The Social Worker

2 months ago | socialworker.com | SaraKay Smullens

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD      First and foremost, happy Social Work Month! We are each deeply fortunate to be part of our proud and historic profession. Our profession is one that asks a great deal of us and often has been labeled as “an impossible” one.

Jan 20, 2025 | socialworker.com | SaraKay Smullens

Vital Topics: Social Work & Film by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD      A Real Pain is essential film for those in the social work and related professions to experience and to recommend, brilliantly written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, and starring Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin.

Dec 4, 2024 | socialworker.com | SaraKay Smullens

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD With gratitude to Dr. Bettie Bassett-Roundtree, social work mentor and inspiration      As we approached Thanksgiving and the holiday season, many—perhaps most—in our proud, historic profession struggled with the toll of societal burnout, the simmering anger and divisions in our country, our world, also reflected within our profession.

Sep 1, 2024 | socialworker.com | SaraKay Smullens

VITAL TOPICS: SOCIAL WORK & FILM by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD “I want people to devour my books in one sitting because the storyline and dialogue are too gripping to put down. I don’t try to write heavy books that educate, inform, and impress. My only goal is to entertain, and hopefully that’s what I’m doing.”  Colleen Hoover       What follows is a review of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It Ends With Us, which addresses domestic violence.

Mar 5, 2024 | socialworker.com | SaraKay Smullens

Vital Topics: Social Work & Film by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD      With regularity, newly minted social workers tell me that they feel ill prepared to understand their clients’ “inner world”—how all of us evolve as the people we are. I respond that the best way to understand our clients is to understand ourselves, and one of the best ways to understand both is through the arts—film, plays, poetry, and other literature and artistic expression.