Western New York Teacher Center

 

NASW School Social Work webpage offers information and articles. A few articles require membership log-in, but most material is readily accessible. 

School Social Work Association of America SSWAA has access to some articles, especially those that relate to legal and political aspects of school social workers and counselors. Some areas of this site are limited to dues-paying members. 

New York State School Social Workers Association serves school social workers in New York State. The regional branch of this association connects, educates and serves Western New York School Social Workers; the luncheon presentations and an interactive listserve are available to both members and non-members.

 

Social Workers:

National Association of Social Workers NASW

National Association of Social Workers of Western New York NASW-NYS

State University of New York at Buffalo School of Social Work 

Continuing Education in Social Work at the University of Buffalo

 

 

American School Counselor Association ASCA

 

School Counselors/School Social Workers/School Psychologists 

School Psychology Resources for Psychologists, Parents and Educators: learning disabilities, ADHD, functional behavioral assessment, autism, adolescence, parenting, assessments, special education, mental health and other topics. 

University of Buffalo's Center for Children and Family Speaker Series on "Evidence-based Approaches in Child and Adolescent Mental Health cosponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences provides an opportunity for mental health professionals, school counselors, school social workers, educators and others to hear professors from all over the country present their research. A wine and cheese gathering after each lecture offers an opportunity to meet the researchers and network with professionals.  (1.5 credits offered)

 

Issues surrounding Confidentiality and School Social Work (NASW) are complex, and laws differ from state to state. This link to Confidentiality and School Social Work (National School Social Workers Association) also outlines basic social work principles and suggests way to address specific conflicts.   

 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5, more commonly called the DSM-5 which was published in 2013 reflects the current thinking in field of mental health. The DSM is a manual that provides descriptions, identifies symptoms and defines other criteria for diagnosing mental "disorders". No treatment information is offered; causes are not suggested. The DSM is revised periodically and is sometimes referred to as the "Bible" of mental health, but that may be misleading. Accurate, appropriate and meaningful use of the manual requires in-depth clinical training. The DSM-5 contains the corresponding ICD code.                

 

The DSM organizes current perspectives, research and understanding into a standard form that is used in a wide array of contexts. Experts contribute to the manuals that require many years of planning and revision. Initial efforts for the DSM-V began in 1999, five years after the DSM-IV was published in 1994 though an updated text-revised edition, DSM-IV-TR, was released in 2000. In general the DSM has works well in the United States and Canada but not as well in the international setting.  

 

The first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-I, was an 8-page stapled document in 1952. The second edition, the DSM-II, was a thin pamphlet published in 1968, compared to the 947 pages that make up the DSM 5. There will no longer be any numbers or numerals higher than 5, only adjustments to that add points such as DSM 5.1. At some point in the future, the entire DSM will likely switch to being primarily online. At this point the DSM-5 includes online supplemental information.          

 

The International Classification of Disorders (ICD) and the DSM are the two recognized systems that classify mental disorders, although mental health codes are a small part of the ICD codes which apply to the entire medical field. The ICD was developed by the World Health Organization and has been adapted in many countries. The United States plans to switch to the ICD code on October 1, 2015 when the mental health field will also make a change to the ICD codes. The ICD-10 code is listed next to the DSM code for most diagnoses in the DSM-5 as part of the effort to harmonize the two systems. For current use ICD-9 codes are also listed next to the DSM-5 code.  

 

Some changes are specific to insurance due to these new codes.

 

The DSM-5 encourages the use of the assessment tools available in the DSM-5 and online. 

 

Sex Offender Registries
Sex offenders are required by law to register their addresses in an effort by law enforcement to protect local communities and families. Sex offenders are categorized into three levels according to their potential risk: Level 1 (low risk of repeat offense), Level 2 (medium risk of repeat offense) and Level 3 (high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety).

Family Watchdog offers a number of services, including specific information about sexual offenders including names, addresses, photographs, places of employment and level of offense. Schools and parks within the zipcode area are designated on the map with an empty box. Offenders (home and work) are color-coded: "offense against children", "rape", "sexual battery" or "other offense."  It is possible to search directly by name or address.

 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) offers many prevention resources including updated research, upcoming conference, funding sources and free publications. Other topics include Military Families, Trauma & Justice and Health Reform. Free brochures, booklets, posters, videos and other materials are available.    

The US Department of Health and Human Services offers numerous resources, highlighting topics such as bullying and children's health insurance (state by state). 

The National Institute of Health (NIH) also offers many useful resources, including free materials. One department of NIH is the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) which can provide updated research, conference information, materials and numerous free publications. One page is devoted to parents and educators with numerous links and resources.      

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World has a website called The Truth about Drugs offers numerous short online videos of real life stories. Other links and free publications are also available.

Health Alliance on Alcohol addresses underage consumption of alcohol particularly dedicated to parent-child communication; they offer free publications, toolkits and other materials.

 

School violence is preventable. Nothing is more important than the safety of the students. Evidence-based trauma prevention and recovery systems for school personnel is provided for educators, school personnel, parents and mental health professionals.