Social Work Smart Brief

Arlington, Mass., social worker Patrick Teahan is inviting people angered by the presidential election outcome to visit his office for free and vent by screaming and using a foam baseball bat to hit a training bag. "This is really sort of aimed at people who are really struggling emotionally, or are really triggered, and need to put it some place and really move on," he said.

New developments in neuroscience give child welfare practitioners an increased understanding of brain influences, but there are challenges for application. Harvard researchers recently suggested changes in service delivery based on findings about trauma's effect on the brain.

Cost concerns have curtailed the Veterans Affairs Department's plans to cover gender-transition surgery costs for transgender veterans. "VA has been and will continue to explore a regulatory change that would allow VA to perform gender alteration surgery and a change in the medical benefits package, when appropriated funding is available," the VA said.

Race and immigrant status may play a role in parent-teacher communications, according to a study by a researcher at New York University. Data show math and English teachers are more likely to contact black and Latino parents -- compared with white parents -- about behavior problems.

Kentucky lawmakers heard pleas from a current and former state social worker to address problems in a child welfare system beset with budget cuts, high turnover and bulging caseloads. "Workers are leaving in astronomical proportions and kids are literally suffering because of it," social worker Katy Coleman said.

Managers must learn to mitigate workplace conflict before it gets out of hand and becomes distracting for everyone. "The important thing is to have the right intention -- which is to resolve the conflict, not to punish the other person," Dan McCarthy writes.

The email you received may be full of lies if there is a lack of first-person pronouns, inappropriate use of past tense, an unanswered question or phrasing such as "I swear" or "Cross my heart," writes Vanessa Van Edwards.

An agreement reached between NASW and the Commission for Case Manager Certification enables social workers who qualify for the NASW case management credential to pre-qualify for the Certified Case Manager (CCM) certification exam for the same fee. NASW members will receive an additional discount. The collaboration creates new opportunities for bachelor degree-level social workers and those with advanced degrees to play an active role in hospitals, health plans, clinics, and other health care settings. See more information: More Social Workers May Qualify for CCM Credential .

The Ethics 8 Series is a service to members that offers eight useful tips related to prevailing topics in social work practice. These tip sheets serve as a starting point in uncovering ethical considerations in a given topic area and to direct users to additional resources related to the topic area. The current topic is on Addressing Social Worker Impairment and is available here .