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News Archive

2017

  • 10_best_careers

    Thinking of pursuing a master’s degree in social work? Here are 10 of the best career paths available to Master of Social Work grads.

  • Concepcion Barrio, left, and Paula Helu-Brown, far right, participate in a ribbon cutting for a new mental health office at the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Helu-Brown

    With the Trump Administration’s recent revocation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, and a perceived increase in immigration enforcement, many immigrants are under more stress than ever, especially with the recent major earthquakes in Mexico affecting families on both sides of the border.

    But immigrants don’t always seek help because of cultural stigma and the threat of deportation, among many other stressors. The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work is working to change that.

  • William Vega

    The United States has produced nearly 40 years of prevention and disparities research initiatives and public health programs aimed at eliminating inequities and the unfair burden of illness in society. These efforts have yielded a vast body of information regarding the large gaps in specific health and health care hardships suffered by large segments of the US population, and interventions for remediation.

    It remains unclear how much progress has been made in eliminating health inequities.

  • setting_healthy_boundaries

    Expressing your feelings and asserting your needs are essential for maintaining healthy relationships.

    Cristina Young, MSW ’98, is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Greenwich, Connecticut. Young specializes in working with parents to improve family dynamics and reduce anxiety. Her clients, mostly women, share many of the same issues, including depression, anger management, anxiety and boundary setting.

  • re_cross_after_hurricane

    Kristie Holmes and Laura Cardinal recently traveled to Beaumont, Texas, to provide social work services to those affected by the storm. This is their day-by-day account of their week on the ground.

    In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the media’s attention has been focused on the devastation: the physical damage, the lives disrupted and the long road ahead to rebuild the affected areas. And indeed, firefighters, first responders and everyday heroes have played a crucial role in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

  • open_pic

    Starting a private practice is the ultimate goal for many licensed clinical social workers. These three essential steps will help successfully launch your practice.

    The prospect of opening a private practice is alluring to licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) for a number of reasons — the opportunity to set your own hours, carve out your niche within the field and opt to see the patients that you feel best equipped to treat.

  • make change happen

    Our first week of classes has concluded amid two dramatically opposite national experiences: violence and bigotry in Charlottesville, Virginia, and universally shared excitement with the eclipse.

    We can expect to be at odds in coming months between confrontation and opportunities for connection like these, all within the context of national and international instability.

    As a school, we can use this tension as an opportunity to probe the meanings of democracy, diversity and social reform more deeply.

  • the_overlooked_trauma

    A significant portion of incarcerated individuals are parents. More than 2.7 million children in the U.S. have an incarcerated parent, and more than 10 million have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives. Those numbers are even higher when including children with parents under active supervision, parole or probation.

  • Herschel Cosby, left, Barry Hughes, Shawn Henderson, Steven Berry, James Evers III, and Samuel Law

    Peer caregiving improves inmates’ lives

    America’s aging population is growing rapidly—including in prisons. The number of state and federal prisoners age 55 or older rose 250 percent between 1999 and 2014, according to U.S. Department of Justice data. But prison facilities are not designed to accommodate elders’ needs.

  • Frances Wu

    Frances Wu, the first Chinese American to receive a Doctor of Social Work from the University of Southern California, philanthropist, and founder of Chinese American Golden Age Association, died Aug. 11 in Monterey Park, California. She was 96.

    Born in 1921 in Anhui, China, Wu was a 1948 graduate of Ginling College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social work. Her master’s degree in social work was from McGill University.