Our Podcast Series: inSocialWork®

In this episode, our guest Elaine Birchall, MSW describes her work with this under-researched and under-served population. Challenging myths, she defines the disorder, reviews prevalence data, describes risk and safety concerns and the prognosis for those afflicted. Referencing human rights, Ms. Birchall discusses key assessment criteria and the treatment process.

Elaine Birchall, MSW, is the director of Birchall Consulting and the founder of the Canadian National Hoarding Coalition. For the past 18 years, Elaine has dedicated her practice to helping those who hoard achieve control over their possessions and hoarding tendencies as well as counseling family members. Elaine also provides training to professionals across North America on the best practices for treating a hoarding disorder. Elaine is the author of "Conquer the Clutter: Strategies to Identify, Manage, and Overcome Hoarding."

Episode 259 - Dr. Annahita Ball, Dr. Elizabeth Bowen, and Dr. Annette Semanchin-Jones: Cross-Systems Collaboration: Examining the Perspectives and Experiences of Vulnerable Youth and Service Providers.

Cross-systems youth, or youth who experience homelessness, child welfare involvement, and educational difficulty, often suffer due to lack of continuity and stability in their school and home lives, as well as in service provision. These children are at risk for a number of negative outcomes, which are in part a reflection of the failure of multiple systems. In this episode, three members of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work faculty (Anna Ball, Betsy Bowen, and Annette Semanchin-Jones) engage in a discussion on cross-systems youth. They highlight their research involving the perspectives and experiences of youth and service providers in relation to multiple systems – education, child welfare, and housing and social services – and provide suggestions to improve and promote collaboration.

It is an exciting time to be a social worker! New and innovative uses of technology are opening up possibilities for better serving our clients. inSocialWork® and the UB School of Social Work have many opportunities to learn more about creative ways that social workers are using technology and explore the latest information on how you can incorporate technology into your practice.

Listen to the podcasts below to find out more about how social workers are leveraging different kinds of technology to build upon client strengths and increase the impact of their agencies. These podcasts cover a wide range of technologies, ranging from text messaging to social media, and even video games!

You can also check out the Technology in Social Work Resource Center, which contains links to a variety of websites, video, podcats, and articles that explore how technology is making a difference in social work practice. You can even submit your own suggestions for items to include in the Technology Resource Center! 

Here at the University of Buffalo School of Social Work, we are proud of our Trauma-Informed and Human Rights Perespective!

inSocialWork® offers a variety of podcasts on trauma, trauma-informed care, human rights and social justice. You can browse these podcasts at the links below. You can also download flyers highlighting just a few of our podcasts on these topics.

Social workers need a variety skills and a knowledge base to successfully navigate the diverse landscape of our increasingly global world. The University at Buffalo School of Social Work provides many opportunities to acquire the skills and knowledge needed for professional practice and global citizenship. Follow the links below to learn more about these opportunities, and to listen to some of our podcasts on cultural competence and international social work.

Self-care is an essential part of sustaining good social work practice.

At inSocialWork®, we encourage social workers to explore, develop, and engage good self-care to enrich both their lives and their profession.

Here, you can find links to our podcasts related to social worker self-care, explore a variety of self-care resources in UB School of Social Work's Self Care Starter Kit, and view inspiring photos of social workers engaging in self-care submitted by listeners to our Self-Care Photo Contest. Be sure to 'Like' our Facebook page for updates on new episodes and information on inSocialWork®!

From mental health to substance abuse, from ethics to cultural competence, there is a variety of podcast topic categories to explore.

Enjoy this sample of top picks from among our most popular topics:

Are you a social work practitioner, researcher or educator doing innovative or cutting-edge work? Do you have an idea for a future podcast? Do you have questions about inSocialWork®? We would love to hear from you!

Write us at insocialwork@buffalo.edu with your ideas, suggestions, and questions!