(Part 2) Best products from r/socialwork

I love this! Thank you so much for working on this project!

Here are my suggestions please add what you feel is appropriate :)

FICTION
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles. - it's about a family with an alcoholic mother from the children's point of view. As an ACOA (adult child of an alcoholic) it's quite realistic as far as the mother's behavior.

A Wrinkle in Time - includes father/daughter relationships, sibling relationships and self esteem.

Push Inspiration for the movie Precious. I love this book but it is a tough one to read.

NON FICTION:

Hospice related: Final Gifts I also recommend this one to families of a dying loved one

My Mother Myself mother daughter relationships

Will I Ever be Good Enough. Another book about mother-daughter relationships but focuses on dealing with mothers with narcissistic behaviors.

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayad

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.

Hyperbole and a Half Funny as fuck and talks about depression.

I do have a list of caregiver books that I give to loved ones of someone on hospice. I'm too lazy to look it up right now lol but if there's interest let me know and I'll post it.

Also, is there any interest in a social work related podcasts wiki? I know quite a few that deal with issues we work with such as alcoholism, addiction, recovery etc.

>What tips and advice would you give someone either looking into the field, or on their way to a bachelor's degree in social work?

Volunteer at a social service agency, even just a couple hours a week for a semester. Actually seeing social workers in action will give you a much better idea of what to expect. I'd also recommend taking classes in closely related fields such as psychology, sociology, criminology, gender studies just to test the waters and see if there is anything that "fits" better.

>What would you do differently?

Honestly, I wouldn't do anything differently with my undergrad.

>What books do you recommend?


None of these are explicitly social work books, but I highly recommend them as they touch on issues that you're likely to encounter. Life on the Outside, and Missoula are my top picks.

>How important are internships?


If you go to a CSWE accredited school, you'll be required to do an internship (called a practicum). So, it's a big deal that it's required? And It'll be your first taste of the social work field, and you'll learn a lot. But it's not the kind of thing that makes or breaks your career. People get less than ideal placement sites all the time and go on to have satisfying and successful careers.


>For people without experience, how do you recommend them going around this?

I'm not sure what you mean by this question.

I have a bad habit of reading multiple books at once, so I'm currently on Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the US Prison System, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, and one day I'll finish Rules for Radicals. Women Behind Bars is a really great, easy read that has a lot of good information in it. The other two are a bit slower, but still good and I recommend them all.

Other than these books, I read a lot about dogs....so previously I've read Don't Shoot the Dog and On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals. If anyone is interested in positive reinforcement, Don't Shoot the Dog is really applicable to every situation - you can apply it to dogs, clients, spouses, children, any relationship really. I thought it was a good read as a social worker and dog...understander.... :)

First of all, congratulations on the placement! That sounds like it will be a fantastic opportunity for you.

As for books, I'd check out http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Emotionally-Focused-Couple-Therapy/dp/0415945682. I have heard very good things from a mentor of mine about EFT.

I personally have not practiced couples therapy yet, but I do get to work with individuals in therapy regarding their relationship issues, and what I like about the EFT model is that it focuses on attachment issues, which I think really taps into the root of relationship issues. I think the focus on attachment helps to highlight focus on process rather than merely content.

Also, check out this demonstration of Sue Johnson providing EFT couples therapy, it's really impressive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaHms5z-yuM

I would recommend looking into “C-PTSD.” It’s not an official diagnosis in the DSM (and it is a bit different than PTSD), but IMO describes adults with attachment issues. A great place to start is Pete Walker’s Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma.

Also, I’ve started learning about relational psychoanalysis and how it can be used to help my adult clients with attachment issues. So since I’m still at the beginnings of learning the theory, I cannot make any recommendations for specific books to reference. The podcast “Between Us: A Psychotherapy Podcast” has been an easy intro into learning more about relational psychoanalysis while I save money to complete a formal training.

Awesome! I work more with PTSD rather than grief, but it often overlaps. I imagine you'll be getting training prior to starting with whatever assessment tools your agency uses, but I recommend reading up on TF-CBT, which is a great modality for trauma treatment with kiddos. I also really love this workbook for grief. My agency has a scanned copy so we can just print it off when necessary, so if yours doesn't have this I really recommend buying it and scanning the pages!

Hope this is helpful :) Good luck!!

You go to the district pages. They have school social worker jobs posted. These are hard to get and involve a lot of competition. In addition, there are a few organizations that work inside schools you can look for too.

Applying for schools....

The background checks are more rigorous for obvious reasons.

You have a school "community" which you must adhere to (there are certain ways you should act within a school community--you basically have to have a perfect rep, or at least be good at hiding your social activities). Hide your facebook profile and come up with an alias for your name only your friends recognize if you are concerned. Really.

You will always be interviewed in groups. No one-on-one interviews.

They most likely want someone with experience, not someone fresh out of school (it happens but not often).

Any experience in the school arena is appreciated (substitute teaching is an easy one.)

A good place to find out about applying to schools is http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/index.php even though it is a teaching board, they know about the application process.

Another good place to look for jobs is https://k12jobspot.com/
It says teaching jobs but it has SSW jobs too.

You need some kind of experience in writing IEPs. A good book to do research if you don't is here
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0133949524

I'm still in school and one of my professors really changed my mind about legalization. I am 100% for decriminalization but I lack the ability to fully articulate what that policy without legalization would look like.


http://www.tiedc2014.com/
While far from perfect, this campaign brought up some really good points especially around increased emergency room visits, strains that have excessively high thc content, and possible social justice issues such as flooding lower income areas with marijuana dispensaries in the same way liquor stores are.

I know this may be an unpopular opinion but with the potential for marijuana use to be harmful on a developing brain or exacerbate existing but not expressed mental weaknesses, nationwide legalization may cause excessive damage.

I do not think marijuana is technically worse than alcohol or tobacco, but remember legalization entails not just marijuana being available but being actively marketed for commercial gain.


https://www.amazon.com/Reefer-Sanity-Seven-Great-Marijuana/dp/0825306981

Is a good book.


http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/opinion/2017/03/05/murphy-guadagno-marijuana-pot-legalization/98702300/?cookies=&from=global

A great article that addresses many parts of the issue in NJ.

We used Winning Grants Step by Step in my grant writing class and I really liked it. Short and to the point.

Winning Grants Step by Step: The Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing and Writing Successful Proposals https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118378342/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2O4lxbZV4GHS5

I read these during my Addictions class in Undergrad. I found them very interesting to read from the point of view of both the parent and the addict themselves. If you're interested in Addictions at all they may be of interest to you too.

Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

Someone mentioned A Child called It, and there is another one by the same writer about his time in foster care which is really interesting and gut-wrenching too:

The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family

Here is an article that gives a general overview of trauma-informed care. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry are essential reading. They are relatively cheap and well-known.

I know very little about EMDR, so I can't really speak for its efficacy. As far as trauma-certifications go, I would urge caution. There are a lot of certification programs out there that promise access to a lot of knowledge and skills, and they offer a shiny little certificate with your name on it upon completion. However, in my experience the knowledge and skills they impart are nothing that you couldn't learn yourself with a combination of dedicated self-study and careful oversight by a competent supervisor. Also, these certifications sound impressive, but they aren't always recognized as anything special by the field at large. So they won't help you get a job, get a promotion, get a raise, or anything else but an impressive-looking piece of paper.

My recommendation is to be more assertive in your interest with your supervisor about learning trauma-informed theory and practice. If they cannot offer you the supervision you feel you need, ask them if there is someone in your organization that can. Identify resources that you can study that will help you find concrete ways to implement trauma-informed strategies into your work, and discuss this during supervision.

I used the pocket prep app and purchased the full version (I think $25 but really nice way of brushing up on some specific information that could equate to recall type questions). I also used the book linked at the end of this and read through it twice - probably overkill. Like most people always do I would highly suggest the ASWB prep exam and read through the question justifications once your completed once or twice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0826172016/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm going to be applying as an army social worker over the next couple months. It's pretty difficult to get as they are very selective so we'll see what happens. The job I have right now is excellent though so not in a huge rush but eventually would like to get back in the federal government and work with military as I am a vet.

This is the book we used in our crisis intervention class in grad school, though it looks like there is a new edition of it. I liked it, easy to read.