AOSW Connections

Advocacy is Ethics in Action

By Sarah Conning, LCSW, OSW-C, APHSW-C
Social workers have an ethical imperative to engage in social and political action and to promote social justice. As our Code of Ethics reminds us, “Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social justice” (NASW Code of Ethics 6.04).

By Lisa Capparella, MSS, LCSW, OSW-C, and Chelsea Kroll, MSW, LMSW, OSW-C
Our 38th Annual AOSW Conference is just a few short weeks away, June 15-17, in Raleigh! This year we are looking forward to being back in person and while our conference will look a bit different as we adhere to COVID guidelines, the excitement of being back together is certainly present. For those of you unable to attend in person this year, we will have many of the presentations recorded and available within a few weeks of conference! While we understand having a livestream event is desirable for many members, the financial constraints to doing so prevented us from making this happen.

By Briana Joyce, LCSW, OSW-C
Over the last two years COVID-19 has upended nearly every aspect of our daily lives. One of the biggest changes is the explosion of the importance and prevalence of technology in the provision of oncology social work services. The need to practice social distancing has widened the conversation around electronically based care including the many benefits and ethical considerations. It also asks the intriguing question of how social workers can be best prepared to embrace new technology in the coming years.

by Catherine Paykin, LCSW-R
My sister was born with heart disease. I was five when six-year-old Jean died. Her illness and death influenced my choosing social work as a career. For the past five years I have been working with lung cancer patients. Meeting needs such as home hydration, oxygen and hospice requires an immediate response. Every working hour has challenged me to find practical and supportive solutions for clients and their families. Here is a glimpse into a typical day.

Interviewed by MariaEugenia A. MacWilliams, OPN-CG

Mariana Campos Gutierrez is a psychotherapist and hospital psychologist in Mexico City. Co-founder of the Hospital Emotional Support Group (SoHMa), which provides psychological care to patients, family members and health professionals in oncology and HSCT in different hospitals. She provides collegiate lectures and classes in psychoeducation, focusing on health professional burnout. She has co-authored books, articles and manuals discussing psychoeducation.

By Jennifer Dunn, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
As we enter the third year of the pandemic and transition from the initial crisis phase to learning to ‘live with Covid,’ we reflect on the ethical implications and challenges posed by the Covid-19 crisis and what they mean for the future of social work. In oncology, it is our role as social workers to walk side-by-side with those coping with great uncertainty. However, in March 2020 we were thrown into great uncertainty ourselves and tasked with assuring ongoing access to cancer care while the rest of the world slowed down.

By Leora Lowenthal, LICSW, OSW-C, MPA, FAOSW
When asked to write a piece about ethics in psycho-oncology care, I immediately agreed with enthusiasm. For as long as I have been a social worker, I have used the NASW Code of Ethics as a map of sorts, believing it could guide me through most if not all quandaries. Perhaps more importantly, until 2020 I never doubted my ability to honor the code and standards within.
 

The Experience of Living Between Two Kingdoms; Suleika Jaouad’s Memoir of a Life Interrupted

ISBN 9780399588600

Review by Amy Colver, LCSW
If you are looking for a book that beautifully describes and reflects the experience of living in the “in between” places in life, you will not want to miss Suleika Jaouad’s memoir Between Two Kingdoms. Suleika shares her experience of living in the “in between” places as it relates to a cancer diagnosis.