ASD affects people of all races and ethnicities. Still, studies show that African-American and Latino children with autism are diagnosed at older ages than white children, giving them less of an opportunity for proper intervention and treatment. Dr. Marisol Marroquín of Rutgers University has made it her life's mission to make changes to the access, equity, and changes needed for the Latinx community ..read more

Post COVID world for children has been difficult emotionally and schools providing social emotional learning set out to address those concerns. do we face an ever changing political climate that now has its sites set on K-12 education? Welcome Francesca Villarreal, MSW, MBA to the office hour as we discuss politics in academia, how to get involved as parents and exploring the views of the other side ..read more

Transitioning and how to have those crucial conversations when the stakes are high. Crucial conversations occur in all aspects of our lives. Tonights Guest Nizhonlii Robinson former Marine, Founder of Spark: The Pop Up and current Customer Success Manager for BreakLine Education will share with us how to navigate life transitions and learning from the importance of having crucial conversations. Nizhonlii can be found on LinkedIn (Nizhonlii Robinson) and the book referenced is Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson ..read more

Having a culturally sensitive discussion around food and food choices is important to growth and care of ourselves and our community. Today's episode is with a Registered Dietitian and Lactation Counselor Manyil Danshey, RD, where we discuss how food changes mood, ways professionals can have conversations about food changes that acknowledge the cultural implication of food in communities of color and how the dietitian profession can grow to be more inclusive and diverse. Black families are 3x's as likely to face hunger than white families and 20% of Black individuals live in food insecure ..read more

What is integrated health care and how can Black and Brown voices be elevated in these spaces to ensure adequate care is being provided? Yvette Beltran, LCSW and I talk about the beauty and pitfalls of integrated care, the intersection of race in the medical and behavioral health world and the effective role social workers play in bridging these two worlds together.  ..read more

This is Pt 1A of our conversation on what is happening in the social work profession and how the ASWB is utilizing the clinical exam to prevent Black and Brown people from accessing positions of power and equitable pay. Please go to the BLKMHC Instagram page to access the change.org petition. Also, email the BLKMHC page blkmhc@gmail.com and provide your feedback on what does change look like.  More info and data: https://www.aswb.org/exam/contributing-to-the-conversation ..read more

Sitting down with my friend and colleague Yvette Madrid, MSW, LCSW to discuss the recent numbers that have been released by the Association of Social Work Board on their pass rates. The numbers are disheartening and we could sit on the side line and complain, but that is not social work. Let's discuss the concerns and have an honest conversation about how flawed the profession is. This is just pt 1. https://www.aswb.org/exam/contributing-to-the-conversation ..read more

November is Men's Mental Health Month. This is important because 1. Men die by suicide 3.5x the rate of women. 2. about 60% of men are likely to experience trauma in their lifetime. 3. 1 in 10 men experience major depression. 4. 50% of men are too afraid to seek help. Tonight's guest, Jonathan Jackson and I sit down to discuss everyday life experiences and how to navigate with mental health concerns in a way that is supportive and understanding. How to be an ally and how to speak up and ask for help, understanding you aren't alone and it is okay to say "I need help". In 2017 Jonathan Jackson ..read more

Navigating higher education is difficult enough. This episode is intended to bring awareness to the realities of navigating higher education while experiencing food insecurities and being houseless. How do these experiences impact ones mental health and what can we be doing more of as a community to not only support higher education but to ensure students have their basic needs met. This episodes guest is Justin Bowman, Justin shares his own personal experience of financial insecurity while in college and how that experienced lead him to start his non-profit Someone Cares. Justin Bowman grew u ..read more

With turnover rates in the mental health profession annually ranging from 40-70% it's time we begin to really explore what may be the cause of so many strong, passionate and driven professionals to leave and pursue other career paths. Many times in this profession we focus less on all of the wonderful and hopeful things we learn in the school setting and become so productivity and dollar driven. This can cause a helping professional to second guess their role in these settings and perceive the job as more harm than good. When these professionals leave, the harm doesn't just end with another pr ..read more