Updates to NYU (Information for Practice) SW Blog

The previously mentioned Information for Practice social work-related blog has been reformatted, and given my afore mentioned qualms with the old layout, it seems necessary that I rescind my earlier complaints.

Now much cleaner, the site is divided into the following sections: guidelines; non open access journals; images in the news; news; video; grey literature; and open access journals.

The video section is most substantial addition to overall content, and definitely worth a look.

A Few New Resources

(Another half-post from July, only being published now)

SAMHSA's Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator

"This searchable directory of drug and alcohol treatment programs shows the location of facilities around the country that treat alcoholism, alcohol abuse and drug abuse problems." Certainly useful, but it also highlights the emphasis placed on 12-step programs, programs which are often unsuited to the needs of many, particularly adolescents who would like to stop using.

SAMHSAs search engine remains an excellent resource. For those with access to the Internet, anyway. . .

County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health AIDS Program Glossary

Because sometimes all those letters can become overwhelming. . .a veritable Alphabet City of acronyms related to HIV/AIDS-related vocabulary, running the gamut from medical, to legal, to organizational terms as well as the names of groups working to fight the virus.

Google for Non-Profits

"Learn how you can use Google tools to promote your cause, raise money, and operate more efficiently."

Most of the products/apps are already familiar to those who use Google's resources, but each section is framed to suit the perspective of someone working for a "cause". Additionally, there is Google Grants, which I'd not seen before stumbling across Google for Non-Profits.


And now I'll stare off into space for a while, imagining what it would have been like to have Google for Educators back in my teaching days. . .

New-ish Links

My aim is still to do this every Friday, but better to do it now so that it gets done at all.

Research / Resources:

• NYU School of Social Work: Information for Practice - I don't much care for the layout of the page - 3 columns of information, which I must read separately if I'm going to glean anything at all - but the content is excellent. Updated daily, NYU's School of Social Work provides news related to mental health, social justice, policy, substance use, etc. (you know, social worky-type topics) mostly from the US, but from other countries as well. The links to scholarly journals are particularly nice, though without subscription to a service or access via a university, the articles are not always available. Nevertheless, a very good resource to check on a daily basis.
  

• The Campbell Collaboration - This is an excellent resource. As mentioned, those in the field and not in an academic setting are often severely limited in the access they have to current research and evidence-based practice. This is a problem. Here is a solution:

The Campbell Collaboration "strives to make the best social science research available and accessible. Campbell reviews provide high quality evidence of "what works" to meet the needs of service providers, policy makers, educators and their students, professional researchers, and the general public."

• Social Policy Resources - This is simply a good list of links. News sources (traditional and otherwise), data sources, governmental sites, nonprofits, advocacy groups, welfare, health care, housing, social security, etc.
  

HIV/AIDS - Sexual Health:

• Guttmacher Institute - Focusing on sexual and reproductive health, the Institute is a fantastic resource for policy analysis and to a certain extent, research. Highly recommended.
  

• San Francisco AIDS Foundation - The Bay is usually the place to go for forward-thinking programs. The focus differs based on the city for obvious reasons, but I tend to find more applicable information and resources from SF and Oakland than New York City, for example.

"The San Francisco AIDS Foundation "is one of the oldest and largest community-based AIDS service organizations in the United States. The mission of the agency is to end the pandemic and the human suffering caused by HIV."

• Johns Hopkins HIV Guide - More a medical resource than policy/program resource, but such things are important to have.
  

• REACH LA - A youth-oriented organization focusing on programs and outreach here in Los Angeles, REACH LA often partners with LAUSD, which is how I'm familiar with them. Particularly in regard to curriculum. I still don't know a lot about the group and some of their curriculum design is not the strongest, but that's why I've added their site to the list: to learn more.
  

Policy Links

Los Angeles City and County:

• City of Los Angeles: http://www.lacity.org
• LA County Board of Supervisors: http://bos.co.la.ca.us

California State Resources:

• State of California: http://www.ca.gov
  
• California State Legislature: http://www.legislature.ca.gov
  
• Finding your State Representatives: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/port-zipsearch.html
  
• California State Senate: http://www.senate.ca.gov
  
• California State Assembly: http://www.assembly.ca.gov
  
• California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General: http://caag.state.ca.us
  
• The California Voter Foundation: http://www.calvoter.org
  
• Stateline (California): http://www.stateline.org/stateline/?pa=state&sa=showStateInfo&id=CA
  
• California State Association of Counties (CSAC): http://www.csac.counties.org
  

Federal Resources:

• U.S. Government: http://www.firstgov.gov
  
• The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
  
• U.S. Senate: http://www.senate.gov
  
• U.S. House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov
  
• Finding your U.S. Representative: http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html
  
• Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov
  
• GPO Access (Government Printing Office): http://www.gpoaccess.gov
  
• Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov
  

Other:

• Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
  
• Influencing State Policy: http://www.statepolicy.org
  
• Google U.S. Government Search: http://www.google.com/ig/usgov
  
• Enter Your Zip Code to see Census Data: http://zipskinny.com
• Google Maps - Where a Bill Becomes a Law: http://whereabill.org

Reading Resources for Grief and Loss with Children

(by no means is this an exhaustive list)

Children Ages 3-8:

Brown, L. K., & Brown, M. T. (1996). When dinosaurs die a guide to understanding death. Boston: Little, Brown.

Curtis, J. L., & Cornell, L. (1998). Today I feel silly & other moods that make my day. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Mundy, M., & Alley, R. W. (1998). Sad isn't bad a good-grief guidebook for kids dealing with loss. St. Meinrad, IN: One Caring Place.

Palmer, P., & Burke, D. O. (1994). I wish I could hold your hand- a child's guide to grief and loss. San Luis Obispo, Calif: Impact.

Silverman, J. (1999). Help me say good-bye: Activities for helping kids cope when a special person dies. Minneapolis: Fairview Press.

Teakle, H. (1993). My daddy died: Supporting young children in grief. New York: HarperCollins.

Thomas, P. (2001). I miss you. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series, Inc. (Ages 3-6)

Viorst, J., & Blegvad, E. (1988). The tenth good thing about Barney. New York: Aladdin Books.

Winsch, J. L., & Keating, P. T. (1995). After the funeral. New York: Paulist Press.

Children Ages 9-12:

Clifton, L. (1983). Everett Anderson's good-bye. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Heegaard, M. (1991). When someone has a very serious illness: Children can learn to cope with loss and change. Minneapolis: Woodland Press.

Silverman, J. (1999). Help me say good-bye: Activities for helping kids cope when a special person dies. Minneapolis: Fairview Press.

Smith, D. (1973). A taste of blueberries. Thomas Y. Crowell.

Children 13 and Older:

Agee, J. (1967). A death in the family. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

Alcott, L. M. (2001). Little women. New York: HarperFestival.

Gootman, M. E., & Espeland, P. (2005). When a friend dies a book for teens about grieving & healing. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Pub.

Romain, T., & Verdick, E. (1999). What on earth do you do when someone dies. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.

The Dougy Center for Grieving Children. (2004). Helping teens cope with death. Portland, OR: The Dougy Center for Grieving Children.

Recommended for all Ages:

Buscaglia, L. F. (1982). The fall of Freddie the leaf a story of life for all ages. New York, N.Y: Distributed to the trade by Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Kroen, W. C., & Espeland, P. (1996). Helping children cope with the loss of a loved one a guide for grownups. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Pub.

Mellonie, B., & Ingpen, R. R. (1983). Lifetimes a beautiful way to explain death to children. New York: Bantam Books.

Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree. New York: Harper & Row.

Rylant, C. (1999). The Heavenly Village. New York: Blue Sky Press.