Understanding Secondary Trauma: How Social Workers Can Care for Themselves While Supporting Others
Have you ever walked away from a client session feeling completely drained—but unsure why? Listening to clients recount the trauma they’ve endured or witnessing first-hand the conditions in which they continue to live puts us at risk of experiencing secondary trauma, a common occupational hazard for social workers that can impact our mental health and […]
Fundraising for a Cause: How Human Services Orgs Can Get Ahead Early
You see the difference your organization makes every day — the families finding stability, the people accessing essential services, the communities growing stronger, and everyone else who’s positively impacted by your work. But to sustainably continue doing that work, you need a strategic fundraising plan. Successful fundraising for human services organizations deeply connects donors to […]
Improving the CCR Between Healthcare, Law Enforcement, and Victim Services
Survivors of crimes like sexual assault or domestic abuse often must work through multiple systems — including emergency rooms, police departments, shelters, and counseling services. When these systems don’t communicate effectively, survivors are left managing the fallout: telling their story repeatedly, receiving conflicting information, or losing access to support entirely. These breakdowns aren’t always caused […]
Using Technology to Strengthen Victim Services: Sexual Assault and Beyond
For sexual assault victims and victims of other violent crimes, help should never be out of reach. But barriers like geography, fear, stigma, and limited service capacity too often put help out of reach. Fortunately, technology is helping to change that. From text-based crisis hotlines to personal safety apps, technology is reshaping where, when, and how […]
Supporting Mental Health Awareness Month: How to Connect Social and Health Services
Behavioral health services in the U.S. are facing unprecedented demand, a reality that comes into sharper focus each May during Mental Health Awareness Month. In 2023 alone, more than 59 million adults, nearly one in four Americans, experienced a mental illness, yet nearly half received no treatment at all, according to the Health Resources and Services […]
How I’ve Repaired Relationships with Caregivers after Filing a Report with CPS
Mandated reporting is one of the toughest aspects of our work, but it plays a critical role in protecting vulnerable populations.Filing a report with protective services can be complicated as we balance our legal obligations with relational considerations and possible safety concerns but repairing the therapeutic relationship after filing with CPS, when appropriate, is possible […]
Ideas for Sexual Assault Awareness Month: How to Get Involved and Support Victim Services
Each April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) challenges professionals and communities to stand with survivors, increase the level of their prevention work, and explore how systems can better respond to sexual violence. For victim service providers and social workers, this is not just symbolic awareness — it’s a chance to further trauma-informed practices, create new […]
How Social Workers Can Keep Hope During Tumultuous Times
If you’d asked social workers two months ago, I don’t think many would have predicted the state that we would be in today. Social workers often serve the most vulnerable populations, so when rights are removed and people’s livelihoods are threatened, social workers intimately feel the effects. Whether they’re working with clients who are immigrants, […]
Best Practices for Training Staff on CPT Code Documentation
Accurate CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code documentation is critical in social services organizations and healthcare settings. Social workers who interface with billing or case management tasks often rely on correct coding to secure reimbursements, avoid legal risk, and support quality care. Proper CPT code training will help staff members understand the nuances of these codes […]
Effective Strategies for Community Engagement With Native American Populations
In tribal social work, engaging Native American communities requires cultural humility, historical awareness, and a commitment to equitable collaboration. As a social worker, you face unique challenges when partnering with tribal populations, including systemic disparities, historical trauma, and the legacy of colonial practices. Your role isn’t to “fix” tribal communities but to empower them through […]
