SW 2.0 Column Sneak Peek - Virtual Clinical Practice

Folks, I'm really excited to be profiling Nancy Smyth, LCSW, Ph.D., and Mike Langlois, LICSW. Both Nancy and Mike practice what is commonly called virtual social work or virtual clinical practice. They both use a variety of computer games and interactive online spaces, such as Second Life, in their social work practice.

For example, here's Nancy talking about the power of virtual placemaking with the International Transgender Hate Crimes and Suicide Memorial in Second Life:

The power of virtual immersive platforms becomes really clear when you find a place in a virtual world that really uses the environment effectively. The International Transgender Hate Crimes and Suicide Memorial provides an excellent example of such a space. To start, the memorial is a peaceful, visually appealing place: a beautiful building and surrounding green space, with the sound of waves crashing at the shore. The dark granite walls, reminiscent of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, lend a somber tone to the space and the feeling of being in a protected enclave.

Upon entering the building you encounter an alter filled with pink and blue candles. This is the memorial for transgendered people who have died from suicide. Each candle has a name associated with it and when you click on the candle a description of what happened to that person comes up in the chat. I clicked on quite a few of the candles: the tragedy of these deaths comes through loud and clear. Nearby the altar is a box where you can submit a request to light a candle for someone.

Read the rest of Nancy's post here.

Here's Mike explaining Gaming Affirmative Therapy:

You can watch Mike talk more about gaming affirmative therapy here.

What do you want to learn about virtual clinical practice? In what ways can these practices help our clients, or respond to our clients already using these technologies in new ways? How can social workers incorporate virtual clinical social work into their practice?

Technology and Social Work

This week, I bought a new phone... my first smart phone, my first android. And I don't have a clue how to use it.

Apparently, according to the manual, it can do everything from checking my work email to syncing my work calendar to making breakfast for me, if I know how to program it to tell it to do so.

I'm all for technology. I'm all for automating things so that what once required 3 photocopies of a form can now be done completely electronically. I'm all for internet searches saving me from a trip to the library. I'm all for webinars and video conferences and call waiting and the whole deal. Probably (hopefully), at some point, I will be all for these fancy pocket computer phones... once I figure this thing out.

But it leads me to wonder about technology and social work. As a staff member on socialworkchat.org, I have loved and gained benefit from twice weekly chats with professionals far more advanced in a field I was just beginning. I have loved message boards that helped me decide where to apply to social work school, websites with test prep information, and blogs like this one. We have so many technological resources now than at any other time in social work history.

But is this a good thing? In a profession that is often based on tone of voice and body language, is it good for us to spend so much time using a screen to obtain information and to bond or is this preventing us from spending as much time face-to-face with others?

What technologies do you use? What are you hoping comes in our social work future?

SW 2.0 Column Sneak Peek - Mother's Red Dress Film

UPDATE (6/16/11): The archived chat from last night can be found here.

Folks, the next sw 2.0 column (archives here) will focus on Kickstarter, a really cool web site that helps one raise funds for creative projects.

Here's a peek at one of the projects using Kickstarter to be profiled in the article, a social issue film called Mother's Red Dress that explores how one family attempts to cope with the effects of domestic violence:

There are only a couple more days to support this film on Kickstarter! If you are interested in learning more you can chat with John Paul Rice, one of the filmmakers, live tonight at 6pm PST (9pm EST, click here to chat), or visit their Kickstarter page.

I hope you are as excited about this project as I am and look for the article coming soon!

Aches and Chills and Coughing, Oh My!

It officially feels like flu season to me now… why? Because I officially have the flu. There’s nothing like that feeling of aches/chills/fever/cough/stuffy head/everything ever mentioned in a cold medicine ad feeling that makes me just want to stay in bed until my body’s back to normal. But now that I’m in a position that isn’t as easy as calling in a substitute server to pick up my shift or emailing the professor to request the notes for the lecture I’m missing, I wonder how others feel about being sick in the workplace.

Is it better to be a person who never misses work and hunkers down, risking contaminating others and making the illness worse? Is it better to take time off to rest and heal and risk the boss wondering if you’re a big baby? Is it better to use up those sick days at the beginning of the year if that’s when you need them or is it better to try to hold off just in case you need them later?

While I know that most agencies don’t have a set-up to work from home, I sometimes wish it was an option for us all. In this age of technology, it only makes sense that, if half of the classes we took to get this degree were available online, shouldn’t at least half of our work be available that way too? Of course, I’m not advocating for anyone to hang a shingle with the agency logo when they’re sick at home, but sometimes I wonder if paperwork couldn’t still be completed online, allowing the person to heal and quarantine him/herself while still being productive. At the same time though, I wonder if doing such would lead already overworked people to continue to work from home during healthy times.

What do you think? If your agency offered an option to complete some of your work from your personal computer, would you do so only when you were ill or otherwise couldn’t be at the office or would it compel you to work additional hours on top of your regular schedule?

It Gets Better Project: Looking to Interview Social Workers and Viewers

My next SW 2.0 article for The New Social Worker Magazine will profile the It Gets Better Project. Dan Savage began this YouTube project to reach LGBT youth who may be struggling with coming out, being openly gay, finding support, and coping with being bullied. Watch Dan's message below:




I think this project does a wonderful job of providing support resources, especially for those with few resources in their communities, and advocacy, being defined by Elizabeth J. Clark, executive director of the Washington-based National Association of Social Workers, as “representing, defending, supporting or intervening on behalf of an individual, group, or community.” While it may not be a complete answer to all the issues the project raises, the project is an easily accessible way to get the conversation started while providing youth with critical resources and support.

To that end, I'm looking to interview social workers, video watchers, and others who can provide insight and perspective on this project. I'm hoping to learn about how social workers can use these videos in their practice, especially with LGBT youth, implications of this project for social work (i.e., what other causes social workers care about can follow a similar model?), lessons learned, and personal perspectives folks are willing to share. Identifying information will be kept confidential if requested.

Please share with friends and colleagues!

What is YOUR Favorite Social Work Practice Web Site?

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Which web site helps you learn about your area of practice, be it mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, etc.?  Why is it your favorite?  What can other social workers find there?

Let's start a conversation - I'm compiling a list of the best web sites that social workers use in an upcoming sw 2.0 column and would love to add your favorite site to the list.  Please list your favorite in the comments below or email me (karen@karenzgoda.org).

Regional Mood Map Constructed from Tweets

Researchers developed a map from over 300 million tweets that show moods by time-stamp.  Visit the site for a large pdf displaying the results, or watch their animation below:

Excellent Father's Day Resource

fyi! What a fantastic resource for fathers. While working on my MSW many moons ago, my macro project was to design a support program for young fathers. While never implemented, I'm glad that at this web site you can now find fatherhood programs all across the country:

http://www.fatherhood.gov

or

http://bit.ly/9T59si

More info from President Obama and the announcement he sent out earlier today:

Good afternoon,

As the father of two young daughters, I know that being a father is one of the most important jobs any man can have.

My own father left my family when I was two years old. I was raised by a heroic mother and wonderful grandparents who provided the support, discipline and love that helped me get to where I am today, but I still felt the weight of that absence throughout my childhood. It's something that leaves a hole no government can fill. Studies show that children who grow up without their fathers around are more likely to drop out of high school, go to jail, or become teen fathers themselves.

And while no government program can fill the role that fathers play for our children, what we can do is try to support fathers who are willing to step up and fulfill their responsibilities as parents, partners and providers. That's why last year I started a nationwide dialogue on fatherhood to tackle the challenge of father absence head on.

In Chicago, the Department of Health and Human Services held a forum with community leaders, fatherhood experts and everyday dads to discuss the importance of responsible fatherhood support programs. In New Hampshire, Secretary of Education Duncan explored the linkages between father absence and educational attainment in children. In Atlanta, Attorney General Holder spoke with fathers in the criminal justice system about ways local reentry organizations, domestic violence groups and fatherhood programs can join together to support ex-offenders and incarcerated individuals who want to be closer to their families and children.

Now we're taking this to the next level. Tomorrow, I'll make an announcement about the next phase of our efforts to help fathers fulfill their responsibilities as parents -- The President's Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative. You can learn more at www.fatherhood.gov.

This Father's Day -- I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a dad to two wonderful daughters. And I'm thankful for all the wonderful fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers and friends who are doing their best to make a difference in the lives of a child.

Happy Father's Day.

Sincerely,
President Barack Obama

Google and Facebook raise new issues for therapists and their clients

Interesting article in the Washington Post titled "Google and Facebook raise new issues for therapists and their clients."  Here's an excerpt:

In fact, the tremendous availability online of personal information threatens to alter what has been an almost sacred relationship between therapist and patient. Traditionally, therapists obtained information about a patient through face-to-face dialogue. If outside information was needed, the therapist would obtain the patient's consent to speak with family members or a previous mental-health practitioner. At the same time, patients traditionally knew little about their therapists outside the consulting room. Now, with the click of a mouse, tech-savvy therapists and patients are challenging the old rules and raising serious questions about how much each should know about the other and where lines should be drawn.

Among the questions under debate:

• Should a therapist review the Web site of a patient or conduct an online search without that patient's consent?
• Is it appropriate for a therapist to put personal details about himself on a blog or Web site or to join Facebook or other social networks?
• What are the risks of having patients and therapists interact online?

Read the whole article here.  Would love to hear your thoughts on this!

More Social Workers Jumping on Social Media Bandwagon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthamm/ // CC BY NC 2.0

fyi, Linda and I were quoted in an article titled "More social workers, researchers using social media to raise awareness" published by the UNC School of Social Work Contact Magazine. The article discusses how social workers, especially in academia, are starting to use social media. Here's a peek:

That more social work researchers and clinicians are starting to embrace social media doesn’t surprise Karen Zgoda, a licensed clinical social worker and Ph.D candidate at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.

“I think one of the biggest arguments for using these tools is that clients are already using them,” said Zgoda, whose research focuses on the role of technology in social work. Zgoda writes a regular column on the subject for The New Social Worker Online magazine.

“As social workers, I think it is important to go where the clients are and understand how they are using these tools and how we can use them to help folks,” she added.

...

Linda Grobman, publisher and editor of The New Social Worker, and a licensed social worker, counts herself among the “early adopters” of new social media, though she has been using the Internet for social work networking for years. She expects other social workers to eventually invest in the communication tools.

“I think today’s traditional-age students already know about it because kids are growing up with technology-assisted learning,” Grobman said. “They already know about Facebook, text messaging, iPhone apps, YouTube and so forth. So as younger people enter the social work field, there will naturally be more social workers using social media.”

How You Can Help Haiti

Text message services to contribute:

• Text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross. This effort has already raised over $800,000.
• From Wyclef Jean - Text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can visit Yele.org and click on DONATE
• More info from the Urban Legends Reference Pages on the safety and verification of using text messages to donate to Haiti relief efforts

Here are online resources you can use to help those in Haiti and those with loved ones in Haiti:

• Despite telephone and cellphone problems, some folks in Haiti are able to use Skype to make free phone calls
• State Department - People in US and Canada with information or inquiries about US citizens in Haiti call 888-407-4747
• How you can help Haiti (from CNN.com)
• Updates from the Boston Haitian Reporter
• Twitter Pic Tag Search for "haiti" of the past 1 days sorted by date
• Earthquake Haiti Facebook group

Here are some public Twitter lists you can follow or view for updates:

• Huffington Post
• CNN Breaking Haiti News
• NPR

NPR also has a great article titled After The Quake: Finding Ways To Connect Online.

Internet Used to Decrease Loneliness Among Older Adults

http://www.flickr.com/photos/krcla/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Interesting research study (article here):

Some of the loneliest people are seniors, experts said. As people reach their 80s and 90s, friends be gin to die, and their social circles shrink.  But that could possibly change with the aid of modern technology.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Sociology Department are studying the effect of social networking -- the Internet kind -- on residents at as sisted-living facilities throughout the state, with the college students teaching seniors not only how to use networking skills, but in some cases how to turn on the computer...the research aims to discover whether using Internet social networks will decrease lone­liness and ultimately help lower the rate of depression among seniors.

Who Is Attending CSWE Next Month?

Have you heard about the next CSWE Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas? As luck would have it, I have an aunt and uncle that live there and after finding some cheap airfare from Boston, I'll be able to attend. There is a Technology in Social Work track at this event and I will be attending as many of these sessions as possible. In fact my next column will focus on summarizing these sessions. Stay tuned!

If you're going would love to see you there!

Virtual Neighborhood Watch: How Social Media is Making Cities Safer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moriza/ / CC BY 2.0

If it does indeed take a village to raise a child, according to African proverb, perhaps it also takes a village to keep us safe. There is an interesting article over at Mashable today titled Virtual Neighborhood Watch: How Social Media is Making Cities Safer. What is most notable about this particular article is the sheer volume of links rounded up that may (or may not!) help communities work together in the virtual world for increased feelings of safety in the physical world.

From the article:
Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and even email, instant messaging, and SMS have become the defacto way we communicate with each other. Because of the mainstream embrace of social media, we now live in a world where information is shared at lightning speeds and as a result, we’re actually finding ways to use that free flow of data and information to make the world a safer place to live.

From tracking trends in crime to finding the safest bike routes around a city, from getting emergency alerts during a disaster to understanding the spread of dangerous illnesses, social media is being used by both public officials and private citizens to make our cities safer. This post outlines just a few of the ways that social media tools are now being employed to keep the public safe and informed.

Have you used any of these tools? Have your clients? What do you think?

Multi-Tasking or Multi-Slacking?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sorosh/ / CC BY 2.0

My colleague and I are both social work PhD students in the same program here in Boston. In an effort to support each other and get some work done by holding each other accountable, we have gotten into the habit (PHEW!) of making time on Monday and Fridays to work on our schoolwork.

We're always chatting about how to be productive with our own to-do lists from hell. I use Remember the Milk to try and get organized and manage all the tasks that need to get done. Yet lately it seems there is always something to do and we both suffer from feelings of "how to get it ALL done?? and oh yeah, have a life...and exercise...and self-care...and...and..."

My friend has coined a new phrase for this mode called Multi-Slacking that I absolutely adore. Doesn't it just describe the feeling perfectly? And yet, how to get past it?

Readers, I'd love to get your feedback! Do you use technology to help manage or get things done? Or does information overload set in?

Tech-Savvy Social Work

This article appearing in July/August 2009 Social Work Today (vol. 9, #4, p. 12) provides a nice, broad overview of some of the workplace issues social workers may face with technology. From the article:

"Using technology is not new in social work. But the great speed at which new technologies are popping up has set off debate among human services professionals about what role technology should play in their work. A growing number of social service and behavioral health organizations are turning to technology to tackle tasks such as data management, client tracking, and outcomes measurement."

Hat tip to The Work of Social Technology for the article!

Calling All Bloggers!

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Do you write a social work blog? Do you regularly read social work blogs? (hint: you are reading one right now :) If so I'd love to interview you! My next article will focus on how social workers use blogs, what you think of them, etc. If you'd like to give your opinion please email me at karen[at]karenzgoda.org.

Spread the word - please tell your colleagues!

A New Kind of Online Therapy Shows Promise

Very interesting software designed to help insomniacs:

Sleepless people sometimes use the Internet to get through the night. Now a small study shows promising results for insomniacs with nine weeks of Internet-based therapy.

No human therapist is involved. The Internet software gives advice, even specific bedtimes, based on users' sleep diaries. Patients learn better sleep habits — like avoiding daytime naps — through stories, quizzes and games.

"This is a very interactive, tailored, personalized program," said study co-author Frances Thorndike of the University of Virginia Health System, who helped design the software, called Sleep Healthy Using the Internet, or SHUTi.

Such software could one day be a low-cost alternative for some patients, Thorndike said. And it could be the only non-drug option for people who live in areas without trained specialists, she said.

Read the full article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090706/ap_on_he_me/med_insomnia_therapy_2

How the Homeless Stay Connected Online

Interesting article over at the Wall Street Journal today:

On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired

From the article:

Like most San Franciscans, Charles Pitts is wired. Mr. Pitts, who is 37 years old, has accounts on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. He runs an Internet forum on Yahoo, reads news online and keeps in touch with friends via email. The tough part is managing this digital lifestyle from his residence under a highway bridge.

"You don't need a TV. You don't need a radio. You don't even need a newspaper," says Mr. Pitts, an aspiring poet in a purple cap and yellow fleece jacket, who says he has been homeless for two years. "But you need the Internet."

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

If Shakespeare were alive today, couldn't you just picture him asking that question? It's really amazing how fast technology tools are being developed these days. It's one of my favorite topics and I still have a hard time keeping on top of all the technology sometimes!

For those of you who have no idea what Twitter is, I highly recommend watching this Daily Show clip:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Twitter Frenzy
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

For an upcoming SW 2.0 column, I'm looking to focus on and showcase how social workers use services like Twitter. Do you use Twitter? If so, have any issues come up for your social work practice? What do you recommend to other social workers interested in learning why and how to use Twitter?

You can check out my Twitter updates at: http://twitter.com/karenzgoda