC trainings.





 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Social Work 101

March is National Social Work Month, sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and this year’s theme, ”Social Work Matters” is meant to showcase the impact of more than 642,000 professional social workers in America. In honor of this important month, the “Social Work 101″ infographic, highlights the rapid growth projected for social work employment, the likely careers and employment settings where you’ll find social workers, and famous social workers who made a difference in our world.

   Source

Friday, March 1, 2013

Birmingham Resource Job Fair - March 6

                                                                             
Don't miss this great CAS resource event next week!

Wednesday, March 6
9:00am - 1:00pm
JCCEO Auditorium
300 8th Avenue West
Birmingham, AL 35204

We will have resources on childcare, credit counseling, career training, healthcare and potential employers who will be sharing job opportunities for those in need!

For more information:
Patricia Johnson 205-943-5338
Rhonda Noble 205-943-5358