April - June 2016 - NASW-CT

NASW/CT
National Association of Social Workers / CONNecticut Chapter
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
April - June 2016
President’s Column
2
Executive Director’s Column
3
Board Votes for Title Protection
4
School Social Work Advanced
7
Mental Health Bill
19
Special Interests

Nursing Home Social
Work

Macro Social Work
Matters

Social Worker Seeks
Majority Leader Job
CONNections
Page 2
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
asked, but that she would ONLY hire
social workers (so when Steve Karp
wins…we all win), amazingly, he's
not bored after 27 years. When I
asked him how long he’s been with
NASW, he said: 27 years, 7 months,
4 days. That’s nothing but pure
dedication…
Amy Di Mauro, President
Greetings Fellow Social Workers,
I have served on the Board of Directors for NASW for over 6 years
now and I am happy to pass the
torch to our President Elect. This
has been an amazing journey with
all of you and so many huge accomplishments for the field including our members and the social issues we all face.
I am happy to announce, if you
haven’t heard already that we
completely sold out seats to our
Annual Conference in Cromwell
for the first time in our chapter’s
history!
There are some people that need
recognition for their hard work
and dedication to the chapter over
the years.
Pat Hartman –Last year was our
largest conference ever, and she
outdid herself this year, beat her
personal record and we sold out.
Over 500 attendees...incredible!
Steve Karp, our executive Director
– My favorite story is hearing that
DCF Commissioner Katz said in
one of her meetings: “Steve Karp
wins” and she declared that she
would not only give preference to
hiring social workers, like we
I want to recognize my Board of Directors- they have volunteered their
time and efforts to support the work
of the chapter which directly benefits you (our members). We currently have regular meetings happening
in region 1,2,3 – please, go to these
meetings, it is a great way to network, earn CECs, and support the
field.
Thank you to our Committee Chairs
and members– ELAN and PACE,
Aging, The Latino network, the
Clinical Social Work network, our
new Macro Practice committee, and
much more. These committees are
working hard to advance the field
and better serve our clients in ways
that many of us have no idea existed.
And I have to thank Rushford at
Hartford Healthcare for giving me
the support and time to be available
to our membership and the chapter.
They have been fully supportive and
aligned with our work and I am fortunate to be a part of that team as
well.
Thanks to your membership and the
hard work of our volunteers and
staff we have some awesome accomplishments:
For one, we are in the black and
then some (and that is no easy feat
these days). We are actively working with school social workers to
merge their association with NASW
to enhance what they are able to
accomplish with our support. In
addition, we are putting together
some funding and information to
support a campaign on Title protection.
Who’s heard this or a similar
headline? “Social worker fails to
(insert action here)”…
Well, it’s upsetting to learn that
99% of the time those aren’t social
workers. Sometimes they are other clinical disciplines but sometimes, they are volunteers, or assistants, or self-proclaimed “social
workers” because we don’t have
Title protection – anyone can call
themselves a social worker with
no legal or ethical repercussion. It
costs money to introduce legislation and lobby for it. PLEASE, I
urge you to Donate now so that
we can introduce this in the next
legislative session.
I want to end with a tutorial for
the next president, Kurt Fuchs.
I've learned a lot and thought I
should share.
When I asked for feedback from
others about speaking engagements, their consistent feedback
was keep it short and sweet and
genuine. People want the cliff
notes version of the novel in your
head that sounds so interesting to
only you. You have the newsletter
for that. In the newsletter, You can
rant and rave and go on about
your beliefs and anyone who has
read my newsletter columns
knows that I do.
(continued on page 5)
Page 3
CONNections
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COLUMN
Transitions
As we come to the end of the program year I get to thinking about
the changeover in the chapter’s
leadership that comes with the
end of each June. A third of our
board of directors terms of office
expire each year meaning we will
be losing some of the current
board. Most of our board members serve three-year terms and
none can serve more than six consecutive years. We have had a particularly effective board of directors to which I thank outgoing
members Amy DiMauro, Rachel
Ann Lee, and Sarah Jane Dailey all
of whom will not be running
again.
Special appreciation goes to Amy
DiMauro our outgoing chapter
president. The role of president
obviously is a key position but
many of you may not know just
how much the chapter president
does. Amy chairs the executive
committee and the board of directors. She also serves as a member
of the finance committee. The
president is in close contact with
me on a wide range of chapter
matters and frequently is asked to
represent the chapter at various
functions. Amy has given generously of her time and her expertise. Her commitment to growing
the chapter’s membership is to be
commended and her commitment
to advancing the chapter’s agenda
has made for two successful years
here at NASW/CT. On a more personal note Amy has provided me
with guidance and support, always available when I have needed her and always willing to take
on the work of the association when
I have asked. I will miss working
with Amy however have already
recommended her to our national
office for possible appointment to a
national committee so that NASW
continues to benefit from her ideas
and energy.
The end of the spring semester also
means our intern has left us. This
year we had an intern for the fall
semester, Joshua Levine, who was a
psychology major at the University
of Hartford and in the spring semester Dina Mezza interned with us
from UCONN SSW. Joshua recently
contacted me to say he was accepted into the MSW program at Salem
State University and Dina has now
graduated. Both Joshua and Dina
were of great assistance to us and
we wish them both the best.
We had another transition this year
that was not one of joy. As many of
you know our administrative assistant of 10 months, Sandy Scully,
died in an accident. This tragedy left
us shocked and heart-broken. Sandy
in less than a year had made the position her own, enhancing our internal operations, keeping the office
running smoothly and bringing a
sense of joy in life to all of us. It is a
loss that one can make no sense out
of and as we, the staff, heal from this
loss our thoughts continue to go out
to her family. We thank all of you
who expressed condolences and
gave us support when we needed it
most. It reminded me how very
much NASW is a family. In turn I
thank my staff for pulling through
the busiest time of the year, with
Steve Karp
Executive Director
our largest conference on record,
the end of the legislative session
and much more happening, all
successfully accomplished despite
our being in mourning.
Another kind of transition is going
on as I write this column. The
association is going through a
modernization plan that is aimed
at making sure that the association is as member centered as we
can possibly be. Part of that plan is
to have all the chapters staff
become national NASW staff.
Change brings with it both excitement and fear. I look forward to
the promise of an association that
meets the changing needs of our
profession and members. At the
same time, I wonder what it may
mean in terms of autonomy and
decision making. The workplace is
constantly changing and I know
many of you have experienced
upheaval at work, sometimes for
the better and sometimes not. I
am hoping for the former!
(continued on page 6)
CONNections
Page 4
NASW CONNections
Board of Directors Vote for Title Protection Campaign
The Board of Directors of the
NASW/CT Chapter voted at their
April meeting to launch a campaign to achieve title protection
for social workers in our state.
As many of you know, currently
anyone can use the title of social
worker and call themselves a social worker regardless of whether
or not they have earned a social
work degree.
In deciding to support title protection the Board of Directors noted
that consumers have the right to
know if the person working with
them is a professional social worker or a “social worker” by title only. For us the public’s perception of
social work is impacted, often negatively, by those who use the title
without holding the degree. Additionally, title protection will advance the profession’s recognition
by having the title restricted to
BSWs, MSWs and DSWs.
The Chapter conducted a survey of
members to seek to learn if the
membership supported pursuing
title protection. The survey results
found that members overwhelmingly want the Chapter to pursue
title protection legislation.
To achieve title protection NASW/
CT will have to successfully pass
legislation mandating protection of
the title. This in turn will require
the Chapter to employ our contracted lobbyists for full lobbying
services (most sessions we only
have the lobbyists monitor legislation). The estimated costs of such
services is $25,000 per legislative
session and we anticipate that it
will take at least 2 legislative
sessions to pass a bill. Thus the
Chapter needs to raise $50,000
prior to committing to introduction of legislation. To do otherwise
by committing to lobbyist contract
would be financially irresponsible
of the Board.
Given the nature of a title protection bill and the likely opposition
from all those who hold the title of
social work but not the degree,
plus employers (especially public
sector employers) who will likely
fight such a bill, we feel that this
type of legislation can only be introduced for the first time in an
odd number year when the legislature is in “long session” of five
months (even number years session is three months). The reason
for this is the bill will likely need to
pass through multiple committees
and that will require the longer
session. We will not be fiscally
ready for the 2017 session so we
are looking to introducing a bill in
2019. That gives NASW/CT two
and a half years to fundraise. We
have already started that fundraising at the annual conference and
have a donation form printed in
this newsletter.
The profession in Connecticut has
come a long way in the past 30
years in terms of professional statutory recognition. We started in
1985 with passage of the Certified
Independent Social Worker (CISW)
that was the weakest legal recogni-
tion of social work of any state.
Over the years we added third
party reimbursement, a confidentiality law, licensure (2 levels as of
2014), the right to form a LLC or
PC, Medicaid provider status for
private practitioners and other
areas where social workers are
included in statute. Many of these
laws took multiple years to develop and pass. Now we are ready to
add title protection to this impressive list of legislative accomplishments.
NASW/CT’s leadership encourages
our members to help us reach our
financial goal that will make it possible to introduce title protection
legislation. Please give generously
to our title protection campaign.
All funds will be set aside and
marked only to be used toward
title protection. No one else can
accomplish this goal. We as the
social work profession need to get
it done and the time to begin has
begun!
Page 5
CONNections
NASW CONNections
continued from page 2 , President’s Column
Solicit feedback on how you're
doing. Ask Board members and the
staff. Ask membership. And ask
your family. My girlfriend attends
most of our events and I always ask
her for feedback. I never noticed at
the time but she video records me
at my speaking engagements. I love
that she's my biggest fan and I'm
hers too, so it's fair. For the first 2
years of my presidency, I told her to
please delete the videos from my
permanent record and I never
watched them. In retrospect,
hindsight is always 20/20; I should
have watched those videos a long
time ago. You learn so much about
yourself looking in from the
outside.
Eat the microphone at speaking
engagements. Be mindful of the
audience and try not to think about
the millions of germs breeding on
the microphone head. There is
nothing worse than not being able
to hear the speaker because they
are holding the microphone too far
away or keep moving it around. I
learned that from the multiple
times people yelled out "We can't
hear you!" And from being an audience member and the pain I have
when trying to hear someone speak
without the mic.
Never lose an opportunity to ask
social workers to join as members.
I've begged and pleaded, and downright guilted and shamed people
into joining and I don't care. I was
raised Catholic plus I'm Italian- I do
guilt well and you can thank my
mother for that. If you don't
have this skill yet- make friends
with a Jewish or Catholic or
Italian mother- they will teach
you a thing or two pretty quickly. It's only with members that
we exist and we are only as
strong as our membership. Just
make sure you are soliciting
social workers...I once pestered
a clinician at work to join day
after day and one day she
emailed me to say she was on
the website and she wasn't sure
she was allowed to join and I
looked at her signature at the
end of her email which listed
her credentials as LPC. Oops.
She was a good LPC so I guess I
just assumed she was a social
worker and she never corrected
me. Anyway, I told her it was
cool if she wanted to join as an
associate member.
Last but not least, and I know
this one is tough for you,
Kurt- use humor. People love to
laugh and smile and at the end
of the day that's what we are all
here for.
Best wishes for a successful
presidency, Kurt.
And thank you all for your
support and making this a great
experience for me. One I will
never forget.
CONNections
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NASW CONNections
Chapter Helps Protect Medicaid
As the State budget is finally passed we are
pleased to say there is one generally bright side
amongst the nearly across the board severe cuts to
human services, health & mental health and education funding. The Medicaid (HUSKY) program was
largely spared from funding cuts. The one exception is provider rates for dentists, which were reduced. This cut greatly concerns us as the number
of dentists accepting Medicaid finally improved
when a rate increase was given and now we fear a
loss of providers will occur.
The Governor had originally proposed cutting eligibility for parents of HUSKY children. That proposal did not gain traction in the legislative session. Still, with a growing budget deficit Medicaid
advocates reasonably feared that the final state
budget would reduce Medicaid services.
NASW/CT was approached by Medicaid advocates
who asked that we utilize our grassroots network
to build support for Medicaid HUSKY. NASW/CT
made this our #1 priority for the final month of the
legislative session. Staff and volunteers made over
500 calls to members, emailed several alerts too
all members as well as district specific emails,
and whenever staff spoke to groups encouraged
everyone to contact their legislators. Our message to members was simple: Medicaid is a core
safety net program that is the entry into health
and mental health care and must not be cut.
The fact that the Medicaid budget came through
the state budget process with only dental provider rates reduced is testament to the power of
advocacy. NASW/CT is proud to be part of a
group of advocates, all whom took action based
on each group’s strengths. NASW/CTs key role
was grassroots mobilization that assured that
legislators heard from their constituents. We
thank all of our members who contacted their
legislators. In this budget year it is nothing short
of amazing that together advocates protected the
right to healthcare coverage for low income individuals.
Next year’s budget promises to be at least as
challenging as this year. We can expect another
round of cuts and will once again need to be prepared to defend core safety net programs, including Medicaid.
(continued from page 3), Executive Director’s Column ership on July 1st. Kurt has a long history with the
On May 19th we welcomed Cara Carroll to NASW/
CT as administrative assistant. Cara comes to us
with deep experience in administrative skills,
marketing, event planning, IT, social media, and
office & project management. She was in the corporate world for many years and now seeks a different employment environment. I am very
pleased to have Cara joining our staff and invite
you to welcome her when you call or email us.
Finally let me say welcome to our new chapter
president Kurt Fuchs who takes the reigns of lead-
chapter having served on the board in the past as
well as this past year as President Elect. He has
been a delegate to Delegate Assembly and a committee member on the executive committee and
PACE. I look forward to partnering with Kurt on
behalf of all of you and enjoying his wit for the next
two years.
As we wrap up another program year I thank all of
you for being members of NASW. It’s our association and together I think we are doing a great job!
Page 7
CONNections
NASW CONNections
NASW/CT Promotes School Social Work
with State Department of Education
Representatives of NASW/CT and the CT Association of School Social Workers (CASSW) came
together to meet with Dr. Ellen Cohn, Deputy
Commissioner, State Department of Education
(SDE). NASW/CT requested the meeting in our
ongoing work to promote and protect school social work services. Amongst those in attendance
was NASW member, Scott Newgass, LCSW, Associate Education Consultant for SDE.
We are pleased to report that we had a positive
meeting with SDE. The Deputy Commissioner
has amongst her degrees a MSW and fully appreciated the value and importance of school social
work services. The meeting gave the profession
the opportunity to reinforce the importance of
school social work services and mental health
services that are school based.
NASW/CT and CASSW encouraged the SDE to
strengthen the requirements for the practice of
school social work. Specifically we sought that an
additional class be required in school social work
and an internship of 300 hours. Of all the special
pupil services professions school social work is
the only one not to have an internship required,
keeping our profession on a lesser footing than
the other professions, such as school psychology
or school counselor. SDE has considered these
changes however the rules governing making
regulatory changes in Connecticut is a long and
tortuous process so it is not anticipated that
regulatory changes will occur within the next
few years.
In addition we sought from SDE to have school
social work given a higher profile by the Department and to encourage school systems to have
all three mental health professions within every
school: counseling, psychology and social work.
All of our requests were well received and we
anticipate a continued working relationship with
SDE to promote school social work practice.
On a related note, NASW/CT will this fall embark
on a public relations campaign aimed at school
superintendents. The chapter will be writing to
each of the school district’s superintendents
touting the importance of school social workers,
including a very well done brochure from national
NASW on how school social workers enhance
the success of all students. All of these efforts are
part of NASW/CTs ongoing work to promote
the profession, grow job opportunities for social
workers and to improve social services for
individuals, families and communities.
CONNECTIONS
CONNections
P A G E Page
6 8
NASW CONNections
NASW/CT Opposed Professional Counselors
License Bill Provisions
The Professional Counselors introduced legislation this year that would have provided new
graduates from Mental Health Counseling programs with a license as a Master Professional
Counselor. This level of licensure is similar in nature to the LMSW. NASW/CT supports expansion
of licensure for mental health providers as a way
of protecting the public and assuring that all clinical practice is performed by qualified individuals
who have successfully passed a licensure exam.
The Professional Counselors bill as initially drafted would have changed the supervision requirements for the LMSW by allowing a Master Professional Counselor to supervise a LMSW. It would
also have allowed the Master Professional Counselor to be an eligible clinician for diagnostic consultation with LMSWs. NASW/CT strongly
opposed these two provisions of the bill as it
would have given the newly graduated licensed
master professional counselor authority over a
LMSW.
Upon reading the proposed bill the chapter’s executive director immediately contacted the association representing professional counselors and
the lobbyist for the professional counselors.
NASW/CT made it abundantly clear that while we
supported licensure of new professional counselors, we adamantly opposed the supervision language in the bill that related to LMSWs. In return
the professional counselors assured NASW/CT
that the bill had been poorly drafted and that the
offending language was not intended and would
be removed. True to their words the bill that
came out of committee did remove the language
that we were opposed to.
A Marital and Family Therapist bill was also introduced that would create an Associate Marital
and Family Therapist license for newly graduated
individuals with a
graduate degree in
marital and family
therapy. NASW/CT
supported the MFT
bill while pointing
out that the bill is
not similar to the
LMSW. The new
MFT license would
be an associate
license and MFT’s
can only be licensed
at the associate level for up to 6 years, at which
point they must attain the clinical level MFT
license. The LMSW is an initial full level of licensure that can be held for as long as the LMSW
chooses to practice as an LMSW.
Both the Professional Counselors and Marital &
Family Therapist legislation died in committee.
The bills had been opposed by the Department of
Public Health and had costs associated with starting new licensing programs in a year when proposed bills that had fiscal impacts were being
denied passage. It makes us appreciate how fortunate social work is to have passed our LMSW in
2010 and funded in 2014.
One of the important functions of NASW/CT is
assuring that the practice of social work is not
infringed upon by other professions or groups.
Our successful advocacy in this case assured that
if the professional counselor’s bill becomes law it
will only affect their profession’s practice and not
that of clinical social workers.
Page 9
CONNections
Welcome New Members
Laura Jane Albee
Megan Elizabeth Kaliff
Melonie Atkins
Sandra Smith Kirchhoff
Kaitlin Binnington
Megan Marie Kuchta
Christina N. Boston
Michelle Ann Lewis
Carina Isabel Chelso
Robin Welch Lincoln
Arden Church
Elizabeth Marchello
LaQueshia Clemons
Beth Marino
Emily A. Cordy
Michael Marrero
Laura Cotto
Faith Marrion
Colleen Daddona
Laila Marvasti
Jamila S. Daniel
Madison Parekh
Franklin Drazen
Jeanne E. Phung
Hillary Dunn
Janaelle Robles
Eric Farrington
Joselyn Romero-Montalvo
Suany Miguelina Gomez
Barbara Sinko
Marlanda Hamilton
Michael Smith
Judith Hayward
Jessica W. Sormrude
Maegan Hemstock
Jaclyn Vasaturo
Alisa Howe Hoadley
Emily Wickman
CONNections
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NASW CONNections
THE NASW/CT TITLE PROTECTION FUND DRIVE
Does it concern you that anyone in CT can call themselves a social worker?
Do you object to persons without a social work degree being able
to have the title of Social Worker?
Do you believe that the public should know that title of Social Worker
means that the worker has a degree in Social Work?
IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO THE ABOVE READ ON!
NASW/CT is launching a campaign to protect the title of social worker to only
those individuals who hold a BSW, MSW or DSW degree. This is a legislative
campaign that will require upwards of $50,000 to pay for the lobbying
services needed to pass legislation. You can help us kick-off this campaign
with your generous donation today.
COUNT ME IN ON BUILDING THE TITLE PROTECTION CAMPAIGN
$500____
$250____
$100____
$50____
$35____ $25____ $10____ Other____
Name:__________________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________
Email:__________________________________________________________________
Pay by Check Payable To: NASW/CT
Pay By Credit Card: Name on Credit Card____________________________________
Credit Card Type:_________________ Card No.______________________________
Expiration Date:__________________ 3 Digit Number on Back of Card:_________
Return to: NASW/CT Title Protection,
2139 Silas Deane Hwy. Ste. 205, Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Check here if you do not want us to thank you in our newsletter_____.
Contributions are an investment in your profession but regretfully not tax deductible.
Page 11
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NASW CONNections
NASW/CT Voice Heard at the Legislature
The legislative session got under way in early February and NASW/CT made sure that the voice of social work
was heard on key pieces of legislation. The session begins with all of the legislative committees raising bills
and holding public hearings. In the 2016 session the chapter either testified in person or submitted testimony
before 7 committees: Appropriations; Children’s; Finance; Revenue & Bonding; Human Services; Judiciary;
Labor & Public Employees; and Public Health.
Here is a summary of the bills we testified on either in support of or in opposition to:

Supported continued funding of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women,
which was under threat of being defunded due to the budget deficit.

Supported legislation that addressed social workers safety of
DCF workers by increasing the penalty of threatening or
harming a DCF social worker.

Supported a study on allowing the Earned Income Tax Credit
to be distributed in monthly payments rather than the current
lump sum payment.

Introduced and supported a bill to reduce the ratio of nursing
home beds to social worker. See article in this newsletter.

Opposed a bill that would have forced outpatient medication
treatment against the wishes of an individual.

Supported creation of a Paid Family & Medical Leave program
for Connecticut. This was a priority bill for NASW/CT.

Supported creation of a public pension program for employees
who do not have a pension program available from their
employer.

Supported a new graduate license level for Marital & Family Therapists.

Opposed a section of a bill that would create a new graduate license for Professional Counselors,
while conceptually supporting the licensure of new graduates from mental health counseling
programs (see article in this newsletter).
To read the testimony of NASW in the 2016 session go to
http://naswct.org/advocacy/legislative-testimonies/
where you will also find past testimony from 2015.
CONNections
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NASW CONNections
LARGEST NASW/CT CONFERENCE EVER!
(and a few notes of explanation)
By Pat Hartman, Coordinator of Professional Development
We thought 2015 was a banner year…until we got to
2016! Close to 550 people, including presenters and
exhibitors, attended the Annual Conference in
Cromwell almost pushing the limits of the hotel beyond what was manageable. The hallways were full
to the max with exhibitors and attendees and the
ballroom was set up for 500 for the keynote and
luncheon. While a few thought the hotel was crowded, most felt a level of activity and excitement that
was positive and rewarding. Our keynote speaker,
Susan Campbell, gave a talk that was initially historical about early social work in Hartford but was ultimately a personal and moving tribute to social
workers. We were honored she shared the morning
with us and offered a presentation that was so supportive of the work of social workers. Overall, this
turnout was a tremendous show of support not only
for the chapter, but for the quality of our presenters,
the value of our exhibitors, and the need for such a
networking and educational gathering every year.
Please know that we set a place for
everyone at the table. If there are 400 registered, we have 425 seats for lunch. If we
have 455 signed up for lunch we set the dining
room for 500. There are always seats even though
it perhaps doesn’t appear so at first.
Last December we received over 60 proposals for
workshops, again a record number. The Conference Planning Committee spent many hours reading and pondering and discussing before we
reached the number of 37 workshops that we
thought represented a wide variety of topics within the many fields of social work. We did postpone
6 workshops for a future date but still ended up
with the most workshops we have ever hosted.
The evaluations for the workshops were generally
very positive, many even saying a workshop was
the best they had ever attended! We are grateful
to the 83! presenters who took the time to submit
a proposal and prepare a workshop and/or work
with their colleagues to create their presentation.
Our loyal and valuable Exhibitors came in at 41
this year, primarily because we had to limit the
number given our large attendee registration
turnout. There just wasn’t enough room and we
had to turn some exhibitors away.
FYI, we select the Radisson in Cromwell to
host the conference for several reasons
which may be of interest to you: the parking is free, the access is easy, the location is central, the staff (particularly the food service staff) is
exemplary, & they have a large number of workshop rooms. There are few choices within the
state of CT that meet these requirements—in fact,
maybe no other hotel meets these requirements.
Having the annual conference in Cromwell means
we don’t have to contend with Hartford or New
Susan Campbell, Keynote, autographs her latest book,
Tempest-Tossed: The spirit of Isabella Beecher Hooker
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NASW CONNections
Haven commuter traffic. It also means we don’t
have to pay $10 to $19 to park for the day. It means
we get a good lunch amazingly quickly. It means we
can have at least 10 break out rooms. The price is
right and the staff helpful. Suggestions for other
locations are always welcomed but we have done a
fair amount of research on the subject!
We had an extraordinary group of Exhibitors, from
schools to agencies to advocacy groups to resources of all kinds. They are generous with their
giveaways and always have a wealth of information
to share. Having Exhibitors allows us to keep the
price of the conference very fair—not to mention
what they add to the overall conference!
Now here’s the skinny on hotel breakout
room set up, temperature, and noise. We aim
to have tables to write on in every workshop
but, when a workshop is popular and well attended, we err on the side of allowing more people into
the workshop than insisting on tables. We hope
you agree with this approach. We also know that
it’s impossible to maintain a constant temperature
in a large hotel, especially with hundreds of people
milling around or squeezing into a workshop. So,
we suggest again that you dress accordingly and
wear layers that you can take off and/or put on.
We also are aware that the accordion walls do allow noise to travel so we ask presenters to be
aware of this issue—this is one reason we do not
provide microphones—and also understand that
we err on the side of selecting many workshops
rather than limiting ourselves to only the rooms
that don’t share walls. We also have to contend
with fire regulations that limit the number of people in any given room so, add that into the mix and
you can see what a juggling game it can be.
We were delighted with our Student Poster Session turnout and the quality of the research made it
virtually impossible to select “winners”. Truly, they
were all winners for doing the work and I hope you
will read the accompanying story in this newsletter
on those who contributed to this new but exciting
facet of our conference. There was an excellent
turnout at the BookShop and at our Wine and
Cheese Reception at the end of the day and we
thank everyone who purchased books and toasted
the day’s success with us.
For those of you who were not able to attend this
year, we hope to see you in 2017. Not sure how
much bigger we can get but we do always aim to get
better when and where we can. Thank you to everyone who volunteered as a committee member or a
moderator and thank you to all who attended and
enjoyed the day!
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A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR MEMBERS
WHO HAVE DONATED TO THE 2016 ADVOCACY FUND
We thank the following members that have donated to the chapter’s 2016 Advocacy Fund. All donations go directly to
NASW/CT’s lobbying at the Legislature and with the Malloy Administration. This list reflects donations received since our
last newsletter thru March 31, 2016.
Muriel Banquer
May Bartels
Robert Belliveau
Debra Beneviste
Jonathan Bernon
Kevin Berrill
Jacklyn Butera
Diane Cady
Helen Charettge
Toby Coit
Mary Cutler
Trish Haines Dayan
Martha Deeds
Amy DiMauro*
Christopher Greene
Bernadette Hackett
Nusie Halpine
Catherine Hayden
Bonnie Hennig
Michie Hesselbrock
Gene Hickey
Bob Hurley
Connie Janssen
Winston Johnson
David Jones
Stephen Karp
Elizabeth Keenan
Mary Ellen Killeen
Irwin Krieger
Carol Lahan
Laura Lytton
Tony Maltese
Michael Marshall*
Paul Mayglothing
Loel Meckel
Richard Monterosso
Julio Morales
Denise Novak
Judi Orlando
Nadine Padowicz
Susan Pearson
Ellen Pfarr
Helen Rasmussen
Janit Romayko
Louis Rosenfeld
June Roy
Joanne Saccio
Maureen Salerno
Kathleen Sauer
Lois Sigman Young
Steven Skrebutenas*
Sharon Starr
Ellen Thomas
John Thomas
Louise Tonning
Sophie Tworkowski
Rose-Ann Wanczyk
Raymie Wayne
Sonya Wich
Rich Zelisko
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
TO THE TITLE PROTECTION CAMPAIGN
As we launch our campaign for protecting the title of Social Worker we thank our early supporters who have initiated our fundraising efforts!
Jennifer Bennett*
Bob Hurley
Cassie Manger
Denise Novak
Susan Pearson
Susan Peterson
Kris Robles*
Christine Smith
Louise Tonning
Patricia Wallace*
* Indicates members of the Board of Directors
Ethics Corner
The chapter’s Ethics Committee will be asking questions through this newsletter to encourage dialogue amongst members. The question for this edition is:
"Given the reality that as a country we need to become aware of acts of terrorism in our lives and how it
relates to our profession as social workers, what are some of the major concerns on how we move forward in helping the oppressed, under-serviced and vulnerable who have belief systems other than our
own?"
Comments can be sent to Steve Karp at skarp@naswct.net and will be shared with the members of
our Ethics Committee.
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Ethics Forum on Black Lives Matter
The Chapter’s Committee on Ethics will be conducting a follow-up to their successful annual
conference workshop on Black Lives Matter. A presentation will be made followed by a small
group discussion. The forum is open to all members however registration is limited to 12
people as the purpose of the forum is to provide for small group interaction on topics relevant to ethics. Continuing education of 1.5 CEC will be offered.
Saturday, June 11th
9:30 to 11 AM
NASW/CT
2139 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 205
Rocky Hill, CT
To register email Steve Karp at skarp@naswct.net
Social Worker Runs for Majority Leader Position
State Representative Toni Walker, MSW of New Haven has announced her bid for Majority Leader in
the CT House of Representatives. Representative Walker, who is currently the co-chair of the Appropriations Committee has been a long-time supporter of NASW/CT. If you have
ever attended a SCSU Social Work lobby day you will no doubt remember
Toni as a dynamic presenter who always has found the time to speak to
social work groups at the Capitol. Representative Walker was instrumental in getting DCF to hire degreed social workers, inserted funding to start
the LMSW in the 2014 state budget and has supported all of the priority
issues of NASW/CT. If Toni is elected Majority Leader she would be the
highest ranking social worker in the Legislature and the highest ranking
legislator of color. For more information on how you can help a social
worker to move into the second highest leadership position in the House
contact Alisha Rayner at alisha@dnacampaigns.com and say you are a
NASW member. You may also assist with a donation by going to www.ctprogress.com and let the
chapter know at skarp@naswct.net if you are helping out so that we can track our involvement.
Representative Matthew Ritter of Hartford is the other candidate for Majority Leader. Representative
Ritter is currently the co-chair of the Public Health Committee.
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2016 Poster Session: NASW CT Conference
By Jessica Grant, LCSW, Conference Planning Committee Member
This year's conference planning committee was delighted to receive ten poster presentation submissions from area university social work programs. The poster session was extremely well attended and individual presenters did a superb job fielding
questions from both the judging panel and conference attendees. Judging criteria was based on display/ visual appeal; clarity, cohesiveness, and empirical validity of content; originality and creativity; and engagement/attendance of poster presentation teams. Presentation topics were diverse in nature and ranged from "Exploring School Personnel Attitudes Toward
Transgender Students" to "Knowledge and Attitudes About Death with Dignity" and "Mindfulness and Meditation with
Elders".
First Prize awarded to: "Holistic Engagement: Yoga Practice Interventions
in Social Work," submitted by Barbara Fasulo & Nicole Steullet from
Central Connecticut State University.
Second Prize awarded to "Closing of DCF Residential
Facilities: Trends in Juvenile Crime and Graduation Rates,”
submitted by Daron Dey, Nikki Korth, Joshua Noffsinger
and Cassandra Rice from Quinnipiac University.
Third Prize awarded to "Connecticut Trends in Opioid Deaths,"
submitted by Peter Doria, Sarah Fedorchuck, Megan Kuchta,
Bianca Stone, and Erica Macero from Quinnipiac University.
Honorable mention awarded to "Urban Wilderness Therapy:
Using Nature’s Holding Environment to Help Adolescents
Foster Self Regulation and Competency," submitted by
Matthew Brennan from SCSU.
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Joseph O’Callaghan Named Clinical Social Worker of the Year
Joseph for his numerous achievements in the field of
social work.” O’Callaghan has been with the SPS for
the past 21 years. In his current role, O’Callaghan supervises 35 social workers and MSW interns. He provides support to the district’s 20 schools, the alternative education programs, and two charter schools.
O’Callaghan’s expertise is in school-based mental
health services, trauma-informed schools, clinical
supervision, crisis intervention and management.
The Clinical Social Workers Network of the National
Association of Social Workers—Connecticut Chapter
(NASW/CT), has named Stamford Public School (SPS)
Social Work Department Head, Joseph F. O’Callaghan,
LCSW, Clinical Social Worker of the Year, in recognition
of his outstanding service in the field of clinical social
work.
O’Callaghan has focused his work in the areas of student mental health, crisis intervention in schools and
in the development of programs to train staff in trauma focused approaches to working with students particularly in the urban environment. Currently he is
collaborating with the Yale Child Study Center and
the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut to develop a comprehensive trauma informed school mental health program. He is also an
adjunct profession at New York University Silver
School of Social Work, and he maintains a private psychotherapy and supervision practice.
O’Callaghan was nominated by SPS Social Workers James
Cooney and Elizabeth Gentile. In Cooney’s nomination,
he described O’Callaghan “an innovative leader in the
vanguard of bringing trauma-informed teaching and
clinical practices to improve the education of the districts’ children.” Gentile added, “Joe is constantly trying
to help improve the way that individuals receive the
services they need by always upholding the code of
ethics, supervising new clinicians, and advocating for
new mental health initiatives in our district.”
Dr. Jo Nol, LSCW, Clinical Social Workers Network
Steering Committee chair and Stephen Karp presented the award to O’Callaghan at a luncheon in his honor on June 2, at the Stamford Government Center. Attending the award ceremony were the school social
workers from Stamford Public Schools, representatives of the Stamford Public Schools Board and Central Office and several social workers from the Child
Guidance Center in Stamford. The ceremony was covered by TV Channel 12 out of Norwalk.
O’Callaghan was selected by members of the NASW/CT
Clinical Social Workers Network steering committee for
meeting or exceeding all award criteria. Among the
many criteria O’Callaghan met, he was noted for being
engaged in other activities related to clinical practice,
such as enhancing the area of clinical social work practice, inspiring other clinical social workers to broaden
and deepen their clinical skills, and demonstrating a
willingness to share his work with others, with the
purpose of mentoring, teaching, and supporting colleagues.
“Joseph O’Callaghan represents the very best in clinical
social work. He is an innovative leader, administrator,
instructor, and clinician,” said Stephen A. Karp, executive
director, NASW/CT. “NASW/CT is proud to recognize
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Why Macro Social Work Issues and Practice Matter:
Fair Chance Employment
by Alberto Cifuentes, Jr., LMSW
Co-chair, Macro Social Workers Network
Welcome to the NASW/CT Macro Social Workers
Network’s new column, “Make Macro Matter”!
This column will feature insightful and provocative news and responses to current macro social
work issues and practice from members of our
Network.
I am excited to talk about a state bill that I have
been fiercely advocating for as a community
organizer for the past year: Fair Chance employment for formerly incarcerated people (FIP), or
HB 5237: An Act Concerning Fair Chance Employment. This bill is rooted in social justice and equity
of opportunity that every social worker should
support on both an individual and community
level.
Why should social workers support Fair Chance
employment for FIP? HB 5237 “bans the box” that
asks individuals about their criminal history from
private employment applications (the box has
already been removed from state government
employment and contractor applications). This
helps ensure that individuals regardless of their
conviction records will be judged fairly according
to their qualifications and that a background
check will be postponed until a conditional offer
for employment is made by an employer.
HB 5237 does not mandate private employers to
hire people with criminal records, but it does help
FIPs and others with criminal records to rise
above the cycle of poverty and become productive, law-abiding members of society. Fortunately,
this bill passed the Senate with a 35-1 vote on May
4, 2016, and the bill will become effective on
January 1, 2017. The CT Fair Chance Coalition and
the American Civil Liberties Union’s Connecticut
Chapter (ACLU-CT) did a fantastic job organizing
and lobbying for this bill.
Social workers, especially case and clinical social
workers, often work with people who have been
formerly incarcerated and have criminal records.
FIPs often deal with many institutional and
systemic barriers that keep them in an endless
cycle of poverty and unemployment. The Fair
Chance Act will help destigmatize FIPs and prevent
discrimination based on their criminal records. All
FIPs should be given a second chance to
reintegrate into society and offered the necessary
resources and programs to unite with their
families and reduce recidivism.
Social workers, especially community organizers,
policy practitioners, and program planners, play a
valuable role in helping FIPs return to society with
a sense of security, safety, and pride. Macro social
workers play a critical role in providing FIPs with
important mental health and supportive services,
especially links to employment, housing, and legal
services. This is just one of the many reasons that
macro social work matters!
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Senators Chris Murphy & Richard Blumenthal
Co-Sponsor NASW’s Mental Health Bill
We are pleased to announce that Senators Chris
Murphy and Richard Blumenthal have become cosponsors of Senate Bill 2133: Improving Access to
Mental Health Act of 2015. This bill has been introduced
on behalf of NASW into the U.S. Senate. The bill has also
been introduced in the U.S. House.
Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2015 first
objective is to increase access to mental health care
for Medicare recipients. The bill would increase the
reimbursement rate provided to clinical social workers
from the current payment of 75% of a physician’s rate
to 85% of a physician’s rate. The 85% would give
clinical social workers parity in payment with other
non-physician providers. The current payment level
is a barrier to having clinical social workers become
Medicare providers.
Another important provision of the bill would allow
LCSWs to treat residents in nursing homes and be
directly reimbursed by Medicare for such care.
Currently clinical social workers cannot directly bill
Medicare for treating a nursing home resident covered
under Medicare.
One other aspect of the bill expands the definition
of Clinical Social Work services to include all
services that clinical social workers are authorized
to perform under each state’s scope of practice.
This has not been an issue in Connecticut but in
some states it has been a barrier to Medicare
reimbursement of certain treatments.
In a thank you correspondence to Senator
Murphy the chapter’s leadership wrote “Your
co-sponsorship speaks volumes as to the Importance of this legislation” in recognition of the
senator’s expertise in health and mental health
issues. Similarly the chapter thanked Senator
Blumenthal for his “leadership in supporting this
pro-consumer legislation” and for his support of
the profession of social work.
The national office of NASW applauded the CT
Chapter for acquiring both of our senator’s
co-sponsorship, especially Senator Murphy due to
the senator being a congressional leader in mental
health issues. Connecticut is the first state to have
both senators sign on as co-sponsors.
Members who would like to thank Senator Murphy for co-sponsoring S. 2133: Improving Access to Mental
Health Act of 2015 may call his office at 202-224-4041 or contact him thru http://www.murphy.senate.gov/
contact Members who would like to thank Senator Blumenthal for co-sponsoring the bill may call his office at
202-224-2823 or contact him thru http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/contact We encourage our members
to send a thank you message.
For more information on the bill go to:
http://cqrcengage.com/socialworkers/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=137014 .
There is a House version of the bill, HR 3712 (same bill name) however we are not lobbying our CT House
delegation at this time as they are all Democrats and NASW does not want to load the bill up with House
Democratic co-sponsors until such time as we have an ample number of Republican House co-sponsors.
NASW/CT Macro Social Workers Network
The NASW/CT Macro Social Workers Network is a professional network for community organizers,
policy practitioners, and social work administrators. We are a group of people dedicated to bringing
macro social work issues and practices to the forefront in Connecticut while providing a supportive
environment for sharing ideas and discussion.
Please consider joining us at our next meeting:
Friday, July 29
6-8pm at the NASW/CT Office
2139 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 205
Rocky Hill, CT
Pizza and refreshments are always served
and new folks are always welcome!
RSVP to macroswct15@gmail.com
In Solidarity
Like Us on Facebook: “Macro Social Workers Network”
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Social Work Nursing Home Bill Dies in Committee
Our goal for this year was to have a public hearing and
begin educating legislators as to the need to reduce the
ratio of beds to workers in nursing homes, from the
absurdly high ratio of 120 beds to 1 social worker, to 80
beds to 1 worker and eventually 60 beds to 1 worker.
NASW/CT did attain the goal of a public hearing before
the Human Services Committee. Evy Brescia, a NASW
member and former nursing home social worker gave
stunningly strong testimony as to the needs to reduce the
ratio. Legislators asked numerous questions and we
believe the point of needing a reduced ratio was
understood. Dina Mezza, NASW/CT intern and Stephen
Karp, NASW/CT executive director also testified in favor
of the bill. Many chapter members emailed and called
their legislators who were on the Human Services
Committee, and chapter volunteer Maggie Moore spent
time contacting legislators at the Capitol. In the end
though the state deficit and opposition from the nursing
home industry kept the bill from being brought forward
for a vote.
The bill would have reduced the bed to worker ratio from
120/1 to 80/1 in 2016 and then down to 60/1 in 2020.
Research on the provision of nursing home social work
indicates that the standard to be achieved is 60 beds to 1
worker for long-term beds and 20 beds to 1 worker for
sub-acute beds. The current ratio is embedded in state
regulations that are over 35 years old and have no resemblance to the reality of current nursing home populations.
The bill was coupled with staffing ratio for nurses that
also have an outdated ratio that is one of the lowest
required hours of nurse staffing in the nation. The section
on nurses required Medicaid payments to be adjusted
upwards, whereas the section on social work did not have
such a provision. The additional cost to Medicaid proved
an insurmountable obstacle given this year’s fiscal
circumstances.
The nursing home industry opposed the bill and testified
that nursing homes are required under state and federal
regulations to meet the psychosocial needs of residents.
Based on this requirement the industry declared, in circular thinking, there was no need for requiring increased
social work staffing, since they had to meet the needs
thus were meeting the needs. This round about logic
ignored the fact that nursing home social workers (based
on the current minimum ratio) have on average 9
minutes per resident per week. Additionally a NASW/CT
survey in 2010 of nursing home social workers found that
72% of respondents cited lack of time to properly do
their job as their number one concern. The added
cost of increased staffing was also brought up by the
industry.
NASW/CT knew going into the session that
this would be a multi-year effort. While we are
disappointed not to have gotten a vote in the Human
Services Committee, where we believe we had
bi-partisan support, we look toward 2017 to reintroduce the bill.
We thank the aforementioned members who
testified in support of the bill. In addition we thank
the following members and organizations that spoke
in favor at the hearing or submitted testimony in
favor of the legislation: Carrie Effinger, Jennifer
Bennett, Mary-Beth Dobmeier, CT State Long Term
Care Ombudsman, CT Commission on Aging, and The
National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term
Care.
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Visit the latest online Classifieds
&
Continuing Education Information
at www.naswct.org
Looking for LCSW
Supervision?
Visit the Chapter’s Supervisory
Registry online at
www.naswct.org
Want to offer Supervision?
Visit the Registry online
to find out how!
MILFORD:
Furnished Psychotherapy
Office.
Shared waiting room with
other
psycho-therapists. Rent
by day
or half day.
Ideal for second office.
Call 203-334-0653.
2016 SOCIAL WORK MERCHANDISE
NOW AVAILABLE
NASW is pleased to announce it is working with Jim Coleman LTD
to offer a line of 2016 Social Work Month products.
You can view the website and catalog here.
Page 23
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NASW CONNections
FREE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS
The University of Massachusetts Medical School, in partnership with UCONN Health, would like to invite
you to enroll in the Southern New England Practice Transformation Network (SNE-PTN). Because this
program is funded by CMS, there is no cost to participate (though you are not eligible if you already
participate in a Medicare shared-savings ACO.)
The goal of the program is to bring together primary care, specialty care, clinical social workers and
behavioral health clinicians across Massachusetts and Connecticut to work individually and collaboratively
to transform care delivery, and help you succeed financially under the rapidly evolving payment models to:

Better patient experience

Better population health

Lower costs and improve operational efficiencies

Better work-life for clinicians and staff
This will be accomplished through a five-pronged approach. The SNE-PTN will:

Provide effective coaching on change management and new care delivery models

Help you enhance effective use of health information technology

Strengthen the medical neighborhood through communication, coordination and formalized
agreements

Disseminate proven best practices across the network
Work with payers and clinicians to implement sustainable payment methodologies
To sign up or for additional information about the program
please visit our website at http://www.sneptn.org/
We hope you will consider this excellent opportunity, and we hope to hear from you soon.
2139 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 205
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
(860) 257-8066
Fax: (860) 257-8074
naswct@naswct.net
www.naswct.org
Change Membership Data
National Office, DC
*Members can make changes online at
800-638-8799 x 304*
www.socialworkers.org
NASW Assurance Services
855-385-2160
LCSW Exam Application—Department of Health
800-509-7603
Ethical Questions
NASW/CT Executive Director, Stephen Karp
860-257-8066, ext. 202
Committee Participation
NASW/CT Chapter Staff
860-257-8066
Continuing Education Information
NASW/CT Coordinator of
Professional Development, Pat Hartman
860-257-8066, ext. 204
Bookkeeping
NASW/CT Bookkeeper, Nicole LePore
860-257-8066, ext. 203
Newsletter, Advertising & Labels, Website
NASW/CT Administrative Assistant, Cara Carroll
860-257-8066