April 2019
SOCIAL WORKERS LEADING FOR JUSTICE
Hello,

We had a fantastic time celebrating you and your contributions this past month! We enjoyed reconnecting with you at our Social Work Photo Exhibit, Awards Celebration, LEAD, networking events, and more.

The theme of Social Work Month 2019 was "Elevate Social Work." In order to do that, we called upon many of you and our legislative allies to help get the word out about why social work matters in our communities. See more about all of our great press and media attention below.

We look forward to continuing to build on the momentum from Social Work Month this spring with a fantastic line-up of CE programming, including " Shame, Longing, and Courage in Psychotherapy " with Dr. Anne Hallward, the host of Safe Space Radio (6 CEUs). Keep reading for information on all of our upcoming CE programming.

And remember there are two upcoming deadlines:

Please note that our office will be closed on Monday, April 15 in observance of Patriot's Day. Best of luck to social worker Lynn Sayarath who will be running the Boston Marathon that day!

In Solidarity,

Rebekah
Rebekah Gewirtz
Executive Director

P.S. We're Hiring for a Membership Manager !
IN THIS ISSUE:
  • Social Work Month Highlights
  • Membership Hub
  • Spring CE Programs
  • Social Work Action Center
  • Private Practice
  • Notes from the Field
  • Licensing Test Prep
  • National News
SOCIAL WORK MONTH HIGHLIGHTS
Social Work in the Media
Here in Massachusetts, we’ve had a lot of media attention this month for Social Work Month (SWM). Some highlights:


Letters to the Editor in local publications about SWM published by board members and legislative allies:

Letter to the Editor in the Boston Globe:
More than 50 Social Workers and 20 Legislators Celebrated Social Work Month
NASW-MA's Social Work Exhibit and Reception at the State House on March 6 brought more than 50 social workers and 20 legislators together to celebrate the meaningful contributions of social workers across the Commonwealth during Social Work Month.

We tried to get as many participants in the picture as possible!
Celebrating and Elevating Social Workers at Annual Awards Celebration
More than 100 social workers and allies attended the NASW MA Annual Awards Celebration: Elevating Social Workers and Social Justice on March 19. Together, we elevated and celebrated the incredible achievements of Bet MacArthur, Levin Schwartz, Nazda Alam, Carla Monteiro, and the ACLU of Massachusetts.

Pictures of the event coming soon to our website! www.naswma.org.
Another Successful Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD)!
Another successful LEAD is in the books! This year's keynote speaker was Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, PhD, MSW, Professor, Simmons University School of Social Work, with opening speaker State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Boston). LEAD offers an opportunity for social work students and professionals to lobby with state lawmakers and advocate for legislation that is important to clients, communities, and the social work profession.

For press on LEAD 2019, click here.
MEMBERSHIP HUB
Vote in Chapter Elections!
A great membership benefit is helping to decide who is on our board and our nominations committee! Login to our website using your membership username and password to cast your vote for:
  • Board of Directors: Vice President of Budget and Finance
  • Board of Directors: BSW Student
  • Board of Directors: MSW Student
  • Chapter Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification: Student
  • Regional Board & CCNLI Positions
Deadline is April 30, 2019
Students! Are You Ready for What Comes Next After Graduation?
Graduation is fast-approaching... are you ready for what comes next? Come learn how to mitigate your liability risk and to build a healthy social work career. Workshop will be led by Simmons University School of Social Work Professor Gary Bailey, DHL, MSW, ACSW . Topics covered include: how to become licensed, how to mitigate risk in clinical practice, and how to adhere to the Code of Ethics, especially as it related to technology. This is a FREE event for social work students (NASW-MA membership not required). Dinner will be provided. Thank you to our event sponsor NASW Assurance Services.

April 10, 2019
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Simmons University, 300 Fenway
Management & Academic Building, 2nd Floor, SOMC*M222
Boston
Graduation Cords are Coming!
New this year, graduating NASW-MA student members will receive teal cords to wear at graduation. We look forward to seeing the next generation of social workers proudly displaying their NASW-MA memberships at graduation this spring!
Member Sandy Novack Advocates for Accessible Housing
Hundreds of Independent Living (IL) advocates attended the March 14 State House advocacy day for the Statewide IL Council. Among speakers were Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representative Marjorie Decker, and Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) and NASW-MA member Sandy Novack MBA, MSW, LICSW, ACSW, CSW-G , who spoke on the Alternative Housing Voucher Program. Below are excerpts from Sandy’s comments:
"This past year, I joined with BCIL and the Disability Policy Consortium on a few issues that concern me as a person who wants to be independently living in my community and contributing to it. This includes accessible, affordable, housing… People with disabilities are more than twice as likely as the non-disabled population to experience homelessness, and are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing housing insecurity … I spent the better part of 2016 and 2017 hunting for an apartment that would be safe and accessible for my disabilities. It shouldn't be so hard to find accessible housing… I attended housing workshops at BCIL and met with a peer counselor to walk with me on a part of my housing search journey. Once moved into my apartment, I decided I wanted to get more involved with BCIL, and their Housing Advocacy Leadership Team interested me because I want to help others with disabilities live in accessible housing as well."

Kudos, Sandy!
In Your Mailbox: Social Work Voice
You should have received the March/April issue of Social Work Voice mid-March. Highlights from this issue include:

  • Social Workers and Sexual Assault: Policy Change for Prevention
  • Using My Voice to Create Change as a Clinical Social Worker
  • Social Work Loan Forgiveness: The Time is Now
  • Shame, Longing, and Courage: A Conversation with Anne Hallward
  • ...and much more!
Have an upcoming event, job opening, or other opportunity to share with the social work community? Advertise with us! All ads appear on our website and are published in Social Work Voice. The ad deadline for the upcoming May/June issue is April 26, 2019. Email Jamie Klufts for more information.
Want to Help us Plan Exciting New CE Programming? NASW-MA's Education Center Commission Seeking New Members
The Education Center Commission is a group of volunteers who play a major role in planning continuing education programs for NASW-MA. We are looking to bring in members who will share new ideas, concepts, and perspectives for program planning. We are working to further incorporate our commitment to racial justice in our programming. If you have a special interest or specialty in the intersection of clinical and macro practice please consider joining the commission!

Commission members participate in regular planning meetings, and volunteer at some CE events. As an active member of the Commission, you earn free CEUs for Chapter-sponsored programs. Contact Barbara Burka, Director of Clinical Practice, for more information:  bburka.naswma@socialworkers.org
SPRING CE PROGRAMS
Greater Boston
Sexual Victimization of Males Over the Lifespan
3 CEUs Available
Most of the research and public discourse on sexual victimization has centered on females. As a result, males have not been recognized for support and various interventions/services needed to protect them from perpetrators and a life of victimization. It is important for providers to understand male victimization and the prevalence of psycho/social issues of abuse on male development.

Friday, April 5, 2019
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Courtyard by Marriott Boston Natick, 342 Speen St., Natick

Speaker: Steven Procopio, LICSW, ACSW , private practice. Steven is a voice for sexually exploited males, from childhood sexual abuse to commercial sexual exploitation/human trafficking.
Central MA
Central MA Film Program: "Still Alice"
3 CEUs Available!
"Still Alice" follows Alice Howland (played by Julianne Moore), a linguistics professor diagnosed with familial Alzheimer's disease shortly after her 50th birthday.

April 7, 2019
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Elm Draughthouse Cinema, 35 Elm St., Millbury

Discussant: Marie Fusaro-Davis, PhD , Director of Clinical Services, Hospital for Behavioral Medicine, a joint venture with UMass Memorial
Greater Boston
Spring Film Festival: The Rider
3 CEUs Available!
Join us for a screening of the 2018 film "The Rider," based on a true story, following a rodeo cowboy from South Dakota who fell off his horse and suffered a traumatic brain injury. This film was named one of the best films of 2018 by The Atlantic and a "film to savor" by the New York Times. 

Sunday, April 7, 2019
2:00 - 5:30 pm
The Studio Cinema, 376 Trapelo Road, Belmont

Discussant: Bet MacArthur, LICSW , private practice
Greater Boston
Shame, Longing, and Courage in Psychotherapy
6 CEUs Available!
with Dr. Anne Hallward, psychiatrist and host and founder of Safe Space Radio. Anne speaks internationally on stigma and shame, traumatic silence, and voluntary vulnerability as a form of leadership.

Friday, May 10, 2019
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, 1657 Worcester Rd., Framingham

This day-long workshop will re-examine therapy as a relationship to foster courage. Whether our work is to support the courage to bear the feelings that have been unbearable, foster the courage to name and address reality, or recognize the courage that is absent from narratives of trauma and victimization; therapy is an incubator for courage. We will examine how shame and longing shape courage, looking at both the psychological and political dimensions of shame and longing. We will mine our own experiences of courage, or its absence, to understand in a deeply personal way the forces that foster our own courage, as a window into how we can support it in our work. This presentation is informed by the principles of IFS, but will be accessible to those without prior exposure to Internal Family Systems Therapy.
Greater Boston
Treating the Rise in Alcohol Use Among Women
3 CEUs Available!
Alcohol use by women has doubled from 2002 to 2013, causing researchers to state that current drinking trends are a public health crisis. Come learn effective strategies to treat AUD in women.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Sheraton Needham Hotel, 100 Cabot St., Needham

with Karen Kantor, MEd, LICSW, McLean Hospital, and Molly Van Wert, LICSW, McLean Hospital
Greater Boston
Changing the Cycle of Anger: A Model for Treating Anger Control Problems in Adults
3 CEUs Available!
with Joe Pereira, LICSW, CAS , Co-founder of Outlook Associates of New England, a practice to assist persons with anger control problems

Friday, May 31, 2019
9:00 am - 12:15 pm
Parish of St. Michael, 90 Concord Rd., Bedford

Anger is an emotional state that can range from mild irritation to overwhelming rage and is a response to events which can be interpreted through a set of unrealistic expectations. The workshop will look at how an individual can monitor his/her anger and will also offer specific anger regulation techniques that a person can use to develop a range of choices when experiencing feelings of anger.  
Therapy Matcher Members: Contact Barbara Burka for a special discount code
Greater Boston
Annual Nursing Home Conference
"The Evolving Nursing Home"
Up to 7.5 CEUs Available!
Join the NASW-MA Nursing Home Committee for the Annual Nursing Home Conference:

Thursday, June 13, 2019
LaCava Center, Bentley University, Waltham

Keynote: Sarah Dereniuk-Dudley, MHA, NHA, Senior Program Administrator, Healthcentric Advisor

Conference Workshops:
  • Grief, Loss, and Suicide with Mitch Davidowitz, LICSW
  • Residents' Legal Rights in the Nursing Home with Liane Zeitz, J.D., Certified Elder Law Attorney
  • The LTC Survey Process and Regulatory Compliance with Catherine Congo, MPA/HA 

Advanced Practice Intensive: "Sexuality, Intimacy, and STDs in the Nursing Home Resident" with Adrianna Alpaugh, MSW, Director of Social Services at Springhouse Senior Living Community.
SOCIAL WORK ACTION CENTER
SNAP Gap Lobby Day April 11, 2019
Join NASW-MA and our partners in the SNAP Gap Coalition on Thursday, April 11, in the House Members Lounge at the State House for the SNAP Gap Lobby Day. The speaking program will begin at 10:30 am.

Learn more about the SNAP Gap here. Additional questions? Contact Jamie Klufts: jklufts.naswma@socialworkers.org
NASW-MA Priority Bills on the Move!

In the third week of February, the Massachusetts House and Senate announced new leadership appointments and committee assignments for legislators. Bills that had docket numbers have now been moved into these committees and received bill numbers. You can find these updated numbers and legislative agenda on our website.

We have already had hearings and votes happen for two priority bills- LGBTQ Conversion Therapy Ban and Lifting the Welfare Cap on Kids . Both of these bills have been passed in the House and the Senate and will go to the Governor for his signature. Call Governor Baker today and ask him to sign these bills into law !

To get up-to-date emails and notifications about priority and supported bills as they advance through the legislative process - and to engage with us in advocacy on these bills - email Sophie Hansen, Political Director, at: shansen.naswma@socialworkers.or g . Sophie can sign you up for the Legislative Alert Network and get you plugged in to all of our activities.

To take action now and see the status of key bills, visit this link .
Bring Your Voice to the State House: Join our Speaker Bureau!
Our Chapter testifies at the State House in support or opposition of various bills, often those that are on our legislative agenda or at the request of coalition partners. We encourage social workers in all settings to come to hearings and make their voice heard on issues that make a difference in the social work profession and the clients and communities we serve.

To this end, we are creating a Testimony Speaker Bureau of social workers who are experts in a variety of areas, to be mobilized when a bill needs the voice of social workers.
 
Logistics:
  • Watch a brief webinar regarding public hearings and how to prepare oral and submit written testimony.
  • Sophie Hansen, NASW-MA Political Director, will reach out to you requesting testimony throughout the two-year session (Jan. 2019 - July 2020) as opportunities arise. Sometimes we are only given a few days notice.
  • This is an on-call volunteer position and there is no requirement to attend a hearing if it does not work with your schedule.
  • All hearings are located at the State House in Boston, typically Monday-Thursday during business hours (9:00 am - 5:00 pm).

Want to share your expertise by giving testimony? Please fill out this form .
PRIVATE PRACTICE
Therapy Matcher Open House April 7, 2019
Join us on Sunday, April 7, from 3:00-5:00 pm in Needham to learn more about Therapy Matcher, and network with fellow private practitioners. If not yet a member, we encourage you to attend and learn more!

Contact Barbara Burka for more information about the Open House or Therapy Matcher membership:  bburka.naswma@socialworkers.org
Valuable Member Benefit: Join the NASW-MA Private Practice Google Group
The Private Practice Google Group is an exclusive member benefit powered by social work colleagues from across the state and NASW-MA. By signing up you'll receive timely updates from your colleagues about ethics, billing and insurance, and other critical private practice issues. You can also pose your own questions to the group to crowd source answers from colleagues. NASW-MA also uses this platform to send important clinical alerts to members.

Sign up to join the group by sending an email to chapter.naswma@socialworkers.org with "Join Google Group" in the subject line.
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Save the Date: 10th Annual Asian American Mental Health Forum
NASW-MA is a co-sponsor of this important event!
Free Support to Suicide Loss Survivors
Surviving the suicide of a loved one is a potentially life-changing ordeal that requires all of the resilience that a survivor can muster, and all of the support and understanding that a community can provide. With a death by suicide, many people have questions and complex emotions. For those coping with suicide loss, the most helpful support may come from someone who has been through a similar loss.
 
Samaritans, Inc. offers free support to  suicide loss survivors, people who have lost loved ones to suicide. Samaritans’  Grief Support Services focus on compassion and peer support. We wanted to share with you services available to you or your clients who may be struggling with a loss.
  • SafePlace - Peer support meetings of caring people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Trained volunteers, who are also survivors of suicide loss, facilitate a forum for exploring feelings often not understood by others. Meetings are free, ongoing, and drop-in.
  • Survivor-to-Survivor Network (SSN) - Volunteers who have lost a loved one to suicide visit those who have experienced a loss, and are available to listen, answer questions, and provide support and resources.
  • After Suicide - Understanding Your Grief - Presentations intended to help survivors better understand suicide and the grief that may happen when a suicide occurs.
  • Annual Memorial - Memorial service open to all survivors to remember the lives of their loved one lost to suicide.
Student Loan Repayment in Primary Care/Behavioral Health Integration Settings
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers has announced the launch of the second year of the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) & Primary Care/Behavioral Health Special Projects Program (Special Projects Program). SLRP offers partial repayment of student loan obligations for primary care and behavioral health clinicians who commit to four years of practice in an eligible community-based setting. The Special Projects aims to engage and retain primary care and behavioral health providers in community settings across Massachusetts and supports innovative on-the-ground projects that advance the ability of community-based provider organizations to succeed in an accountable care environment.

Funding for these programs comes through the Massachusetts League of Community Health Center’s (MassLeague) contract with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to develop and implement seven community-based primary care and behavioral health workforce initiatives as part of  MassHealth’s $1.8 billion Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program . The MassLeague is working closely with the Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) to administer the behavioral health components of these programs.   

Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP): This year’s SLRP cycle will aim to support approximately 90 providers who commit to four years of practice at an  eligible organization . Click here for program details and information on how to apply.

Applications are due April 12, 2019 by 5:00 pm.
 
Please direct all questions to the DSRIP Statewide Investments: StatewideInvestments@massleague.org .
The Social Work Assistance Network (SWAN) - NASW MA Resource for You!
SWAN is a free, confidential colleague assistance program sponsored by the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW. SWAN assists social workers with consultation regarding personal and professional issues, which may be having an impact on their ability to practice in an optimal manner. Learn more about this service and member benefit here .
LICENSING TEST PREP
Licensing Test Prep Courses in Your Neighborhood
NASW-MA hosts Licencing Test Prep courses each month in various parts of the state. Upcoming courses include:
  • April 13 | Worcester
  • May 11 | Boston
  • May 18 | Boston
  • June 8 | Northampton
NATIONAL NEWS
Federal Advocacy by NASW National
Improving Access to Mental Health Act (H.R. 1533)
This bill would ensure:
  • Medicare beneficiaries’ access to clinical social workers by increasing the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social workers from 75% to 85% of the physician fee schedule rate
  • Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) residents’ access to clinical social workers by including clinical social work services from SNF consolidated billing
  • Medicare beneficiaries’ access to Health and Behavior Assessment and Intervention services provided by clinical social workers.

Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1532)
Calls for the creation of a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on policy issues related to recruitment, retention, research and reinvestment in the profession of social work.

Workplace Safety
NASW is working on several fronts to reduce the staggering and increasing number of assaults of social workers:
  • Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309): NASW CEO Dr. Angelo McClain testified before the House Education and Labor Workplace Protections Subcommittee in support of this bill, which would make it a mandatory federal requirement for many types of health and social service workplaces to have a violence prevention plan. The bill’s lead sponsor is Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT). Workplace violence prevention plans would articulate how hazards are identified as well specific mitigation measures (such as security alarms, barrier protection, etc.) and annual in-person training on the plan would be required. Covered settings include hospitals, residential treatment facilities, social service settings in correctional or detention facilities, psychiatric treatment facilities, substance use disorder treatment centers, community care settings, and federal health care facilities, as well as field work settings such as home care and home-based hospice. You can view the live stream of the hearing on the Education and Labor Committee’s website. NASW will continue working with its allies to advocate for passage of this critical legislation as it moves through the committee process.
  • Social Worker Safety Act: NASW is working with its Congressional allies to reintroduce this important legislation, which would establish a Social Worker Safety Grant Program withing the Department of Health and Human Services to fund States’ efforts to improve safety measures for social workers. It would allow these grants to be used to purchase safety equipment, make facility improvements, facilitate safety training programs, provide support services for social workers who have been victims of violence or track incident data to mitigate future offenses against social workers.
  • Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act (S. 299): This bipartisan bill, reintroduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), seeks to improve health outcomes for older adults by reauthorizing funding for the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and by reestablishing the Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACA), a previously funded program for developing academic clinical educators specializing in aging. Clinical social workers are among the professionals eligible for GACA, and social workers are among the professionals eligible for interdisciplinary training through GWEP.

Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8): H.R. 8 passed the House of Representatives on February 27 by a vote of 240-190. This bill – which requires background checks on all firearm sales – is one of the most significant gun-related pieces of legislation since the original Brady Background Check bill was passed more than two decades ago. NASW proudly partnered with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence on advocating for passage of H.R. 8. The bill includes an amendment requiring gun sellers to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement when an
undocumented immigrant tries to buy a gun. The bill now goes to the Senate where NASW will advocate for the chamber to take up and pass the measure.

Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582/S.150): The Raise the Wage Act would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024. The bill was reported out of the Education and Labor Committee on March 6. NASW will work with its allies to push for enactment.
Weigh-in on NASW Bylaws
The NASW Board of Directors approved for vetting, a proposed amendment to the NASW Bylaws , Article XIV – Budget and Finance. The proposed amendment will be accessible for a 90-day member review and comment period. For your comment to be considered, it must be submitted at the link below, by close of business May 10, 2019 .