As an applied science, social work practice and research is interdisciplinary and draws from a range of disciplines including psychology, sociology, medicine, gerontology, public administration, policy studies, and economics.
Social Work is part of the University of South Dakota's School of Health Sciences. Social work students, staff and faculty can find several research resources in the University Libraries. The University library includes the Wegner Health Sciences Library in Sioux Falls.
These practical strategies will help you focus, advocate with intention, and protect your mental health
By Scott M. Banford LCSW
I consume a lot of content daily. I listen to podcasts of various sources including the occasional Social Work Talks podcast from NASW.
I subscribe to my independent local newspaper because I like to hold a paper in my hands. Some online papers have recordings of articles, and I can have the news read to me. So cool. I also look at social media posts. I don’t post much; some would call me a Lurker, but I prefer Wallflower. I see some people posting everything the new administration says or does, and then complain that there is too much news, and they get overwhelmed. I agree, there is a fire hose of executive orders, statements and actions every day. The flood of news is intended to keep you unable to focus on the substantive stuff they are working on. Sending out multiple news stories every day is expected to overwhelm news outlets.
I noticed a friend posting daily about one outrageous thing after another. His frenetic hysteria seemed to be growing in intensity as he posted about Trump saying Joe Biden is a robot. I pointed out in a comment that the story was not news. There were several other serious pieces of news coming out at the same time like contracting with Palantir Technologies, a software company to create a data base of Americans. The robot story was just nonsense probably intended to distract him and enrage him. And it was working. He replied that it was important to him, and he had to stay exposed to all the news and post about it every day. Sounds to me like a life of grinding anxiety to the point of exhaustion. NASW CEO Anthony Estreet wrote about this.
The way I look at it, there are three kinds of news out there and we need to curate what we consume, or our mental health will suffer. Our ability to take meaningful action will, too.
There is still too much coming in the substantive category daily, some of the news for the base or even nonsense might move into the substantive category. I suggest picking a couple of areas you are interested in and let the rest go past you. Rest assured there are people paying attention in the areas you are passing up. I have a couple of areas I am paying attention to. One is Medicaid. I’m watching closely the Republican House Budget now in the Senate. Another is income-aligned home ownership. I am watching my local news which has had several stories recently about the effects of funding freezes.
Why does consuming information this way matter? It helps you get engaged mindfully and meaningfully. When you are contacting your congressperson, you have a specific topic you want to address, and you are better informed to direct your advocacy. Our strength is in our diversity and unity. In our diversity we can keep track of all the areas important to social workers. In our unity we can come together to advocate in one voice when called to action. Finally, stay away from click bait, from the left or right.
Scott M. Banford LCSW is the NASW-KY Northern Branch Chair.
Stories of perseverance and determination to be screened at NASW annual conference in Chicago
By Faye Beard
Within seconds, a tragic accident would forever change the trajectory of a young girl’s life and have a devastating impact on her family. This plotline describes the 10-minute film Phoenix by Erika Jane Jacobson, MSW, who recently won the 2025 NASW Foundation’s Documentary Film Short Contest.
In another story, a soldier returned home and remembered the social worker who helped him during a tumultuous period in high school. The heroine, Byanca Beasley, MSW, borrowed her project title from this year’s competition theme, “Compassion + Action.” Her one-minute clip took the top prize in the Short Video Reel category.
Both films will be shown this year, June 15–19, at the NASW Conference in Chicago, where the theme is “Celebrating our Legacy, Developing the Future.”
Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Lynn Matthews, retired MSW, LCSW, served as a competition judge. She not only looked for technical skills but also looked through the lens of a social worker. “I’m looking at the social value of the film. What is it trying to get across? Who is the audience? What information is it imparting on the topic? What will the viewer walk away with?”
Phoenix is a tear-jerker that centers on a childhood tragedy involving Jacobson’s younger sister. “The trauma raged like a fire out of control. One event led to another, and it grew and grew,” Jacobson narrates in the film. “Then there was just ash.”
The film was an opportunity to honor Jacobson’s sister and her parents, particularly her father. “I see my dad as a superhero,” said the South Dakota-based LCSW. “He doesn’t get enough credit for how strong a man he is and everything he has done and still does for me and my sister.”
In Phoenix, Jacobson “utilizes exceptional videography and creative post-production to reveal the true heart of the social work profession,” said competition judge Tab Ballis, LCSW.
The project is an origin story. “It’s the birth of a social worker on a micro-level,” said Jacobson. “They learn from pain, which is how people become compassionate.” Instead of heading down a wrong path, Jacobson said she chose the path of empathy. “It’s an example of how you can take your own struggles and use them for good.”
Beasley, who works in the school system in Paulding County, Ga., wanted her reel to convey how impactful social workers are and can be.
There was one student she remembered. “A lot of people had given up on him,” said Beasley, adding that he was skipping school and sleeping on a park bench. “We can’t give up on people just because they aren’t moving at the pace that we believe they should be moving. Sometimes people need a little extra TLC.”
Years later, that student remembered Beasley as well. “‘You got me food. You helped me. Everything that you said was right,’” he told her. “One person believed in him. He was able to graduate. Now he is in the Marine Corps, traveling the world, doing what he loves,” Beasley said.
In the film titled Compassion Plus Action, Beasley crafted a story about the challenges and rewards of social work, said Ballis, whose film, Park View, was screened at the 2024 NASW Annual Conference.
School administrators had accused Beasley of wanting to save everyone. “No, my job is not to save everybody,” she said. “My goal is to reach people when I can reach them. My job is to push students toward their purpose, even if they don’t realize their purpose yet.”
Both award-winning auteurs stressed the importance of perseverance and determination. Social workers should have the strength and hope to endure in what may seem like hopeless times, Jacobson said. “Things can burn to the ground. As long as you don’t give up, you’ll rise from those ashes.”
You can watch both films by clicking the links above or on our socialworkmonth.org page.
Faye Beard is a freelance writer based in New York City.
Harlem comedy showcase is a safe space for up-and-coming performers who are trying to figure things out.
By Faye Beard
At Comedy in Harlem, a hip club nestled in the historic Sugar Hill neighborhood, a group of healthcare professionals recently gathered for a Big Dose of Laughter.
Aarian Punter, MSW, LCSW, served as host and the opening act. “I’m a psychotherapist by day and a comedienne by afternoon,” she told the audience. “I’m not out in these comedy streets like that.”
Punter, a comedy veteran and performance poet, produced the afternoon show featuring food, drinks and hilarity. “Laughter is good for the soul,” Punter said. “If you can have a good laugh, you’ll notice that whatever was bothering you before will decrease. Your endorphins allow the oxygen to move through your body and give you space to forget about what’s hurting you. It opens you up to relax.”
Fellow comic Nadine Huggins, LMSW, performed a set based on the funny antics from her therapy sessions. She was inspired when she heard TikTok sensation Nurse Blake (@nurseblake) channel the challenges of being an overworked healthcare professional into his But Did You Die? comedy tour. “I find that bringing humor into my practice helps put people at ease during the difficult times and conversations we are going through,” Huggins said.
Throughout the show, Punter had to manage an enthusiastic heckler with the patience that only a social worker could. She reminded the guest that this was her time and that he should practice boundaries. Then she turned the spotlight on him asking, “Are you going through something, Sir? Are you seeing a therapist?” The audience laughed, but the heckler seemed to laugh even harder.
“Social work chose me,” said Punter, who had the heart of a social worker, but initially no desire to officially enter the profession. She shared in an interview at Hunter College in New York that she believed social workers caused harm like the one depicted in the film Claudine, starring Diahann Carroll. “I thought that social workers came and disrupted the family and caused women to dismantle their relationships with men.” She was accepted into the master’s program there and learned what social work was supposed to be. “Hunter was a social justice-centered learning institution. It showed me what radical support looked like. That tapped into me being an artist.”
Now, Punter runs a private practice, licensed in New Jersey and New York, and describes herself as a comedy clinician.
While Punter prefers the day life over nightlife, she makes an exception on Tuesday. That’s when she invites up-and-coming comedians to the Stand Up and Work It Out Open-Mic night.
It’s the only show at Comedy in Harlem that provides feedback to performers after their set, explained Nicky Sunshine, who co-owns the club with her husband, Jamie Roberts. The comedic couple do the honors of relaying constructive criticism. “We give them pointers. We don’t tear them down,” Sunshine said. “We help them make their performances stronger.”
In Sunshine and Roberts, Punter said she found her people. “We have a social justice lens, and we express our activism through comedy.”
Punter is serving as host and producer for the Stand Up and Work It Out weekly showcase. She created the concept. “As I began to grow as a therapist, I thought about what do I do in therapy and what do I do up on stage.” Punter said. “I’m working things out. This was created as a place to combine humor with healing.”
Faye Beard is a New York-based writer.