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Summary: There is broad consensus that COVID-19 has had a pernicious impact on social work, in general, and among social work practitioners, more specifically. However, at present, very few, if any, empirical examinations of this impact exist. This exploratory study examined peritraumatic distress among a sample of social workers (N = 3920) in one southeastern state in the United States. Findings: Analysis suggests that distress is impacted by several variables. In general, participants identifying as male, married, reporting good physical and mental health, working in microcontexts, and who were finically secure tended to experience less COVID-19 associated distress. In addition, social workers identifying as LGBTQ* and who had been working mostly remotely experienced higher levels of distress. Applications: Overall, findings indicate the need to provide adept support to social workers practicing during the pandemic. Data suggest the need for targeted support initiatives, typically for those who are from underrepresented groups (e.g., LGBTQ*) or experiencing financial or mental/physical health issues. Certainly, researchers should continue to examine the impact of COVID-19 on social work practitioners and service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the self-care practices of individuals employed as social workers in Poland (N = 250). Whilst personal self-care practices occurred slightly more frequently than did professional self-care practices, overall results indicate that participants only engaged in moderate amounts of self-care. Findings revealed significant differences in self-care by education level and self-reported health status, respectively. Only health status significantly predicted overall self-care. This study indicates the need for more attention to self-care. After a brief review literature, this paper will explicate findings and discuss salient implications derived from this study. This paper concludes by identifying apposite areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, social workers recognize the importance of self-care to practice. However, research examining self-care among social workers is nominal. Of particular paucity are works that explore self-care in international contexts. This exploratory study examined self-care among social workers (N = 200) in Slovakia. Findings indicate that participants engaged in moderate levels of self-care. Moreover, data indicated significant differences in self-care by health status, and number of weekly hours worked was a significant predictor of self-care. After a review of literature, this article explicates findings, identifies discussion points, and concludes by identifying implications for social work education, research, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abraham Flexner contended that "something more than a degree or claim" is needed to make a profession. He further asserted that the definitions of a profession require recasting over time. This article critically considers recasting licensing as something more for social work. Analysis of past and present discourse on licensing in social work revealed three overarching themes: (a) advocacy and rationale for licensing, (b) scrutiny and critique of licensing, and (c) the disconnect and dissonance between professional licensing and social work education. Moving forward, we suggest recasting social work's professional paradigm in the common framework of competency, with licensing part of the continuum of professionalization. This recasting can promote critical congruence between social work education and ongoing professional competency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Licensing has been a dynamic tension for the social work profession for many years, specifically in social work education. Increasingly, social work programs are using factors related to social work licensing (pass rates, number of test takers, etc.) as an indicator of programmatic success. Yet few, if any, published papers examine curricular innovations designed to prepare students for social work licensing exams. This article describes the initiative that one MSW program implemented to address licensing preparedness. After a brief overview of social work licensing, this article describes the contextual rationale, implementation, and evaluation of the Licensing Preparation Initiative (LPI). Since its inception in spring 2011, LPI data suggest that students are more knowledgeable about the process for applying to sit for the exam and the content areas of the exam, more prepared to take the social work licensing exam, and more confident in their ability to pass the social work licensing exam once they graduate. This article concludes with specific strategies and resources for designing a curricular initiative to address licensing preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes how to develop a comprehensive teaching philosophy from articulation through implementation to evaluation. Using literature and teaching-learning experiences, we discuss pragmatic steps for using a teaching philosophy to inform, engage, and evaluate teaching-learning. We promote an integrated teaching philosophy to ensure competent practice in social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes one MW program's innovative and informed response to the pervasive problem of inadequate professional writing skills. We articulate the rationale, implementation, and assessment of our systemic response, which includes (a) requiring a professional writing course, (b) implementing curricular infusion of a standard writing rubric, (c) using sequential papers and peer reviews, (d) incorporating writing assessment into admissions decisions and culminating projects, (e) collaborating with the university writing center, (f) offering a writing coach, and (g) mentoring students for professional scholarship. This curricular case example provides specific and comprehensive strategies for other programs to address this ubiquitous educational concern, demonstrates adherence to CSWE's (2008) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards in multiple dimensions, and contributes to literature on curriculum development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five themes of subtle and systemic sexism emerged in a content analysis of the Journal of Social Work Education, 1998-1999: discrepancies in pronoun usage, sexist language, inconsistent attention to gender as a variable or construct, and inattention to gender as a framework in understanding topics. The analysis also discovered a preponderance of nongender language, which raises questions about the implicit messages of gender-blind language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]