#SOCIAL WORK

[ex-foster]

Girls from foster care are some of the most vulnerable members of society.

When girls run away from foster homes or when they age out of the system, they are at an increased risk of being exploited into the sex industry.

It is crucial to understand that the sex industry preys on girls and women from foster care because they are isolated from their families which makes them easy to exploit. When you grow up in foster care, you can also be dangerously lonely and in need of human connection and support. Human traffickers exploit foster girl's need for family and love.

Sex trafficking has a low rate of conviction but is highly profitable (a drug can be sold once, but a human being can be sold numerous times for sex).

It's also important to understand that recruitment into the sex industry is often done online. Be wary of people who suggest that "sex work is work" - they are recruiters. Be wary of people who use "swerf" (sex worker exclusive radical feminist) in order to demonize anyone who exposes the harm of the sex industry - they are recruiters. Real feminists protect the most vulnerable women and girls.

[starryvomit]

“If you do not tell your story, someone else will, and they will tell it wrong.”

-Kane Smego, 2014.

[she-is-ovarit]

I am on government insurance (Medicaid). Out of pocket, my psychologist's rate is $225 an hour. He went through a decade or more of school, obtained a PhD, and graduated with student loan debt. He didn't state how much, but I can imagine it's likely in the hundreds of thousands considering he still has this debt and graduated with his PhD in the early 2000s.

He shared with me that out of that $225 rate, he obtains about $25 from one Medicaid client's insurance company. The insurance company pockets the rest. My friend, another therapist, has a similar story. She makes $75 off of Medicaid clients usually when her rate out of pocket is $200.

Most therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists are no longer accepting Medicaid/Medicare insurances because of this reason, which people who are poor are on. Over half of mental health professionals are no longer accepting insurance, period. I think we all understand that low-income people and low-income communities struggle the most with mental health issues, and if you are a person of color in the US you are more likely to be low-income. If you are a domestic violence survivor turned homeless because you left your significant other, you are also more likely to be on Medicaid. If you are a first generation student, you are most likely on Medicaid. If you are formerly incarcerated, you are most likely on Medicaid. And so on.

Additionally, if you are a human being of the female sex, you are far more likely to seek out therapy than someone of the male sex. Overwhelmingly men don't seek out therapy unless their female significant partner pleads with them, pressures them, or gives them an ultimatum which influences them to make an appointment. What does this mean when the vast majority of mass shooters, rapists, pedophiles, and domestic violence abusers are male?

Figure 2. Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who had received any mental health treatment, taken medication for their mental health, or received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past 12 months, by sex: United States, 2019

Pair all of these details with the fact that mental health professionals are in such high demand right now, that even with private insurance the wait list is anywhere from three to six months out. Insurance agencies are business, and the corruption inherent. Many focus on prioritizing coverage for acute crisis rather than treating long term underlying conditions (which in turn prevents acute crises), don't provide coverage for co-occurring conditions, are advertising that more providers are accepting their insurance than there actually are, and are solely driven by financial interest.

I wonder how much domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse, poverty, hate crimes, generational trauma, and overall suffering within individuals and in their societies can be reduced by valuing mental health and holding insurance companies accountable for their financial exploitation.

We talk about the US healthcare crisis without talking about the US mental health crisis.

[lilac-masquerade]

Guys, with everything going on, if you need help go to the nearest social worker. I know it’s weird, and trusting people that are apart of the system is shit, but they literally are not allowed to judge you and they’re completely free. And hey, if they’re assholes, you get the cathartic experience of reporting them, because they’re literally not allowed to be. They aren’t allowed to turn you away and they aren’t allowed to report you. They will find you help and resources for free, I promise.

[queenwille]

why is fighting antisemitism online for the existence and safety of my people not a legit reason for a delay in handing in a paper for uni

[i-yeeteth-and-i-yoinketh]

“I can fix him” “I can make him worse” yeah well I can write and implement a comprehensive support plan for him, we are not the same

[harleyklawz]

Being a social worker is by far the best and most rewarding job I've ever had, but HOLY FUCK is it crazy that I just like, listen to people's worst moment and then basically havw to be like "I hear you, I see you, you are valid. Let's get through this and then like, go eat a sandwhich, okay?"

And like, that actually fixes the imeddiate horros. Like, someone giving you kind words and reminding you to maintain yourself. Crazy shit.

[queerism1969]

[socialworkerbee]

diagnostics is such a challenge already. i never even considered how symptoms present in neurodivergent individuals.

[ex-foster]

[ilikecarsandlike4people]

Just a month ago I was feeling nervous about signing up to be a support adult, thinking about how on earth I could ever be enough to support a child in need of a friend or a mentor. But I cannot describe the joy of hearing my phone buzz and seeing a text message asking if I'm free to go for coffee or a picture of a drawing or just a simple "good morning!". That there is something I can do. That I can be enough. That maybe just being there and listening and drinking some coffee together can make the world of difference. I think I have found my place. I am more and more convinced that teaching and working with children is my path forward. It fills me with so much joy and accomplishment, and it gives me such a feeling of purpose and direction. I don't know, I just got a text from her asking when I'll pick her up and I just feel so sure, right in this moment, that I have made the right choice.

[neuroticboyfriend]

i just spent the past 3 years getting an A.A in human services, and i finished it. despite neglecting my health to do so. despite my ethical concerns with dominant models of social work. i got a degree in a field that now, i dont really want to pursue - not how i intented, at least.

and that's okay. cause you know what i do want to do? be an artist, like i wanted to in the first place. i want to do what would make me happiest - to do what i love, and give myself time to take care of myself. and you know what? you should do that too.

go to school. dont go to school. change majors. drop out. get that job. quit your job. move out. stay home. monetize your hobbies, or refuse to. focus on your wellbeing. don't force yourself to do what's most "acceptable" or "productive." that's no way to live. that's a one way ticket to burnout.

and if you, like me, really want to enact positive change in this world: you don't need to be in an "official" field to do that. and lets be real: those fields won't let you make a lot of the change you want to. plus? you will make the most positive change by doing what makes you happiest - even if it's not a job. joy brings joy.

[brunchbitch]

Dreading work tomorrow. Last week was sooo rough.

[marmelade-sky]

got the grade on my BA paper back today, and I passed with a perfect grade 🥹 I'm honestly so grateful 🥹❤️ I'm officially a social worker now!!!

[allyspecter]

Today is my first day in court as a social work intern and I feel like I am in my mike ross era.