News Archive
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For more than a decade, a small percentage of Americans has volunteered to join the military and take part in the nation’s longest-running wars, but the effects of combat and the transitions home impact more than just that 1 percent.
Families, friends and entire communities have been welcoming home service members whose wartime experiences can span the gamut of physical and psychological reactions, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Prostitution is often viewed as a victimless crime, but in some U.S. communities the average starting age for a girl in the industry can dip as low as 12 years old. The overwhelming majority of women in the commercial sex trade find themselves there as a result of either coercion or desperation.
But offering them a way out requires going well beyond the confines of legal assistance. Women with prostitution or sex trafficking backgrounds can successfully reintegrate back into society, and in the course of their recovery, social workers play a vital role.
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A single mother of two separated from her husband, Amanda Tenorio thought she found her “Prince Charming” – a new man who immediately swept her off her feet. Little did she know that the next 13 months would be filled with pain, abuse, hospitalizations and more at the hands of an abusive boyfriend.
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Set against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, Clinical Professor of Field Education Steve Hydon presented “Secondary Traumatic Stress: Causality and Impact” at the California Public Defenders Association’s annual retreat in Monterey, Calif. About 200 public defenders from across the state were in attendance.
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Lisa LaCorte-Kring, MSW ’94, has returned to the university as a member of the USC School of Social Work’s Board of Councilors, bringing with her a progressive perspective on social work practice and education.
LaCorte-Kring is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in family mediation with the Los Angeles County Superior Court for 10 years before transitioning into mindfulness training, or focusing attention and awareness based on meditation principles, after having two children.
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What do you get when you combine music, medicine and social work? A trip to Canada in June.
At least, USC Master of Social Work student Friday Lilly does. Lilly holds the distinction of being the only social work student to be presenting at the 3rd International Conference of the International Association for Music & Medicine (IAMM) in Toronto to be held from June 24-27. Along with USC School of Social Work Clinical Professor Murali Nair, Lilly will be presenting a proposal to use traditional Indian music to help relieve anxiety in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
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Depression affects more than half of all mothers in Early Head Start programs, damaging their parenting abilities and increasing the vulnerability of their children to poor school and life outcomes.
Ferol Mennen, an associate professor with the USC School of Social Work, will use a new $2.5 million grant from the Administration for Children and Families to test a promising approach to alleviate that depression as a strategy to improve the lives of both mother and child.
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If you asked USC alumnus Daniel Rodriguez how he has accomplished so much after a past that has included drug addiction, homelessness, poverty and a host of other challenges, his answer would be simple.
“Everything that I do, I do because of my grandmother,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like I am validating what she thought of me, the faith that she had in me. I want to inspire others who have suffered similar experiences as I have.”
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Cynthia Lemus knows what it’s like to care for an ill, elderly family member. The emotional, physical and financial toll can be nearly unbearable.
“My grandma was really ill, and I didn’t like to see her like that,” said Lemus, an 18-year-old high school senior. “While taking care of her with my mom, I realized that other families [in my community] also go through this, or worse, and I wanted to be someone in their lives to help them out and let them know they’re not alone.”
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The USC School of Social Work has established its first endowed Dean’s Leadership Scholarship, supported by the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of California. Awarded annually to an outstanding Master of Social Work candidate who is disabled, the Helen Phillips Levin Dean’s Leadership Scholarship will help such students follow the remarkable example of Helen Phillips Levin, MSW ’81.