Social Work As Hail

Join Sophia, Bri, and Kira on their last Social Work in Progress episode. Join them in conversation on their favorite moments of the pod, memorable episodes, why they started this project, and what their next moves are. It is a bittersweet moment to close their chapter on SWIP, but remember no matter how much we … Continue reading Not a Goodbye, But a Talk to You Later! →

Catch up with Kira and Bri this week as they talk about Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Sophia Kira talk about the Texas abortion law and how citizen deputizing hinders the right to self determination. We are a grassroots, women-laed, and owned podcast. Help us keep our content running – Buy us a coffee! Link in our Instagram bio. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @swinprogress and Social Work in Progress on … Continue reading Citizen Deputizing and the Right to Self Determination: The Texas Abortion Law →

This week Sophia and Bri talk about immigration in the budget reconciliation. We are a grassroots, women-led, and owned podcast. Help us keep our content running – Buy us a coffee! Link here or in our Instagram bio. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @swinprogress and Social Work in Progress on Facebook

Sophia, Bri, and Kira are back from hiatus to talk about the recent court settlement granting the Sackler family (of Purdue Pharma fame) legal immunity from future lawsuits regarding their influence on the opioid epidemic. CW: discussion of drug addiction, especially opioid addiction. We are a grassroots, women-led, and owned podcast. Help us keep our … Continue reading Sackler Family Immunity & Accountability for the Opioid Epidemic →

This week Bri and Kira talk about the UN Climate Report that was released and the direct impacts we are experiencing from the climate crisis. As social workers, we explore the term “climate doomism” and how to overcome the paralyzing feeling of complacency.   We are a grassroots, women-led, and owned podcast. Help us keep … Continue reading UN Climate Report →

Sophia is out this week while Bri and Kira cover some local elections happening in CA and MI. We talk about how local elections directly impact clinical SW practice and how to get people more excited about and involved in local politics. All that and more on this week's episode of Social Work In Progress! … Continue reading Election Day & The Importance of Local Elections →

The ladies of SWIP cover the recent anti-government protests in Cuba from recent weeks. How can political social workers tap into their ability to empathize and validate emotional responses while still standing firm in their beliefs? All that and more on this week's episode of Social Work In Progress. We are a grassroots, women-led, and … Continue reading Anti-Government Protests in Cuba →

This week Sophia, Bri, & Kira talk about Nikole Hannah-Jones' journey through exclusionary academic spaces and her decision to leave the University of North Carolina to then accepting an offer from Howard University. Hannah-Jones has been an inspiration on going where you are celebrated and valued. The SWIP crew talks about appointed and confirmed university … Continue reading Nikole Hannah-Jones: Go Where You Are Valued →

This week Sophia, Bri, & Kira talk about Biden's bipartisan infrastructure package as well as the much more progressive budget reconciliation it's essentially tied to on the legislative ballot. How do you see infrastructure impacting the people you work with as a social worker? We are a grassroots, women-led, and owned podcast. Help us keep … Continue reading Infrastructure & Budget Reconciliation →

This week Sophia, Bri, & Kira talk about the #FreeBritney Movement, what conservatorship is, and how social work institutionalizes conservatorship. We are a grassroots, women-led, and owned podcast. Help us keep our content running – Buy us a coffee! Link here or in our Instagram bio. Find us on Instagram and Twitter @swinprogress and Social … Continue reading #FreeBritney & Conservatorship →

Juneteenth became America's newest federally recognized holiday last week when President Biden signed the bill with unanimous support in the Senate into law. Sophia, Bri, and Kira talk about the history of Juneteenth as well as why many folx are wary of the symbolic gesture devoid of actionable change on systemic racism and oppression. We … Continue reading Juneteenth: How Symbols Help Celebrate and Distract →

Sophia is off this week while Bri and Kira cover the released ProPublica report. Bri and Kira cover some tax history and discuss why taxing the rich is a good idea. Listen to our previous Social Work as Hail episode where we discussed the stimulus checks and how the pandemic has exacerbated the wealth gap. … Continue reading Tax the Rich →

This week Bri and Kira remember George Floyd and recall the movement for action and justice. They discuss two main categories most talked about regarding change in policing: reform and defund. We take a deep dive into The Justice in Policing Act and BREATHE Act proposed in Congress. Let us know what is on your … Continue reading Is it Reform or Defund? →

Sophia is off this week while Bri and Kira cover the latest on American politics. Bri and Kira cover the legislation proposed in Congress to investigate the insurrection at Capital Hill, Liz Cheney, and the shift in American political parties. We also cover how ranked-choice voting is the best alternative to the current voting system … Continue reading Division Within the Republican Party →

This week SWIP has a difficult conversation about the occupation of Palestine by Israel and the complex history that has led up to the violence and trauma of the last several weeks. Donate – Palestine Red Crescent Society, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund; Rebuilding Alliance Read – Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis, Black … Continue reading Free Palestine: Rejecting Colonialism, Having Difficult Conversations →

Another week, another issue with COVID. This week the SWIP ladies cover the intellectual property patents holding up COVID vaccine production and distribution worldwide. In the Social Work Spin, we think through how folx can apologize in both macro and micro settings, as well as what innovation outside of capitalism could mean for international cooperation … Continue reading COVID Vaccine Patents and Imagining Innovation Without Capitalism →

The SWIP ladies cover the first 100 days of the Biden administration, including some highlights and lowlights of what’s been done or proposed so far. Is diversity of leadership enough to bring the systemic change we need? And will any of it matter if the filibuster remains in place? We talk about this and more … Continue reading Biden’s First 100 Days (And SWIP’s First 365!) →

In a special rewind episode, our SWIP hosts look back at the LA Unrest (also called the LA Riots) following the acquittal of the officers who were videotaped beating Rodney King. CONTENT WARNING for this episode: description of racist violence, police brutality, gun violence. Though it has been almost thirty years since this historic trial … Continue reading SWIP Rewind: Rodney King & the LA Unrest (1992) →

Bri is off this week, leaving Sophia and Kira to cover this story with a special Social Work Spin guest: Justin Hodge! Sophia and Kira cover the pause on distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine due to an observed rare but serious form of blood clots in six women who received the vaccine. … Continue reading The Johnson & Johnson Pause and Bias in Science & Social Work →

This week the SWIP ladies look back at how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted employment for women, especially Latinx and other BIPOC women. We reflect on our own struggles to find a job post-graduation from our MSW programs. We also share a listener story and reflect on how our own more privileged unemployment experiences can … Continue reading COVID-19 and Women in the Workforce →

We’re all over the place this week, folx! Bri and Sophia give you the basics on discussions for DC statehood and connect it to COVID vaccine relief both in DC and in other places around the country. Our very own Bri talks about her experience working in a county health department for the last several … Continue reading Statehood for DC! (And What It Means For COVID Relief) →

The SWIP ladies are back at it again talking all about voting rights and voter suppression. The For the People Act is currently waiting a voting in the US Senate. Meanwhile, Republican-run states around the country, such as Georgia, are passing sweeping voter suppression laws. In the Social Work Spin, we talk about how social … Continue reading For The People Act 2021 (a.k.a. Voting is Social Work) →

This week Sophia and Bri cover the recent sexual assault allegations brought up about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as well as the impeachment investigations into his alleged misconduct. In the Social Work Spin, we discuss the many ways in which patriarchy and white supremacy harm folx as well as the need for transformative accountability … Continue reading Power & Accountability – Governor Cuomo and the Sexual Assault Allegations Against Him →

This week Bri and Sophia talk about the abortion ban passed in Arkansas last week and what this and other similarly anti-choice laws mean for reproductive justice. Kira joins the Social Work Spin where we go deep into the ethics about self determination. Watch Kimberlé Crenshaw’s TED Talk, “The Urgency of Intersectionality” Nominate a social … Continue reading Reproductive Justice and the Arkansas Abortion Ban →

Sophia and Bri talk about what the parliamentarian does in the Senate and how their role has impacted the work of some legislators to include a raise to minimum wage in the COVID-19 relief package. In the Social Work Spin, they discuss the dilemma of eliminating filibuster and making other such changes to ease the … Continue reading What Is The Parliamentarian? →

This week Bri and Sophia delve into what immigration policy has looked like in the first few weeks of the Biden administration and revisit some of the campaign promises Biden and Harris made during the election. Kira drops in for another round of the social work spin to discuss how language matters in policy as … Continue reading Immigration Policy In The Biden Administration →

This week, Bri and Sophia talk about the power grid failure in Texas in February 2021 and how social workers have a necessary perspective not only in how to respond to climate crises, but in prevention as well. Donate to relief funds for the people of Texas: Feed the People Dallas (@feedthepeopledallas) Mutual Aid Houston … Continue reading The Texas Power Grid Failure →

This week Sophia and Bri cover the recently published reports on increased rates of anti-Asian hate crimes from New York and the Bay Area of California and how social workers can confront these forms of violence in ways that are aligned with our values as well as accountable to community structures. Some places to find … Continue reading Confronting the Rise in Hate Crimes Against Asian-Americans →

Bri and Sophia cover the dangerous rhetoric and actions of Marjorie Taylor Greene, US Representative for District 14 of Georgia and how social work often encourages toxic empathy with abusive, oppressive behavior among colleagues. CW: discussion of Islamaphobic, antisemetic, xenophobic, and ableist behavior and language in this episode. Find your United States Representative here. Find … Continue reading Marjorie Taylor Greene & the Toxic Empathy of Social Work →

In the first episode of the new season, Sophia and Bri cover the Line 3 pipeline story out of Minnesota. Stop Line 3 website Honor The Earth website Sign the petition asking President Biden to stop all construction on Line 3! Other ways to get involved and support the protests at construction sites

Social Work In Progress is a current events podcast… with a social work twist! Join social workers Sophia Nielsen (she/her) and Briana Tetsch (she/her/ella) as they give you the fast facts on a news story that matters for all levels of social work practice. Come learn with us! No matter how much we know, we’re … Continue reading Let Us Re-Introduce Ourselves! →

In the last episode of 2020, Bri and Sophia welcome Stephanie Gomez (she/her/hers). Steph talks to us about the work she’s doing with Shift Our Ways (SOW) Collective in Los Angeles. How can individuals contribute to sustainable practices and how can environmentalism be more accessible to all folx, not just the privileged? We discuss all … Continue reading Environmental Justice and Accessible Sustainability (feat. Stephanie Gomez) →

Welcome back to the Social Work Book Club! This week Devyn Beswick returns to discuss the novel Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (1993).    “When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who … Continue reading “Parable of the Sower” feat. Devyn Beswick (Social Work Culture Club) →

We are back with another episode in the Social Work Book Club! Friend of the pod Alberto “Bertie” Martinez (he/him/his) joins Sophia and Briana to discuss a report from AIDS United about the policies and practices that impact aging adults living with HIV. Bertie was born and raised in Compton, CA. He presently Identifies as … Continue reading “HIV & Aging, Older Adults Living and Thriving with HIV” – Social Work Book Club →

SENATOR STEPHANIE CHANG! We are so excited to be joined by Michigan state Senator Stephanie Chang, representing District 1 (Detroit area) as the first Asian American woman elected to Michigan state legislature. Sen. Chang is a staunch defender of human rights and social work values at the systems-level. She also received her masters in social … Continue reading Political Social Work – Senator Stephanie Chang →

Episode Notes Welcome back to the Social Work Book Club! This week Devyn Beswick returns to discuss the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble” with Sophia and special co-host Kira Dry. The documentary covers the life and work of John Lewis, including his involvement and leadership in the non-violent civil rights movement as well as his … Continue reading Social Work Book Club – “John Lewis: Good Trouble” →

VOTING IS SOCIAL WORK   Sophia and special co-host Kira Dry (she/her/hers) are all jazzed up to talk about voting on this week’s episode. Even more jazzed is Justin Hodge (he/him/his), a professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and political social worker. Justin, Kira, and Sophia cover a lot of ground … Continue reading Political Social Work – Voting Is Social Work →

Latinx Heritage Month is recognized from September 15th through October 15th every year. In celebration, Briana and Sophia and joined this week by Joel Lucio (he/him/el) and Ivette Ferrera (she/her/ella), two student leaders with the Latinx Student Coalition at University of Michigan’s School of Social Work. We talk about history, terminology, policy, and celebration of … Continue reading Latinx Heritage Month 2020 →

Bri and Sophia are very excited about this episode. We catch up with Anna Wood (she/her/they/them) and Irene Routte (she/her), two doctoral students in the School of Social Work at University Michigan and social work stewards with the Graduate Employees’ Organization labor union #3550. GEO is the labor union representing Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate … Continue reading The Labor Movement is Social Work (GEO 3550 Strike 2020) →

Sophia and Bri are joined by Jessica Twitchell (she/her/hers), a school social worker in Chicago Public Schools. They talk about the union strikes in fall 2019, restorative justice, police in schools, and more! As always, Bri and Sophia bring it back to policy and macro practice, asking Jessica about the policy decisions that impact her … Continue reading Policy Decisions & School Social Work →

Few macro-level social workers seek licensure with the ASWB. As two soon-to-be graduates of an MSW program, Bri and Sophia discuss the various pros and cons of obtaining macro social work licensure: monetary cost, supervision, the future of the social work profession, and more. They try to answer the question: “Is the macro social work … Continue reading Macro Social Work Licensure: Is It Worth It? →

Join Sophia and Briana in a rabbit hole of social change theory! This week Bri and Sophia delve into theoretical perspectives and forms of social change regarding policing in America. They use various theories including hegemony theory, role theory, critical theories, and Friere’s theory of critical pedagogy and praxis to examine the spectrum of problem … Continue reading Theories of Problem Solving for Social Change →

Sophia and Bri chat with Justin Hodge (candidate for Washtenaw County Commissioner District 5) and Gabriela Santiago-Romero (candidate for Wayne County Commissioner District 4) about what it is like to be a social worker running for political office. They talk about how the ethical standards and values of social work align or diverge from politics … Continue reading Political Social Work – Running for Office →

Bri and Sophia have an engaging conversation with Dr. Shanna Katz Kattari, PhD, MEd, CSE, ACS (she/her/hers). Dr. Kattari an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, the Department of Women and Gender Studies (by courtesy), and Director of the [Sexuality|Relationships|Gender] Research Collective. A queer, White, Jewish, cisgender, disabled, chronically ill … Continue reading Galactic Intersectionality (feat. Dr. Shanna Katz Kattari) →