Latest news with #SchoolofSocialWork
Boston Globe
11-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Bid to remove LCSW exam does not put quality of care at risk
Upon receiving the MSW, an applicant for independent clinical practice is still required to successfully complete a challenging exam — the one for an LICSW — after completing two years of closely supervised practice by a licensed independent clinical social worker. Mary Byrne Cambridge The writer is a member of the board of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and a professor emerita in the School of Social Work at Salem State University.
08-07-2025
- Health
Natural disasters like Texas floods can affect mental health, according to experts
Central Texas is continuing to recover from devastating rains and "catastrophic" flooding that damaged homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people, many of whom were children. Victims and first responders may suffer physical injuries from natural disasters, such as floods, but psychologists and disaster experts say such events can also exact a heavy mental health toll – and the resources to address that cost may not always be available. "We don't talk about mental health in general enough and mental health services, in general, are under-resourced. So, when it comes to disasters, we're already strapped for resources," Reggie Ferreira, a professor at Tulane University's School of Social Work and director of the university's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, told ABC News. "I would definitely say, especially for decision makers, to prioritize mental health because, at the end of the day, you can have wonderful community-based programs," he continued. "But if your community's mental health is not taken care of first, these infrastructure programs don't mean a lot in the long run." Mental health impact of natural disasters A 2013 review of mental health responses to community disasters, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, stated that one-third or more of individuals severely exposed to a natural disaster can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other disorders. Another 2023 meta-analysis found a connection between natural disasters and a deterioration of mental health. implying an increase in mental illness soon after extreme weather events. Ferreira said every individual is unique, and so everyone may have a different response to a natural disaster, but there are common signs of trauma to look out for. "Fear, disbelief, numbness, guilt as well," he said. "You know, 'Why am I experiencing this?' Or, if someone has passed away, there's a [survivor's] guilt element that comes in. Longer term, there's definite symptoms that [arise] such as depression, anxiety; post-traumatic stress disorder can come about." He continued, "There might just be a trigger that comes about, a particular smell or seeing an image or just recalling a particular event that happened with them during a disaster. This … results in cascading effects for people." Ferreira said some of those affected may turn to substance abuse as a result of the trauma, or experience conflict in relationships. Climate scientists have said that climate change is likely to make extreme weather events, similar to those experienced in Texas, occur more frequently and with more intensity . This means "there will definitely be an increase in mental health symptoms as it relates to our changing climate," according to Ferreira. If you need help, Ferreira said it's important to be aware of hotlines that are available, such as the American Red Cross' Disaster Distress Helpline. It's also helpful for people in an affected community to provide social support, if they can. "If you were not impacted directly by the disaster, it's important if you can get someone a meal or replace some of their daily tasks for them," Ferreira said. "That social support in the long run really does have an impact on mental health outcomes." Effects on children Natural disasters, like the floods in Texas, also can take a mental and emotional toll on children. Marni Elyse Axelrad, clinic chief of the psychology division and a pediatric psychologist at Texas Children's Hospital, said there are two groups of children to be concerned about: those who were severely affected and lived through the event, and those experiencing it via the news, on social media, or who know someone affected by the event. For the children who were directly affected, "in the short term, we worry about seeing things like increased irritability and anger, loss of interest in things children were previously interested in, more or less sleep, changes in appetite, physical complaints and exacerbations of previous difficulties," Axelrad told ABC News. In the long term, the affects could lead to anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior and symptoms of PTSD, Axelrad said. Children who were not directly affected can experience similar symptoms, Axelrad said, but noted that they can be lessened to varying degrees by reducing the child's exposure to coverage of the natural disaster. Axelrad said that there's no right way or wrong way for a child to respond in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. However, it's important to reestablish familiar routines for children as soon as possible. It's also important for parents and other adults to validate a child's feelings, as well as to spend extra time with them and to set a good example of coping skills through their own behavior. It also important to validate the feelings of children who were not directly affected by the natural disaster, she added. "Making sure that we're not invalidating a child's feelings, [that] we're not saying, 'Stop crying, you weren't a part of this. You're so lucky that it wasn't you,'" Axelrad said. "Those aren't very helpful things to say. Rather, saying, 'I also saw those images and they were really scary. I hear that you're scared, and I want to reassure you about your safety' is very important." "I think that sometimes we try really hard to minimize the negative feelings in our children and these negative feelings are normal and to be expected," Axelrad added.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Researchers develop new AI tool to diagnose PTSD in children through facial expressions
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that scientists and psychologists have struggled to diagnose for decades. Initially, PTSD in children was diagnosed through interviews, questionnaires, and discussions. However, PTSD has a high chance of going undiagnosed because children have limited communication skills, emotional awareness, or awareness of their surroundings. Hence, they can struggle to accurately verbalise and convey their emotions. Now, researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida, US, have successfully developed an AI system to address this problem. The research team headed by Alison Salloum and Shaun Canavan has harnessed facial recognition technology to identify PTSD in children by studying their facial expressions. Salloum, who is a professor in USF's School of Social Work, is a licensed clinical social worker, and specialises in diagnosing PTSD and trauma. She has also authored many books on the subject. In the course of her work, Alison Salloum noticed that the facial expressions of the children she was interviewing intensified during trauma interviews. She subsequently reached out to Canavan, an associate professor in the Bellini College for AI, Cybersecurity and Computing, to know whether an AI-powered facial recognition system would be able to detect these expressions. Canavan then developed an AI system that prioritises patient privacy by blurring identity details and only analysing physical data such as a child's head pose, gaze and other facial gestures as well as their eyes and mouth. The underlying AI model was trained on over 100 minutes of video per child containing over 1,80,000 frames, and the system was later able to detect subtle facial muscle movements that were linked to emotional expression. The researchers claimed that this is the first study to preserve doctor-patient confidentiality alongside context-specific PTSD classification. Salloum also emphasised that the AI system was not a replacement for clinicians but could serve as a valuable supplement. 'The system could eventually be used to give practitioners real-time feedback during therapy sessions and help monitor progress without repeated, potentially distressing interviews.' Salloum was quoted as saying in a blog post on the USF website. 'Data like this is incredibly rare for AI systems, and we're proud to have conducted such an ethically sound study. That's crucial when you're working with vulnerable subjects. Now we have promising potential from this software to give informed, objective insights to the clinician,' Canavan said. The study also observed clinician-child conversations and interviews, which brought out more detailed facial expressions than a parent-child conversation. As per the researchers, this could be linked to either the child showing reluctance or shame to discuss certain issues with their parents. The researchers are currently working on removing gender-, culture-, or age-specific biases within the AI system. This is particularly important when studying pre-schoolers. The AI system could also be used to diagnose other mental health conditions in children such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. (This article has been curated by Purv Ashar, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Campuses in Coastal K'taka embrace LGBTQ+ students
Representative Image MANGALURU: Academic institutions along the coast of Karnataka have made significant strides toward LGBTQ+ inclusion. These institutions are increasingly opening their doors to create more inclusive academic spaces, a development welcomed by many. Some institutions have established dedicated LGBTQ+ associations, while others actively support the community through various events and awareness programmes. This progressive shift across the education system marks an important movement in fostering diversity and acceptance within academia. "Our campuses have been supportive of LGBTQ, including the student council. Currently, numbers from the community are low at Mangaluru campus, and we are ready to help them form a group," said Dr Bhaskaran Unnikrishnan, dean of Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru. Sandra Sunitha Lobo, professor in Psychology department, School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya, said their campus has been LGBTQ inclusive for a very long time. "Students have been given the opportunity to express their identity and support those coming out. However, we ask them to be mindful of their classmates who are sensitive about it, or are unaware of their identity," she said, adding that they hold special events as part of the Pride Month, observed in June. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo A postgraduate medical student who is from the LGBTQ community, and is studying at a college near Derlakatte shared that over the years, the narrative and how individuals look at us has changed. "There is more awareness, and people have stopped being judgemental about the queer community. Compared to the older generation, the younger generation is more accepting as they are better informed through social media and through their peers," said the student who was studying in Mangaluru for the past seven years. Campuses are not just being inclusive towards the community, they are even supporting research in the areas pertaining to the community. Dr B Reshmi, associate dean and professor of health information management, Manipal College of Health Professions, said that currently, two funded research projects are being undertaken. These projects aim to address the healthcare facilities and the needs of the community, and also determine the approach healthcare workers should take towards the community members in a medical setting.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
School of Social Work at King's University College Adopts Casper Assessment Into Its Holistic Admissions Process
The admissions' process for both undergraduate and graduate programs of the School of Social Work at King's University College will now require the Casper test, which assesses key professional skills – like empathy, ethics, and teamwork – that are essential in the social work profession TORONTO, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity Insights, the leading provider of admissions assessment, program management, and analytics solutions for higher education, is pleased to announce that the School of Social Work at King's University College will adopt the Casper situational judgment test to help ensure students have the professional skills needed for academic and career success. The School of Social Work will introduce Casper into its admissions criteria starting in the Fall of 2025. 'By providing insight into the social intelligence and professional skills of applicants, Casper allows us to gain a more holistic understanding of individual candidates. This supports our commitment to preparing future Social Workers who are not only academically capable, but also ethically grounded, critically reflective, and equipped to lead meaningful change in their communities,' says Dr. Jane E. Sanders, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator. The addition of the Casper situational judgment test will supplement the School's existing admissions process for both its Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW). Incorporating the review of non-academic skills with an evidence-based and research-backed assessment will allow for a more complete, well-rounded picture of each applicant. The introduction of Casper into the admissions processes reflects King's and the School of Social Work's deep commitment to holistic admissions, recognizing not only academic achievement, but also the personal and professional qualities essential for success in the field of social work. At a time when the world is facing growing social challenges and inequities, integrating a tool like Casper helps ensure future social workers are not only technically proficient, but also prepared to enter real-world scenarios in a way that is deeply empathetic, ethical, and collaborative. Matt Holland, CEO of Acuity Insights, says, 'King's School of Social Work's ground-breaking programs offer an innovative, hands-on learning experience for future social workers, ensuring that they are well prepared to make a deep impact in the communities they will eventually serve. We're pleased to partner with King's School of Social Work, and we believe that Casper will support the School's commitment to a holistic, robust, and fair admissions process.' About the School of Social Work at King's University College The School of Social Work, King's University College at Western University is a welcoming and dynamic environment for learning. At the School of Social Work, we care about our students and are committed to excellence in preparing professional social workers of the future. Our Social Work programs are fully accredited by the Canadian Association of Social Work Education and we have been graduating professional social workers for over fifty years. Regardless of where their careers lead them, the grounding in generalist (BSW) and direct (MSW) social work practice that students acquire at King's has provided an invaluable foundation for the important work they do. The School of Social Work has developed a strong reputation for the academic and practice excellence of our graduates – partly because we admit students who show exceptional promise, partly because of the fine educational program that we offer, and partly because our students invest a great deal of energy and effort into their learning. We also believe that a big part of our success is due to our relatively small size. At King's you are not a face in the crowd. We get to know our students and they get to know us. Because we are an integral part of Western University our students have full access to the benefits of a large university, but our location at King's means we can offer small classes and provide personalized attention to each student's needs. About Casper Casper is an open-response situational judgment test (SJT) that measures social intelligence and professionalism, and is backed by 20 years of data. Research consistently shows that demonstrating effective interpersonal skills contributes significantly to success during academic programs and in future careers. Casper presents applicants with scenarios and questions that allow them to demonstrate these skills and the extent to which they can respond to challenging scenarios in a professional and socially intelligent manner, by using their diverse life experiences. Its open-response format, with both video and text, ensures it cannot be gamed by humans or AI, unlike most other SJTs, which use a multiple-choice format. The Casper assessment tool measures skills such as: Communication Collaboration Empathy Fairness Teamwork The evidence-based assessment is used by over 650 program partners worldwide in various fields, including the following educational programs: Medicine Health Sciences Teaching Business Engineering Social Work Visit our website to discover how Casper can support your admissions goals. About Acuity Insights Acuity Insights is the leading provider of admissions assessment, program management, and analytics solutions for higher education. The company's solutions help higher education institutions deliver on their mission holistically, considering the whole student, widening pathways into higher education, and ensuring both student and program success. Recognized as one of Canada's Top Growing Companies by the Globe & Mail for the past six consecutive years, Acuity's solutions are used by nearly 650 higher education programs worldwide. The Casper situational judgment test (SJT), taken by more than 1 million since its inception, is the most widely used open-response SJT in higher education and is backed by almost 20 years of efficacy research. For more information, visit Media contact: Brianna Bell, Senior Content & Communications Managerbbell@ beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten
