The Training and Utilization of the Mental Health Paraprofessional Within the Military: The Social Work/Psychology Specialist

1970 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
KENNETH J. NOLAN ◽  
EDWIN T. COOKE
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Psychology ◽  
The Military

The Life of a Combat Social Worker

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Yarvis
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Military Hospital ◽  
Base Camp ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Military

Chapter 1 gives the reader a tour—a kind of ride-a-long or a kind of “see-what-I-see” experience. Much of the chapter is about the combat part of combat social work: What does social work look like outside the wire, downrange, or in combat or other hostile and dangerous battles or threats. This chapter will enable the reader to appreciate the role and experiences of combat social workers, as captured in later autobiographical chapters. However, deployments are time-limited (7–15 months, as a rule), and most of the time spent as a military social worker is in garrison (i.e., base camp with offices, often a behavioral health clinic or the social work department at a military hospital). This is where and how most members of the military receive their mental health treatment—conducted by military social workers. This is discussed in Chapter 2.

Gay Men: Overview

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
James I. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Identity Constructions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

This entry explains who gay men are, how gay identity constructions have evolved since their inception, and how they continue to evolve. It also describes the health and mental health problems that gay men may present to social work practitioners. In addition, it identifies several social policies that are relevant to gay men. The entry argues that a systemic perspective that takes into account the social, political, and cultural influences on gay men is necessary for understanding the problems that such men commonly experience.

Post-Disaster Trauma and Recovery

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara M. Powell ◽  
Shannondora Billiot ◽  
Leia Y. Saltzman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Response And Recovery

Natural and man-made disasters have become much more frequent since the start of the 21st century. Disasters have numerous deleterious impacts. They disrupt individuals, families, and communities, causing displacement, food insecurity, injury, loss of livelihoods, conflict, and epidemics. The physical and mental health impact of a disaster can have extensive short- and long-term consequences. Immediately after a traumatic event, individuals may experience an array of reactions such as anxiety, depression, acute stress symptoms, shock, dissociation, allergies, injuries, or breathing problems. Given the economic and human impact of disasters, social workers are often quick to respond. Historically, the social work profession has provided services on the individual level, but initiatives have expanded to address community preparedness, response, and recovery. This article will explore the complexities of disaster response and recovery. Health and mental health impacts will be examined. Resilience and posttraumatic growth will then be discussed, exploring how individuals overcome adversity and trauma. Individual and community level preparedness mitigation, response, and recovery will explore how the field of social work has evolved as disasters have increased. Followed by an exploration of how social work has evolved to develop individual and community level preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery activities as disasters have increased. Finally, the article will examine special populations, including those with disabilities, children, indigenous people, older adults, and social service workers in all phases of disasters. As disasters grow more frequent it is vital for social work professionals to improve their efforts. We will conclude the chapter by examining the coordinated efforts the social work profession is involved in to help communities recover and even thrive after a traumatic event.

Social Work in Funeral Homes, a Unique Chinese Practice?

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-499
Author(s):  
Yunxian Huang ◽  
Weijia Tan ◽  
A. Ka Tat Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Funeral Home ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Funeral Homes ◽  
Death Care ◽  
Further Development

Social workers were introduced to funeral homes in China amid the transition and expansion of both the funeral home industry and the social work profession and are proving to play a valuable, though under-researched role in serving not just clients but also communities and funeral home staff. Funeral home social work fills gaps in after-death care and mental health and is distinct from palliative, hospice, end-of-life, and bereavement social work. Based on the experiences of funeral homes that employ social workers, this article argues that this innovation may bring new ideas to bridge some of the service gaps in after-death care in China and globally. This article outlines the support that will be needed from funeral homes, social work service agencies, and educational and research institutes to facilitate further development of funeral home mental health and social services and to promote the professionalization of funeral home social workers in China.

Kenworthy, Marion Edwena

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Sperling
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Child Psychiatry ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The Social

Marion Edwena Kenworthy (1891–1980) was a psychiatrist who introduced psychoanalytic concepts into the social work curriculum. She was influential in the professionalization of social work and specialized in child psychiatry and mental health services for the armed forces.

scholarly journals Perceptions of the social worker role in adult community mental health teams in England

2020 ◽  
pp. 147332502092408
Author(s):  
Michele Abendstern ◽  
Jane Hughes ◽  
Mark Wilberforce ◽  
Karen Davies ◽  
Rosa Pitts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Community Mental Health Team ◽  
Mental Health Team ◽  
Health Team ◽  
The Social

There is a growing recognition of the importance of the social work contribution within community mental health services. However, although many texts describe what the mental health social work contribution should be, little empirical evidence exists about their role in practice and the difference it might make to service users. This qualitative study sought to articulate this contribution through the voices of social workers and their multidisciplinary colleagues via focus group discussions across four English Mental Health Trusts. These considered the impact of the social worker on the service user. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of three over-arching themes: social workers own perceptions of their contribution situated within the social model; the high value their colleagues placed on social work support and leadership in a range of situations and the concerns for service users if social workers were withdrawn from teams. Key findings were that social workers are the only professional group to lead on the social model; that this model enhances the whole teams’ practice and is required if service users are to be offered support that promotes long-term recovery and that without social workers, the community mental health team offer would be more transactional, less timely, with the potential for the loss of the service users’ voice. If social work is to make a full contribution to community mental health team practice, it must be clearly understood and provided with the support to enable social workers to operate to their full potential.

Deployment of a Social Worker

2020 ◽  
pp. 178-187
Author(s):  
Eric J. Kirwan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Ping Pong ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Work Skill ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Military

In this chapter, the author discusses adaptability as the most valuable quality for a social worker. Reflecting on his career, the author discusses his ability to adjust to any situation and connect with different types of people. That skill has translated well for him in his career. He especially focuses on his experiences as a combat social worker during deployment, since he used every social work skill to be effective in this setting. He discusses the many challenges and the lessons he learned from being a combat social worker. He notes, for example, that mental health is not well-received in the military, especially within certain combat-focused units. He describes how it requires a lot of outreach and integration with members to help develop rapport and reduce stigma. One lesson learned: playing ping-pong seemed to be one of the popular activities among other strategies used to build relations within units while doing outreach.

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