In This Issue | september 2021
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President's Message
Lynn Grodzki
The July Business Board meeting was the final meeting for this year’s Board term (our 2-year term started in July 2020 and goes through June 2022). I am filled with appreciation for the way our Society and our Board managed to stay strong, vital and true to our values during a fraught time. In this newsletter, I briefly review the fiscal year and look ahead to the next term.
How the Society and its Board Worked for You This Term
With a total census of over 800 members, we have managed to keep our Society’s culture inclusive, supportive and active in the midst of tough times. Under the guidance of Donna Dietz, our Executive Administrator, we transitioned to the new Zoom culture and were able to shift all of our meetings, educational programs, workshops, and discussions online without any major problems. Our Society finances stayed strong this past year, thanks to our members commitment to paying their dues in a timely way and under the wise control of our Treasurer, Alex Wood.
Our Legislative & Advocacy Branch, led by Judy Gallant, kept members current on the listserv with the many changing rules about teletherapy and insurance shifts and helped us to feel more secure in our practices. Although many of our social events got delayed, our Community Branch Director, Patti Gibberman, provided Zoom platforms for networking and “meet and greets” that members appreciated. Steve Szopa, our Communications Branch Director, coordinated our online social media outreach and website redesign to help us feel connected while we worked in isolation. Past-President Mary Moore was a steady hand keeping us (and me) on track during a turbulent year.
Our new Education Branch Director, Ariste Sallas-Brookwell, surveyed our membership about their educational needs and began to plan new CEU programs. My VP, Karla Abney, stayed involved with our university liaisons and supported aspects of our ongoing operations. Rachel Keller was new to the Executive Committee as Secretary, but did a wonderful job of keeping us current and organized. At the July Board meeting, we were thrilled to host the presentation of the Frances Thomas Award for Legislative Excellence 2021, given to Susan Horne-Quantannens and with a lovely explanation by Marilyn Stickle.
Highlights of 2020-21
In times of crisis comes creativity. The Board demonstrated inspiration during this term and debuted several new programs including:
- Our first Zoom Ethics Conference in November 2020, with Dr. Frederic Reamer, was split into two sessions over two days. It provided our best attendance ever for this every-other year ethics event with our favorite visionary ethics presenter.
- We hosted a free Test Prep course for MSW students in partnership with NCSSS, and presented by Corey Beauford, to address potential bias in the LGSW test-taking experience.
- The newly-formed Anti-Racism Taskforce (ART) plays an important advisory role for our leadership team and created an innovative new program to help members address the need for making not only a safe space for clients, but a brave space as well. (The Brave Space workshop will be offered again in the Fall 2021.)
- The “Afterwords” transcript between Karla Abney, VP, and myself are our informal recaps following each Board meeting. They are sent by email blast for more transparency about the Board decisions and discussions.
- A new low-cost therapy program for MSW students, established by Kate Rossier and staffed with therapists from our Society, gives students a chance to do their own therapeutic work prior to becoming therapists themselves.
- The rebranding of the GWSCSW website (thanks to Donna Dietz and Steve Szopa) helps us with outreach and is a much needed improvement.
- “Welcome to Our Wisdom”—a series of short, thirty-minute video interviews posted on our Society website—functions as an ongoing introduction to some of our gifted and talented members.
Focusing on What’s Next
Looking ahead, we have an exciting program ready to roll out in September! Well-known author, educator and presenter, Dr. Kenneth Hardy, will offer a 3-hour, 3 CEU Zoom program: Tips and Tactics for Talking About Race: A Toolkit for Clinicians. In our commitment to help members have the language and concepts needed to enhance their own “brave space” interventions, we have invited Dr. Hardy to deliver a workshop just for us. To promote accessibility to this program, we are offering a one-time, 50% discount off of our already low CEU pricing for members only. (Please register now at the website for the Saturday 9/18/21 program from 10 AM – 1 PM.)
One last note: My term as President and the term of others on the Executive Committee, ends in June of 2022. I want to invite our members to consider becoming part of our next leadership team. I hope we can get an early start in identifying and then nominating those who want to run for office. Being on the Board or joining a committee is a wonderful way to steer the direction of the Society, meet colleagues, network, and have some fun. It is a rewarding experience and one I have enjoyed a lot.
Please join us to get connected to your professional community and make the Society even stronger!
2021 LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY (VIRTUAL) LUNCHEON
Mark your calendars for the GWSCSW event listed below.
Please join us for our 2021 Legislation
and Advocacy Luncheon-Virtual Event!
Adjustment, Coping and Adaptation: Transitioning to our New Reality
Saturday, October 30, 2021, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST
FREE CATEGORY 1 | 2 CEUs FOR MEMBERS! If you are not a member JOIN TODAY to join us (Non-member price for this event is $60)
We will look at the changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the laws and regulations that impact our delivery of services and our clients. What have we needed to do differently? What needs to stay the same? What still needs to be advocated for? Examining how our advocacy can impact both our clients and our professional well-being will help us become more effective communicators to influence both the public and legislators about the importance of the services we provide during the mental health crisis currently facing our country.
We will hear from Pam Metz Kasemeyer, JD, Maryland Lobbyist; Sue Rowland, Virginia lobbyist; Margot Aronson, LICSW and Adele Natter, LICSW, LCSW-C, Legislative Co-Chairs for DC; Judy Ratliff, LCSW, and Wayne Martin, Virginia Legislative Co-Chairs; and Judy Gallant, LCSW-C, Maryland Chair and Director of Legislation and Advocacy. Special Guest: Laura W. Groshong, LICSW, CSWA Director of Policy and Practice, Seattle, Washington.
Registration is a free benefit to our members, but you must register to attend. TWO (2) CATEGORY 1 CEUs (FREE TO MEMBERS). We look forward to seeing you there! Our Society needs YOU to help us advocate and impact legislators in many different ways, or our messages simply will not get out.
Click here to register to attend the 2021 Legislation and Advocacy Virtual Luncheon
Registration is a free benefit to our members, but you must register to attend!
Susan Horne-Quatannens Recipient of the
Frances Thomas Award for Legislative Excellence
Marilyn Stickle
The Frances Thomas Award for Legislative Excellence was presented to Susan Horne Quatannens at the Society’s open Board Meeting in July. She is the third recipient of the Award, making major legislative contributions for more than 35 years.
Established by the Board in 2018, the award honors the memory of Frances Thomas and her exemplary legislative services to the GWSCSW, her commitment to clinical social work values and service to the community. Among Fran’s many contributions was her leadership as Chairperson of the District of Columbia Coalition of Social Work Health Care Providers, successfully lobbying for a licensure bill that was passed by the City Council in 1987. The law has been described as the best social work licensing law in the country.
Susan was given the award in recognition of her work in advancing legislation that promotes the highest educational and training standards for clinical social work, representing the goals of the social work profession in improving the effectiveness of mental health and social services legislation, lobbying for health insurance coverage that gives parity to treatment of mental health, emotional disorders, and substance abuse, and maintaining liaisons with other health care professionals on issues of common concern.
Joining the Society in the mid-1980s, she served as President from 1991-1993 and has worked on various committees both before and since her Presidency. Her first position was as the Legislative Chair for Virginia where she continued to work for decades, including representing the Society in the successful passage of a bill mandating reimbursement of LCSWs by insurance companies that passed unanimously in the House and Senate.
She was appointed to the Virginia Board of Social Work in 2006, serving two terms, 8 years, including as Chairperson from 2012-2014.
On the Federal level Susan served several years as the Legislative Chair for the Federation and recently on the Clinical Social Work Association’s Government Relations Committee. In her upcoming retirement, she plans to continue her political activity on behalf of the social causes fundamental to our profession.
Susan reflects the essence of social work dedication and commitment to service and we are happy to honor her with this distinction.
Committee Members included Judy Gallant, Margot Aronson, Dolores Paulson, Susan Horne-Quatannens, Susan Post, Mary Dluhy, Nancy Nollen, Audrey Walker and Marilyn Stickle, Chair. Charlotte McConnell and Gretchen McKnew, honorary members who worked with Fran and were instrumental in establishing the Award.
FALL 2021 New Member Brunch
Cindy Crane and Nancy Harris, Membership Committee Co-chairs
Welcoming all new GWSCSW members!!
We will be hosting a virtual brunch for all new members… plus any old members who would like to participate and welcome new members.
Though we would have liked to return to our wonderful in-person brunches, unfortunately we can’t yet. So we will continue with
the next best thing, a virtual brunch.
We will give new members a chance to learn about GWSCSW,
how they can participate, and how the Society can be helpful as they begin or continue their careers. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about all the branches of GWSCSW, and what we have planned for the coming year.
Stay up to date on training, licensing, clinical issues, and more.
Look for invitations and more information as the date gets closer.
In the meantime, for more information
please contact Nancy Harris (301) 385-3375 or Cindy Crane (301) 370-9794.
Critical Race Theory and Social Work
Karla Abney, GWSCSW Vice President
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a topic that has exploded in the public arena this year. Some critics even claim the theory advocates discriminating against white people in order to achieve equity. The writer Ibram X. Kendi, whose recent popular book How to Be An Antiracist suggests that discrimination that creates equity can be considered anti-racist, and is often cited in this context. Is Critical Race Theory a way of understanding how American racism has shaped public policy, or a divisive discourse that pits people of color against white people?
What exactly is Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory, or CRT, is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The basic tenets of CRT began in the legal academy in the 1970s and grew in the 1980s and 1990s, created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others. CRT recognizes that racism is not a bygone relic of the past, and acknowledges the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color as it continues to permeate the social fabric of this nation. It also recognizes that race intersects with other identities, including sexuality, gender identity, and others. CRT challenges white privilege and exposes deficit-informed research that ignores, and often omits, the scholarship of people of color.
Critical Race Theory provides a framework for examining power structures that maintain racial inequities and developing strategies for action and change. Though Social Work acknowledges racial disparities and the role of racism when identifying and attempting to ameliorate social problems, the profession has not fully incorporated CRT. CRT complements and enhances social workers’ existing strengths by offering a lens for recognizing and remedying racism that permeates American social institutions, structures, systems, customs, and policies. Racism is ingrained in American society. Though more covert than before, institutional racism continues to produce and maintain racial disparities within many areas relevant to social work practice, including the child welfare, public welfare, and mental health service systems. Persistent racism in society restricts progress of people of color, denies them opportunities, and fails to provide access to resources necessary for upward mobility.
The reasons for incorporating CRT into social work are many. In order to effectively serve a diverse set of clients, social workers need the knowledge and skills to articulate the role of race, racism, and power and how they operate in the United States; Critical Race Theory provides such a framework. Having an awareness of CRT’s tenets and their application in specific areas of practice can educate social workers in targeting questions and dialogue both within themselves and with colleagues and supervisors about the role of race in social work practice and policy, which can in turn lead to social action and change.
Social workers have an ethical obligation to clients, colleagues, themselves, the profession, and broader society to challenge injustice and pursue social change (NASW, 2008). CRT supports this charge by drawing attention to racial injustice in a so-called post-racial America and providing an analytic, action-oriented framework for recognizing and mitigating institutional racism.
References
- Einbinder, S. (2020). Reflections on importing critical race theory into social work: The state of social work literature and student’s voices. Journal of Social Work Education, 56(2), 327-340.
- Freeman, D. (2011). Teaching Obama: history, critical race theory and social work education. Patterns of Prejudice, 45(1-2), 1-22.
- Kolivoski, K., Weaver, A., & Constance-Huggins, M. (2014). Critical race theory: Opportunities for application in social work and policy. Families and Society: the Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 95(4), 269-276.
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (2017). NASW code of ethics.
Do you have a topic that you know others are interested in learning about?
Would you like to share your expertise and promote your work?
GWSCSW would like to expand our workshop offerings and we are looking for members who would like to present a continuing education workshop. The Education Committee is working now to schedule events to run in 2022. This is a great opportunity to highlight your experience, share your research and and promote your practice.
We are happy to mentor you through this process. Please visit our Education webpage or contact Donna Dietz, GWSCSW Administrator with any questions.
Legislation & Advocacy | National
Laura Groshong, LICSW, CSWA Director of Policy and Practice
COVID Issues
The rise in COVID-19 cases due to the new Delta variant and others is cause for concern. But in this case, as in much of the pandemic, all concerns are not created equal. To understand the risk we face on the personal and professional level, it is necessary to get information that is specific to our location. The CDC has just created a new data base that provides the current level of infection for every county in the country. The COVID Data Tracker is updated daily and can be found at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view CSWA suggests that whether you live in an area that is a hot spot for infection or one with low levels of infection, it is prudent to continue to wear masks and maintain social distance of 6 feet in public indoor areas.
The topic of whether to return to seeing patients in person is also on the minds of LCSWs. Please see the two hour webinar I recorded on July 22 to get detailed information on how to make your own decision about what is best for you. You can find it at https://www.clinicalsocialworkassociation.org/CSWA-Webinars#ToBe in the Members Only section.
Medical Necessity
More and more often, LCSWs are receiving letters questioning the “medical necessity” of our treatment. To address these often baseless conclusions, CSWA has developed the response below which you may use to explain the validity of your treatment decisions. An electronic Word document of this letter can be found at the CSWA website.
CSWA Survey on Returning to the Office
CSWA would like to get an idea of where members stand on the issue of returning to the office and in-person practice. Please take this brief survey to help us gather this data. There is also a section on what topics members would like to see CSWA provide in webinars. Please go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScas3RrgHzg1syi5-0aV-Os4PwTx2CzWinKQashpJbZQ-HNCA/viewform to complete the survey. Thank you for your participation.
Legislation & Advocacy | District of Columbia
Adele Natter & Margot Aronson, DC Legislation and Advocacy Co-Chairs
Although the DC Public Health Emergency Order expired on July 24, 2021, Mayor Bowser has kept the Public Emergency Order in effect. This leaves leeway for quick action as needed while the pandemic continues to be a fluctuating issue. (See Mayor’s Order 2021-096.) Here’s how things stand now for clinical social workers:
License Renewals
The option for paper applications ended in June, and all 19 Boards under the Dept. of Health switched over to online only renewals. This system was not only new to us, it was new to the Board of Social Work as well, and naturally there were some IT glitches. Your representatives were busy fielding questions from DC licensees and often just as quickly turning to the Board for the answers. We are very grateful to Mavis Azariah, the Board’s Health Licensing Specialist, for her patience and responsiveness to our members.
Telehealth
Social workers licensed in DC may continue to provide telehealth services to clients in DC. There has been considerable pressure at the national level to limit telehealth, particularly audio-only, as soon as the pandemic emergency has passed. Happily, the DC Department of Health does not anticipate any changes limiting telehealth practice.
At the July Board of Social Work meeting, we emphasized the view of our members who would like be sure that telemedicine, including audio-only, remains an option for psychotherapy, even after the pandemic has ended.
Reminder: Any social worker seeing client(s) in DC must be licensed in DC by mid-September. The waiver to practice in DC with a license from another jurisdiction officially ended with the end of the Public Health Emergency on July 24, 2021, but the DC Department of Health provided a 60-day extension to allow time for obtaining the DC license. The extension is over on September 23, 2021; after that date, anyone without a DC license who sees a client in DC, either in person or by telehealth (including audio-only), can be sanctioned for practicing without a license.
Supervision
Supervision may be conducted virtually until December 31, 2021. The requirement for in-person supervision, suspended until the end of this year, will be reassessed in November or December.
Board composition
The Board has a new attorney, Joanne Drozdoski. A new Executive Director will be introduced at the September 27 meeting.
CEs
CEs earned in the last renewal period could be randomly audited in October and November. Be sure to have your CE’s ready to send — preferably as a single PDF including all your CE documents — if you are audited.
CEs Public Health topics
The Department of Health requires of licensees of all 19 of its health occupation boards (e.g., Psychology, Nursing, Professional Counselors, Physical Therapists, etc) to complete CEs in Public Health topics. You can see the complete list on the GWSCSW website under DC Legislative Advocacy.
The COVID CE surprise
The notice that was emailed to all DC-licensed health professionals on August 11 requires that 2 CEs specifically focused on COVID ( eg, topics such as facts and myths about vaccinations) be completed by the end of September. Following some vigorous grumbling, a number of us have come around to the understanding that, given the severity of the pandemic at present, it makes a lot of sense for the Health Department to want its providers to be knowledgeable about the realities and public health concerns, and to be able to help others understand as well.
Once you have obtained the 2 CEs, save them in the file you are starting for the new licensing renewal period. They can probably be used to fulfill 2 of the required Public Health CEs. And in any case, be sure you have them on record, and dated by Sept 30, 2021.
CE Face- o-Face requirements
Face-to-face requirements have been lifted throughout the 2019 to 2021 licensing period, as the Board has recognized the need for safety in the face of the pandemic. The requirement automatically returns to the previous standard for the new licensing period. However, the Board plans to discuss whether to extend permission to earn CEs in recorded sessions at the September 27 Board meeting. Once their decision is confirmed, they will email all DC social workers with the updated information.
Board of Social Work Open Sessions: Meetings are typically held on the 4th Monday of each month, beginning at 10 AM. A detailed agenda, the virtual meeting link, and the minutes from the last meeting are all on the website several days before the meeting. The Board’s website address: https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/social-work-licensing. Or just google “DC Board of Social Work.” Attendance at Board meetings is encouraged: The Board has welcomed our members’ input, as well as feedback from agencies and community organizations, regarding the effects of Board policies and how they are experienced.
Adele Natter, LICSW, Co-Chairs the GWSCSW Legislation & Advocacy Committee for DC.. Adele has been an active participant on the Committee for the past four years; she represented GWSCSW on a Board of Social Work sub-committee, which included NASW and CSWA representatives. Adele maintains a private practice focused on helping individuals with anger and emotional regulation issues. She is also a Clinical Instructor in the Psychiatry Residency Program of the George Washington University Medical School. She holds a BA in Psychology from UCLA and received her MSW from the University of Maryland.
Margot Aronson, LICSW, co-chairs the GWSCSW Legislation and Advocacy Committee for DC along with Adele Natter, LICSW. A past GWSCSW president, she has also served as newsletter editor and director of Legislation & Advocacy. Margot currently advocates on mental health and LCSW practice issues for us all at the national level as the Clinical Social Work Association Deputy Director for Policy and Practice.
Legislation & Advocacy | Maryland
Judy Gallant, MD Legislation and Advocacy Committee Chair
For those holding MD licenses that need to be renewed by October 31, 2021: The current continuing education requirement for LCSW-Cs is 40 credit units of continuing education in programs and categories approved by the Board for each two-year period of licensure. Licensees must obtain at least 20 of the 40 credits in Category I. Category 1 CEUs can be obtained through virtual programs that are live and interactive at the time they are taken; recorded programs given by approved providers will receive Category II credits. All 40 credit units may be earned in Category I. Of the 40 required credit units, a licensee must obtain 3 credit units in Category I or Category II in a content area focusing on ethics and professional conduct. For those wanting to maintain their status as a Board-approved supervisor, you must take 3 CE credits focusing on supervision.
This report provides information on some bills passed during the 2021 Legislative Session in Annapolis. Please make sure you have reviewed June’s newsletter report to learn about the most important laws affecting LCSW-Cs that passed this session which address telehealth rules; LCSW-Cs being authorized to be a second signature for involuntary admission to a hospital; reducing the age an adolescent may consent to mental health treatment from 16 to 12 years old; implicit bias training that will be required for license renewal; and a reduction in supervision hours required for new LCSW-Cs.
Additional bills which will impact us:
As many of you are aware, Optum took over as the Administrative Service Organization for Maryland Medicaid and there have been significant difficulties with their administration. House Bill 919/Senate Bill 638: Maryland Insurance Commissioner – Specialty Mental Health Services and Payment of Claims – Enforcement subjects Optum to oversight by the Maryland Insurance Administration. The Budget Committees are also requiring quarterly updates from the MD Dept of Health on the functionality of the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization to be included in the FY 2022 Operating Budget.
Senate Bill 286.House Bill 108: Behavioral Health Crisis Response Services – Modifications change requirements for grant proposals and for awarding grants under the Behavioral Health Crisis Response Grant program. With these changes, an application must be able to serve all members of the immediate community with cultural competency and appropriate language access, commit to gathering feedback from the community on an ongoing basis, and improving service delivery continually based on this feedback. The applicant must also demonstrate strong partnerships with community services that include family member and consumer advocacy organizations and regional stakeholders, and show a plan linking individuals in crisis to peer support and family support services after stabilization.
House Bill 78/Senate Bill 52: Public Health – Maryland Commission on Health Equity (The Shirley Nathan-Pulliam Health Equity Act of 2021) creates a MD Commission on Health Equity that is charged with developing a “health equity framework” – defined as a public health framework through which policymakers and stakeholders (public and private) use a collaborative approach to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities in the State by incorporating health considerations into decision making across all sectors and policy areas. The Commission is to assess the impact of a list of factors on the health of residents in evaluating new policies, including access to safe and affordable housing, educational attainment, opportunities for employment, economic stability, access to transportation, food insecurity and social justice.
House Bill 463/Senate Bill 172: Maryland Health Equity Resource Act (passed) establishes a framework for the establishment of Health Equity Resource Communities (HERC) in areas of the State with demonstrated health inequities and disparities. The legislation as enacted is no longer funded by an alcohol tax and the program will be administered by the Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC). The General Assembly allocated $14 million dollars from the Relief Fund legislation to the Commission to administer short term grants related to health equity priorities for two years. During that two-year period, an Advisory Committee is charged with the development of a framework for a permanent HERC program, including the identification of a permanent funding source.
Senate Bill 164/House Bill 605: Veterans – Behavioral Health Services – Mental Health First requires MDH to include mental health first aid among the behavioral health services for which MDH provides service coordination for eligible veterans.
House Bill 872/Senate Bill 550: Sheila E. Hixson Behavioral Health Services Matching Grant Program for Service Members and Veterans – Establishment creates a grant program for Service Members and Veterans administered by MDH. Beginning in FY 2022, the Governor may include an annual appropriation of $2.5 million for the program in the operating budget. The program will award competitive matching grants to local nonprofit organizations to establish and expand community behavioral health programs that serve the behavioral health needs of eligible individuals in the locality served by the nonprofit organization; integrate the delivery of mental health and substance use treatment; and connect eligible individuals to appropriate community-based care in a timely manner on discharge from the community behavioral health program.
Judy Gallant, LCSW-C, is the director of the Society’s Legislation & Advocacy program, as well as chair of the Maryland Clinical Social Work Coalition, our GWSCSW legislative committee in Maryland. She maintains a private practice in Silver Spring.
Pamela Metz Kasemeyer, JD, and her firm of Schwartz, Metz & Wise, PA, represent us in Annapolis and guide our advocacy strategy. Ms. Kasemeyer is an acknowledged authority on Maryland’s health care and environmental laws and has represented a variety of interests before the Maryland General Assembly and regulatory agencies for more than 25 years.
-Legislation & Advocacy | Virginia
Judy Ratliff and Wayne Martin, Co-Chairs, VA Legislation and Advocacy Committee
GOV. NORTHAM ANNOUNCED $485 MILLION FUNDING COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHEN VIRGINIA'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM
This includes investments in mental health services, substance use treatment and prevention, hospital staffing and critical infrastructure. The plan also includes targeted investments to alleviate pressure on state mental health hospitals and strengthen community-based services.
The proposed funding package will rely on a combination of discretionary funds and block grants from The American Reconciliation Act and The Consolidated Appropriations Act. The funding includes $200 million for staffing at state behavioral health facilities and intellectual training centers and $150 million to increase access to community-based crisis services and child and family support services, and provide dispatcher training for a new statewide mental health alert system designed to ensure behavioral health experts are involved in responding to individuals in crisis. An additional $5 million dollars will be dedicated to providing permanent supportive housing in Northern Virginia to assist with bed services.
CE WORKSHOP WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE VIRGINIA BUREAU OF INSURANCE CO-SPONSORED BY VSCSW (THE ZOOM HOST) AND GWSCSW
Please let me or Wayne Martin know your concerns about insurance so we can include them in the planning process The workshop will be held in late September or October, and we will keep you up to date on the listserve.
There are some more issues "in the works" and we will report on them in the next newsletter.
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Changing Face of Virginia - from Delegate Ken Plum |
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The results of the 2020 U.S. Census remind us that the world around us changes in more ways than we might consciously detect or understand. That small sliver of the world known as Virginia has undergone many changes before and after receiving its name. For many, the history of Virginia started with the English landing at Jamestown in 1607. Humans inhabited the land area of what is now known as Virginia for 15,000 to 20,000 years before the English arrived. Its first inhabitants probably crossed the glaciers at the now Bering Straits and made their way along the edges of the glaciers down river valleys and probably entered what is now Virginia in its southwestern area. Archaeological findings support this explanation of the settling of Virginia At the time English colonists arrived in the spring of 1607, Virginia was inhabited by the Powhatan Indians, who had a total population of about 13,000 to14,000 with a rich history of culture and traditions and a government of 30-some tribal groups. With aggressive English expansion throughout the state, the number of Indians in Virginia was but a fraction of the number at its highest point and with the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 were eliminated from official statistics. Adding to the original settlers were thousands of enslaved Black persons who were brought here without their consent. The census report released last week paints a different face for Virginia. The country passed two milestones on its way to becoming a majority-minority society in the coming decades: For the first time, the portion of white people dipped below 60%, slipping from 63.7% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2020. And the under-18 population is now a majority of people of color, at 52.7%. Between the 2010 census and the new census, Virginia’s population grew by 7.9%, slightly higher than the national growth rate of 7.4%. Virginia remains the 12th most populous state. Fairfax County is now the second most racially diverse county in Virginia and is now a majority-minority population following Prince William County. While white residents remain the largest racial or ethnic group in the county, they are no longer the majority, making up 47.1% of the overall population with 542,001 residents, a drop of nearly 50,000 people from 2010, when the county’s 590,622 white residents constituted 54.6% of its population. Compared to the rest of the United States, Fairfax County ranked 42nd out of 3,143 counties in the country on the racial and ethnic diversity index of the 2020 Census. This new face of Virginia as identified in census results will be redistricted at the federal, state and local levels. Virginia will retain eleven seats in the House of Representatives, but the boundaries of the districts will be redrawn by the General Assembly to reflect shifts in populations. Likewise, House of Delegates and State Senate seats will be drawn by a commission approved by the voters last year to reflect population shifts. That commission has already been hard at work holding public hearings throughout the state. Local governments will redistrict themselves. Even before official counts until today we can trace a different face for Virginia. |
Judy Ratliff, LCSC , recently retired from work but not from GWSCSW or from life. She is the Co-Chair, VA Legislation and Advocacy Committee.
Communications Branch
Steve Szopa, Communications Branch Director
Communications Branch Report September, 2021 The big news from the Communications Branch is the major redesign of the Website. It features tabs so that you can jump to the part of the website that interests you most. It is still a work in progress so forgive any glitches as we tidy up the new version. Donna Dietz did a fantastic job of putting her and my ideas into the design. If you have any helpful ideas or suggestions, write to me at: steveszopa@gmail.com We are hoping to broaden our social media presence by hiring a consultant who will assist our loyal and busy social media chairperson, Chana Lockerman. If you have any feedback as the Society Finance Committee evaluates the feasibility of hiring a consultant, please write to me or Chana at: steveszopa@gmail.com Our listserv is thriving and remains one of the most popular features of Society membership. Our Newsletter is also highly valued and I would like to offer hearty thanks to Nancy Pines, Donna Dietz and our Proofreaders who work so hard to put out such a high-quality publication every quarter.
COMMUNITY BRANCH
Patricia Gibberman, Community Branch Director
The Community Branch has been very busy planning future events and opportunities for our members to connect, including a New Member Brunch for this fall and the Annual Cocktail Party for the fall of 2022. We currently have two openings for Committee Chairs, Volunteer Coordinator and University Liaison. We are also seeking a volunteer to coordinate our participation in the DC Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk on October 23, 2021. If you are interested in serving in any of these positions, please contact Patti Gibberman, Community Branch Director, at pgibbermanmsw@gmail.com
LEGISLATION AND ADVOCACY BRANCH
Judy Gallant, Legislation & Advocacy Branch Director
GWSCSW will host our 7th Annual FREE Legislation and Advocacy Luncheon (virtual) on Saturday, October 30, 10 am-12 noon. “Adjustment, Coping and Adaptation: Transitioning to our New Reality” will feature our lobbyists, Pam Kasemeyer (MD) and Sue Rowland (VA), as well as all of our committee chairs. Laura Groshong, CSWA Director of Policy and Practice will also join us to give a national view. We will look at the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the laws and regulations that impact our delivery of services and the lives of our clients. What have we needed to do differently? What needs to stay the same? What still needs to be advocated for? Come learn-and help educate us about what’s on your mind!
Click here to register to attend the 2021 Legislation and Advocacy Virtual Luncheon
Registration is a free benefit to our members, but you must register to attend!
See individual jurisdiction articles for the current updates. Be sure to contact one of us with any questions or suggestions you might have, or to join one of the committees: in DC, Margot Aronson, malevin@erols.com, or Adele Natter, anatter@verizon.net; in Maryland, Judy Gallant, judy.gallant@verizon.net; and in Virginia, Judy Ratliff, jratliff48@hotmail.com, or Wayne Martin, wamnoles@aol.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Tech Talk – COVID Dress Code
Chana Lockerman, Social Media Committee Chair
I was standing at the bus stop for camp the other day, chatting with other parents and looking at the news on my phone. Parents were parking their cars, helping children out, putting on sunscreen and bug spray, making sure that faces were masked and hats on, waving goodbye and blowing kisses as the bus pulled away. Most everyone was dressed for work: dress shirt on the top, bike shorts or comfies on the bottom. It was both incongruous and normal. I too was wearing a dress shirt on top, paired with stretch pants and sneakers. Another parent remarked that they spend the day on the computer and could never imagine heading off to offer a day’s worth of therapy. I laughed because now I’m on the computer too. In fact, before the pandemic, I worked off an old and slow computer, having no need for computerized speed. Now I head home in my work-from-home outfit to sit in front of a computer like everyone else. I’m on a new and faster computer now, with better screen resolution. I’ve finally gotten those reading glasses so I can better see the keyboard and screen (we could use a column about denial to explore my feelings about achieving middle age).
It just so happened that on the day I stood there laughing with that other parent because now I work on a computer too, I saw the announcement from CVS that they would start offering mental health services via their in-store clinics. I tried to imagine myself into the role that those social workers are taking on. It must be an intense and difficult job! There is no way to know who is walking in the door and with what problems and psychopathologies. It feels in keeping with trends toward teletherapy – we are being asked to help people with whom we may have less connection and less resources to help.
In the last Tech Talk column, we learned about the prevalence of new practice models for members, often technology-based. Today we’re asking how to support our members in the new reality. Please write in with your questions, thoughts, and meditations on the new and quickly evolving practice models and how we can support each other toward success and fulfillment.
In the meantime, I’ll show up with my crazy but normal outfits, pop on those reading glasses, and look forward to sharing ideas with you. Laughs about teletherapy also appreciated.
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News & Views
Nancy Pines, Editor
News & Views is published four times a year: March, June, September and December.
Articles expressing the personal views of members on issues affecting the social work profession are welcome and will be reviewed and published at the discretion of the editor. Signed articles reflect the views of the authors; society endorsement is not intended. Articles are subject to editing for space and clarity.
News & Views Submission Guidelines
If you have a submission, please send it to me: npines12@aol.com. I edit the articles and reports and send them on to the proofers who check up on me. BTW, we have two dedicated proofers, Shoba Nayar and Adele Natter, but could use another one. Please let me know if you are interested. Email address is above.
Articles – Focus on your area of expertise and practice, ethical dilemmas, responses to events in the media or other topics relevant to clinical social work. Articles should be 500–700 words.
Reports- For each newsletter, I hope to hear from all branch and committee people to inform us of their activities.
Out & About – Share news about you: an article you’ve written, if you’ve been in the news, taught a class, earned a new certification or are a singer, artist or writer. Submissions should be 50 words or less. Send all submissions to npines12@aol.com.
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Next submission deadline: October 31, 2021
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