inSocialWork - The Podcast Series of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work

We are living in some of the most unique and challenging periods in history. That said, it's looking like K through 12 schools are going back to their buildings in person this fall. Trauma isn't going to stop at the school door. Today's episode features a conversation with Karen Gross, educator and author, who will talk about what schools should be concerned about as they re-open in person - and especially why trauma matters. She will discuss a blueprint for what can be done from the macro to micro levels and offer practical examples for implementation by School Social Workers and all school personnel.

In this episode, our guest Dr. Laura Johnson describes the domestic violence response team program, which is a collaborative partnership between domestic violence organizations and law enforcement. Findings from her research project examining factors that contribute to police officer support for a police-advocate partnership intervention are discussed, and the implications for social work practice and policy pertaining to the implementation of interagency collaborative interventions are summarized.

Join us as we speak with Dr. Donna Jeffery about the challenges encountered as Social Work education attempts to develop anti-racist methods and practices of teaching. Dr. Jeffrey describes the tension between "being" and "doing" and the obstacle this tension poses for Social Work students and educators. What are Social Workers to do? What is the most practical application of anti-racist content encountered in Social Work education, especially given that content is frequently experienced as overly theoretical and disconnected from the demands of practice? Dr. Jeffery offers her insights on navigating the path forward through this apparent double-bind.

In this episode, our guests Dr. Stella Resko and Jennifer Ellis discuss differences in federal and state policy pertaining to marijuana use, the topic of legalization, and positive and negative attitudes towards marijuana use. They consider public health risks and safety concerns associated with marijuana use, including implications pertaining to perceived cannabis potency, health care utilization, driving ability, and employee safety. Future research and interventions needed in this area are described.

In this episode, our guest Dr. Millan AbiNader discusses her research examining how mainstream media conversations pertaining to sexual violence have changed between 1991 and 2018, including shifts in language regarding how the accused and accuser have been characterized. Details and implications pertaining to findings from her qualitative thematic analysis are described, and suggestions for heightening attention to how sexual violence is conceptualized within the media are considered. Resources pertaining to sexual violence are provided.

In this episode, Katrina Cherney discusses her research examining the relationship between student loan debt and subjective well-being over time, and how student loan debt is stratified across the socioeconomic spectrum and compounds inequalities and disparities. She summarizes the history of student loans and their role in financing education, describes the concept of the ‘dual quality of debt’, and considers the implications of the growing student loan debt crisis for social work practice, specifically, and for practice and policy.

In this episode, Lindsay Armendariz and Brandi Hawk discuss Parent-Child Care (PC-Care), a brief intervention designed to respond to the needs of parents, foster parents and children in the child welfare system. They will tell you how they assessed the climate and needs of the foster care system in Sacramento County, CA, conducted research and responded with an adapted intervention - PC-Care. Implications for placement stability and other outcomes are described.

In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Bowen and Andrew Irish discuss the results of their research on mapping opioid-related public policy, published in their 2019 article "A policy mapping analysis of goals, target populations, and punitive notions in the U.S. congressional response to the opioid epidemic" in the International Journal of Drug Policy. They consider why is it important for social work practitioners and policy makers to understand issues associated with opioid-related policy, and the implications of their research for future policy initiatives that are intended to address the opioid epidemic.

In this episode, our guest Stephanie Stodolka, LMSW discusses her (literally) street-level response to the personal, social and environmental challenges that her school's children and families - and by extension, staff- face to academic success. In order to bridge gaps related to lower socioeconomic levels, immigrant status and racial bias, she will describe how she assessed, advocated for and executed "Plunge Into Buffalo" - a day-long experiential intervention for her school's entire faculty and staff that had them riding public transportation, trying to keep appointments and visiting a range of Buffalo-based human service agencies in person. A year and a half in the making, the project provided a visceral experience of spending a day-in-the-life of students and families. Mrs. Stodolka recounts the consensus building process, how the event unfolded and the outcomes.

In this podcast our guest, Julia Moore, PhD, discusses why implementation science is relevant to the advancement of the Social Work profession and she addresses the research-to-practice gaps that currently exist. Dr. Moore explains what implementation science is, and how implementation science models, theories, and frameworks can be applied to increase the uptake and use of programs, services, and supports. Examples of how social workers can approach practice challenges differently by applying implementation science are provided, including how implementation science can help reduce inequities in care.