November 2011 Currents by NASW-WA

An Electronic Newsletter for the NASW Washington State Chapter

Index 2012 Conference ..................................1 2012 Conference Partnerships ….….1-4 Award Nominations …………………….4 A Psychotherapist's Guide ………...5-13 Free Membership……………………...14 Nominations for FY 2012……….…14-20

November 2011 Volume 1, Issue 6

you would like to assist the Professional Development committee in planning and implementing the 2012 Annual conference, please email the NASW-WA Chapter to be added to the Conference Planning Committee. The Conference Planning Committee will be working on securing presenters, exhibitors, and sponsors for the 2012 Conference. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2012 Conference.

Health Insurance, HIPPA and Client Privacy……………..……….…….…21-24 Online CE Institute.........................25-26 Strategy of the Month …………..…26-27 Lobby Day 2012 ……………………….28

Save The Date:

We Need Conference Sponsors!

NASW-WA 2012 Annual Conference

If you know any company who would like publicity and to sponsor the NASWWA 2012 Conference please send the company name, contact name, and all contact information to NASW-WA at info@nasw-wa.org. The more companies that sponsor the conference the less it will cost each of you to attend. More information can be found by clicking here.

May 18-19, 2011 The NASW WA Chapter is planning an annual conference for May 18-19, 2012. Please plan to attend this exciting event. More information on topics and presenters will be forthcoming over the next months. If NASW WA Chapter Office 522 N 85th St. #B-100 Seattle, WA 98103

Website: www.nasw-wa.org Email: info@nasw-wa.org

Phone: (206) 706 – 7084 Fax: (206) 706 - 7085

PARTNERSHIPS NEEDED! To Perspective Corporate Partners: We are the largest professional social work organization in the state. We are extending an invitation to you to participate as a corporate partner. The Annual Social Work Conference is the corner stone of the Chapter’s professional development programs. The 2007 conference will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport, 18740 International Boulevard, Seattle, Washington on May 18 - 19, 2012. Our theme is “Changing World: Critical Conversations”, with exciting and informative presentations expected in many different areas of practice. The Washington State Chapter of NASW has nearly 2500 members. They work in child welfare, public health, education, mental health, aging, and therapy. The profession encompasses dedicated professionals working in community organizing, private practice, and administration. The conference is the most significant opportunity we have to come together as a profession, to network with each other, to hear about the news as it affects us and our clients, and to participate in workshops that enhance our professional lives.

sponsorship of a speaker, awards banquet, luncheon, or break, we are able to use resources in a manner that is the most effective possible. Sponsors are recognized publicly during the conference, in the conference workbook, and on the website. We have enclosed information and an agreement form that describes the partnership levels and benefits you and your organization will receive for your generous support. Your participation will enable the NASW Chapter to deliver the best social work conference ever. Your support enables us to improve the skills and knowledge social workers use to serve the communities and public in the State of Washington. Social workers were there answering the call to assist families of Hurricane Katrina. Social workers are there assisting the veterans returning home from the Gulf Conflicts. Social workers touch all of our lives and we are asking you to be a part and contribute to the profession of social work. Please contact Hoyt Suppes, at the NASW Washington office 206-709-7084 for more information. We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Social Work Conference in May 2007. Sincerely,

Corporate partners have a chance to be a part of this significant event in a highly visible way. This is the first time NASW Washington State Chapter has reached out to corporations to develop long lasting exclusive partnership relationships. Your support enables our organization to present the highest quality programs and to grow as a professional organization. Through your

Hoyt C. Suppes Executive Director

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PARTNERSHIP FEATURE BENEFITS Supporter Partner: $250  Non-exclusive  Company name recognized in conference program  One (1) complimentary conference registration Bronze Partner: $500  Non-exclusive  Company name recognized in conference program  Exhibit marketing area space  One (1) complimentary conference registration Silver Partner: $750  Non-exclusive  Company name recognized in conference program (1/8 page black and white ad)  Exhibit marketing area space  Company logo on website for one (1) month  One (1) complimentary conference registration

Platinum Partner: $1,500  Non-exclusive  Company logo in conference program (1/2 page ad)  Exhibit marking area space  Company logo on website for three (3) months  Invitation for one (1) person to attend special events or receptions (TBD)  One (1) complimentary conference registration Corporate Partnership: $3,000 (Exclusive)  Exclusivity to Industry  Company logo in conference program (1/2 page ad)  Third prime exhibit marketing area  Company logo on website for three (3) months  Door prize questionnaire  Recognition after Title and Host Partners  Invitation for 2 people to attend special events or receptions (TBD)

Gold Partner: $1,000 Host Partnership: $5,000 (Exclusive)  Non-exclusive  Company name recognized in conference program (1/4 page ad)  Exhibit marking area space  Company logo on website for two (2) months  Invitation for one (1) person to attend special events or receptions (TBD)  One (1) complimentary conference registration

 Exclusivity to Industry  Second largest company logo on promotional media (Program Workbook and Website)  Second prime exhibit marketing area  Company logo on website for six (6) months  Company logo in conference program

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(1st full page ad after program agenda in conference workbook)  Door prize questionnaire  Second recognition thanking partners  Invitation for 3 people to attend special events or receptions (TBD) Title Partnership: $10,000 (Exclusive)  Exclusivity to Industry  First and largest company logo on promotional media (Program Workbook and Website)  Prime exhibit marketing area  Company logo on website for nine (9) months  Company logo in conference program (First full page ad inside right)  Door prize questionnaire  Invitation for 4 people to attend special events or receptions (TBD)  Exclusive awards reception corporate partner

2011 Awards Nominations NASW WA State Chapter would like to honor people from the following categories. If you know of someone or an agency that you think deserves to be recognized please download the nomination form and send it back to the NASW-WA State office. The categories are listed below (click on the position to read what the criteria for that nomination are). Social Worker of the Year Social Work Educator of the Year Outstanding Recent Graduate Outstanding Student Outstanding Agency of the Year Public Citizen of the Year

Corporate Partnership Agreement Please fill out the Partner Sponsorship Agreement and Return to NASW-WA by January 31, 2012

2011 Awards Nominations Form

The agreement can be found by clicking here.

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A Psychotherapist's Guide to Facebook and Twitter: Why Clinicians Should Give a Tweet! By Keely Holmes The following article has been reprinted with permission from Psychotherapy.net, which is offering NASW-WA members 15% discount of Psychotherapy Training DVDs and Social Work Continuing Education Courses. Must enter promo code NASWWA12; offer good through 1/31/2012.

It seems strange today, but when I was a graduate student, nobody brought a laptop to school. I was lucky if my practicum sites had a computer that the office administrative assistant might permit me to use. I was the intern in the group who would beg whoever was working at the front desk to let me sneak on during our lunch hour so that I could check my email, write a quick blog post, or see what was happening on BMUG (Berkeley Mac Users Group). This was in 1998, which seems not very long ago, but which was eons ago in cybertime. I’d been on the Internet since 1993, and I’d been a computer consultant for almost as long. By the time I enrolled in my PsyD program in 1996, I’d Internet dated, I’d connected with friendly folks across the country, and, I’d been on Craigslist when it was just a small email list sent out by Craig himself. I accessed Usenet before the World Wide Web was browsable, and I spent much of 1994 lurking on support boards for polyamory and multiple personality disorder just because these forums allowed me to be a virtual fly on the wall and learn about the experiences of people whose lives were very different from mine. The Internet was still a place that offered anonymity at that time, a land of pseudonyms and no powerful search engines to track the gingerbread crumbs back to your door. I can still remember what it sounded like when my 2400 bps modem connected to AOL: the distinctive sound of rubber band meets

static as the modems on each side negotiated their connection. I also remember becoming a psychology trainee a few years later and listening awkwardly when supervisors and professors spoke with confidence about people who were addicted to the Internet. Many of them made assumptions about those “Internet people." They were lazy couch potatoes who never left the house, or worse: antisocial porn addicts. I seemed to be entering a field in which maybe my own Internet habits were a bit suspect. It’s now 2010 and it’s rare to find someone who isn’t on the Internet in some fashion. While many therapists may not have a social networking presence, most have email addresses and have used the Internet to locate a business, view a family member’s photos, or to watch a funny video on Youtube. When I started my private psychotherapy practice in 2008, I made the shift from using the Internet for my personal life to using it in my professional life. An integral part of that shift entailed creating a website and a blog. In 2009, I expanded my professional Internet presence to include a Twitter account and a Facebook page for my private practice. Some other mental health professionals have been doing the same. It’s certainly a new era. Social media is the use of web-based technology that allows the exchange of user-generated content. Such phrases probably sound like a foreign language to non-techies. So what this means in English is that ordinary people can create, share, and comment on information on a variety of platforms. They can interact with content on other user’s pages, and they can participate from both their computers and mobile devices. Two of the more popular social

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media networks that are appealing to mental health professionals are Facebook and Twitter. This article will focus on both of these sites. Facebook is the most popular social media website (over 400 million users at this time, and growing daily) and it’s where I will later write "I made a dent in that article I’m writing!" in my Status Update for all of my friends to see. It’s also where I’ll get a stream of lots of information from many of my Friends— I’ll get into the issue of "Friends" below, but suffice it to say that while there is overlap between Facebook Friends and real-life friends, they are not necessarily one and the same. Some of the information I will see from my Friends might be useful, some might be funny, and some might be completely meaningless. One of the learning curves of Facebook is finding out how to cull the information you find most useful and hide the rest. The main page of your Facebook profile is called a Wall and depending upon the privacy settings you select (which might limit who can post on your Wall, or who can even view the Wall itself) people can view things you post to your Wall or post items of their own onto your Wall. The sorts of things that get posted include Status Updates, which are brief comments you add about what you’re doing or something you care about. These Status Updates show up on the News Feed which is a constantly refreshing stream of what only an extremely social person could consider news: John just Liked a photo, Penny wrote on David’s Wall, Molly posted four pictures to Flickr (a photo-sharing site), Evan just overheard something funny. People also share news articles and Youtube videos or longer Notes, which are essays they write (or essays someone else wrote that someone wants to Share).

Some people post incredibly personal updates on their Walls. I have been surprised more than once to learn of engagements, deaths, and divorces via Facebook Walls. I sometimes discover this information reported on Facebook before ever getting a note or phone call from the person who posted the update. People have also used the Wall to share information about missing persons in their friend networks. News can travel fast, especially when people click the Share button and immediately are able to take a post from one user’s Wall and transmit it to everyone who reads their own Wall. When you have friend networks of 100–1000 people, you can imagine how this has become quite a tool for disseminating information. This quick circulation of information has inspired some therapists to consider using Facebook as a platform for advertising their practices. Some do this directly from their Facebook profiles and others have created a separate business listing, known as a Page. If you can get friends, families, and strangers to Like your page (prior to April, 2010, they became a Fan of your Page), then others in their network can see this action and click through to your business to learn more. Other therapists first get onto Facebook because they want to view family photos or find friends from high school or college. It’s a social networking site allowing you to connect to your friends and interact with them and their online profiles in a variety of ways. Where Facebook gets tricky for mental health professionals is that it is a personal space that exists in public. Our personal activities are not subject to the ethics code of our various professions. However, if you use your Facebook profile to establish your professional identity or to attract,

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connect, or interact with potential or current clients and colleagues, your Facebook presence has become part of your professional space. This means that legal and ethical provisions may now apply to your online activities. Be aware that professional relationships come with legal and ethical responsibilities that do not cease to exist just because you are on a social networking site. If you have a Facebook profile, it’s simply a matter of time before you also start receiving Friend requests. Some of these requests may come from people you know well, some may come from people you’ve met on a few occasions or those who you’ve exchanged a bit of email with in the past, and others may come from complete strangers. Be cognizant, if you are setting up a Facebook account for the first time, that depending upon your privacy settings, you may be making personal information, such as your phone numbers, address, or email addresses public or viewable by folks you add as a Friend. It is worth thinking through who you want to be able to link to you as a Friend, and which email address you wish to associate with your account. If you choose an email address that others know, they can very quickly find your profile. Some people who prefer greater privacy manage this by using an email address for Facebook that is not known to others, to minimize the possibility of showing up as a recommended Friend when other users search for people to add. Some therapists using Facebook have received requests from their current or former clients to add them as Friends. It is wise to think through how you plan to manage Friend requests from clients. Be mindful that inviting clients to your personal profile can be perceived as inviting them into your personal life. This

can send mixed messages to clients, especially if they are unclear about therapeutic boundaries to begin with. If you would never think of inviting a client to a cocktail party at your home with your friends and family present, then you may want to think twice about inviting them to be your Friend on Facebook (or approving their Friend requests). It can be the online equivalent of inviting them into your social circle. It may also make them wonder who else in this social circle is in treatment with you. If clients try to add us as Friends on Facebook, or we try to Friend them (yes, thanks to Facebook "Friend" has become a verb)—even by either of us accidentally clicking on a link to invite everyone in our address book—the boundaries can become even more complicated. This suddenly brings up issues of confidentiality, dual role conflicts, and feelings of trust, boundaries, safety, and rejection. It can also create questions about whether you are responsible for attending to the information a client shares on her own profile and utilizing it in treatment. Facebook encourages us to socialize. We are given suggestions about whom we should consider adding to our circles and this includes friends, family members, and co-workers, creating a virtual filing cabinet of all of the people in our lives. So, don’t feel socially inadequate or shocked because your niece has 642 Friends! The transparency of all of these collected contacts is creating new challenges for those of us who engage in confidential services. Having Facebook profiles that are visible to our clients potentially exposes lists of all of our relationships to those viewing it. When someone who is not a linked Friend of ours on the network views our profile, Facebook shows a list of the Friends we have in common. There is no way to hide this

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information from being shown to others. Maybe we don’t want our clients viewing our lists of Friends, particularly our Mutual Friends. By making visible what were formerly invisible threads between us and everyone else, Facebook takes our friend networks and opens them up like a Rolodex. This is not especially containing for many people. Imagine how you or your client may feel when you discover that you have 20 Friends in common. This possibility is not so farfetched—particularly if you are a member of a small community or if you share some other cultural group affiliation with your clients such as membership in groups related to sexual orientation, religion, disability, ethnicity, sobriety, and so on. Facebook offers the ability to make Pages instead of Profiles. Pages are similar to Profiles, but they are used more for businesses or public figures. The benefits to having a Page for your practice are that it’s a one-way relationship with those who Like your business (Liking a business allows users to add it to their Profile as something they like, endorse, or follow, and they can promote it to their Friends), rather than the two-way relationship that a Facebook Friendship implies. You can keep all of the information on the Page strictly professional and have a separate Profile that’s more personal in which you lock posts and select privacy settings to keep strangers from viewing your more personal interactions. The biggest problem with having a Page is that you will still have to decide how you feel about who Likes your practice. Will you want your family members listed on that Page for others to see? Will you accept current or former clients as people who endorse your Page? Having or allowing your clients to be connected to your public professional

profile brings up issues of confidentiality. There is also the question of whether someone Liking your Page could be perceived as a testimonial. All Ethics Codes for psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and social workers prohibit us from requesting testimonials from current clients due to their being vulnerable to our influence. Is a Facebook Page a passive request for an endorsement or testimonial? This is one of the gray area questions that social media is raising for clinicians. Twitter is that site where people post short messages of 140 characters or less. It’s called micro-blogging and it’s one of the things that some people say is causing our attention spans to shrink so that we’ll soon only be capable of absorbing pea-sized morsels of information. If you narrowed down Facebook to just the Status Updates and limited these updates to 140 characters, then you would have Twitter--except people can’t post things to your Twitter profile. All of your activity stays on your own page on Twitter. Why, you may ask, would someone want to share 140 characters of information? Well, it’s a great way to direct people to news stories or make short announcements. Most people use it to share tidbits from their day and there are a lot of mundane Tweets about people’s life activities. But Twitter can get a lot more interesting if you search for news items or want to follow a conversation. For example, some people have noticed that Twitter is the first place that they can find out if there was an earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area and that those updates sometimes refresh more quickly than some of the well-known earthquake websites. If you’re presenting at a conference or offering a CE workshop or you have

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openings in a therapy group, Twitter can be one way to get that information out to your Followers. Yes, your Followers. That’s the cultish name Twitter gives to what others might refer to as subscribers of your content. When you sign up for a Twitter profile, you can start looking for others whom you might want to Follow, as well. You can search your address book to see if people you have exchanged email with are on there. This means that friends, family, and that random person you bought a futon from on Craigslist ten years ago will all show up if they have a Twitter account and if they’re in your contact list on your email account. But you can also browse Twitter’s suggested users to find people Tweeting on the topics you care about, and there are also Twitter directories if you want to search for more specialized information. You can also have conversations with people on Twitter. You do this by @replying them. Your responses will show up on your Twitter profile page, and people can look at their @replies to see if others have responded to their messages. Twitter offers the ability to have either a public or private profile. Private profiles mean that only people you approve get to see your Tweets. If you have a public profile, anyone can read or reply to what you’re posting. Twitter also employs hashtags, which help people to find and follow conversations about a particular topic. Sometimes, people at a panel at a conference will assign the panel its own hashtag. For example a speaker may say: "This session has the hashtag #facebook_psych." When the hashtag is given, you can add the hashtag at the end of your Tweets so that others can click on it to find other public Tweets from people in the session. It also allows people outside the session to still participate in the conversation or ask

questions of those who are there. I had been on Twitter with a private personal account since 2006. It was an online space I inhabited with comfort. But it took an accidental fumble for me to realize how important it could be to create a professional account and keep it separate from my personal account. My awkward moment occurred when I tried to use my friend network to publicize my practice on Twitter. I Tweeted on my locked, personal account that I was running a support group. A friend Retweeted it to his group of several hundred followers. While I appreciated his publicizing it to so many people, I felt exposed and I realized that I didn't want my online pseudonym linked to my private practice. I called him and explained and he deleted it immediately. This was how I recognized that maybe I couldn't have it both ways: using social networking to expand my reach but not allowing people to repost things. I wondered if it was time to create a Twitter account solely for my professional practice. But I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested in what a psychologist had to say on Twitter. Weeks later, in February 2009, I met with a friend for one of our co-working dates and I batted the idea of the professional Twitter account back and forth with him. Within the hour, I created my @drkkolmes Twitter profile, used it to link to a few of my blog posts, and then sent an email out to a bunch of friends. In the email, I let them all know that I would not be following friends back on the Twitter account, as it was my intent to only follow other mental health organizations. But I asked if they would be kind enough to follow or publicize the account to others. About 15 people did. That’s how it began.

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By the end of 2009, my Follower count was over 800 people, and more importantly, I’d forged a number of fruitful collaborative projects with other mental health Tweeps (people who Tweet) on Twitter. It may be a bit unusual to think of "branding" yourself as a therapist. After all, many of us entered this profession with the primary goal of helping others. But the reality is that we are also running a business—which means we also have to manage and market it. The best thing about using social media is that it’s a great way to improve your branding. One way to do this is to create a name for your product, even if it’s simply Dr. So-and-So. You want the people who are searching for a therapist (or for you, specifically) to find justification to trust your professional services and identity. In order to brand my product, I use my professional name, Dr. Keely Kolmes or @drkkolmes, any time I want to create an impression in a public space as a professional. Some professionals blur their personal and professional lives online. But, in my opinion, people who are trying to create a brand should be careful about using their professional name and attaching it to nonprofessional postings about the weather, food or other personal topics. I make sure to only use my professional name to post psychology related news, news about my practice, or to respond to others who are talking about these matters. I want to be sure that people know what to expect when they see my name float across their screens, and what I’d like them to expect are thoughtful posts about professional topics of interest to me. I also want them to think of me when particular subjects come up that are related to my expressed interests, since then, they can also alert me to these items if they

see them first. Occasionally on Twitter someone may Tweet: "@drkkolmes, you might want to see this post about therapists Googling their clients," and I am pleased that they are sharing something interesting with me. But I’m especially pleased that they know what my professional interests are and that they can quickly let me know where I can find out more. Social media can help you do more than simply brand your own product. It can also help you connect to other professionals who share your interests. Once you find others through a site like Twitter, you can read their blogs, have public conversations with them, or DM (direct message) them or email them and have private exchanges. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly and fruitfully Twitter enhanced my professional life. People usually assume I use Twitter as a way to try to get therapy referrals or to disseminate information to my clients. But in my experience, no referrals have ever come from Twitter. Instead, it’s been a way to build dialogues with other mental health professionals, far and wide. I’ve been able to connect with other providers who also use social media through Twitter, draw them to my blog and writing, and find others whose writing and perspectives are meaningful to me. With several of these people, without ever having met face to face, we have shared joint projects. I’ve found myself being interviewed, co-authoring pieces, and speaking at professional trainings, all via Twitter. Those of us who use social media talk about a move towards greater "transparency" in healthcare. What we mean by transparency in this context is that we are using social media to provide clear, accessible information about our businesses and our business practices. My website provides a forum

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in which I can be clear about how I work, my fees, my office policies, and my professional interests. I have placed all of my private practice forms on my website so that they are always available to my clients. This has been both a matter of convenience and a way to take a good part of the mystery out of the business and process of psychotherapy for consumers of psychotherapy services. I blog about psychology-related topics that interest me. Since I do not allow comments on my blog and I do not wish to spend my online time moderating comments or worrying about the identity of people posting on my site, I invite readers to comment via private email and on Twitter. Oftentimes, people will Retweet my blog posts on Twitter or briefly respond to them and we might have a brief chat about it. Another example of utilizing social media transparency is my Facebook Private Practice Page which I experimented with last May and later disabled the following April. I never had clients become Fans of the Page and I was fairly clear in my policies and blog posts that I felt this would be a confidentiality concern. But I finally decided the Page provided more risks than benefits. I discussed my reasons to disable it (summarized below) on my blog and on Twitter. In this way, social media through blogging, Facebook posts, or even Tweets can provide a platform to convey your thinking on topics when it may not always make sense to bring these topics into each and every therapy session. But it makes your process of thinking about such things available if and when clients get curious to know more about how you came to particular decisions. I did a similar thing with the development of my Private Practice Social Media Policy, blogging about it as I wrote it, so

that those who cared to could understand how I came to my conclusions. Facebook Challenges The biggest potential problem with Facebook tends to be around managing Friend requests and controlling who posts on your Wall. Clinicians vary on their attitudes about handling Friend requests. Some feel strongly that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to welcome any clients who want to endorse their Pages. Others feel strongly that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge HIPAA, confidentiality, and dual-relationship can of worms, which isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worth the potential headaches. When I experimented with my own Facebook Page for my private practice, I was very clear that I would not allow clients to become Fans or to Like the Page. This invited criticism from other professionals who felt I was conveying mixed messages by having a Page that clients could not Fan if they wished to do so. My office policies stated that I would remove clients if they became Fans and some professionals expressed concern that this could be experienced as hurtful and rejecting to my clients and that it was too harsh a response. Ultimately, I chose to delete my Facebook Page because monitoring the Wall postings and scanning to see who had followed the Page felt like more time and energy than I wanted to spend. It was time spent on worry and risk management, rather than pleasure. Ironically, I never had a single negative experience with clients on my Facebook Page, but I did have a couple of situations in which supportive, wellmeaning friends posted comments that were too personal for my own comfort. This is always a risk on any social media page that allows others to post or comment. You cannot control what others write. But you can hit Delete. And

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Deleting people’s comments may make them feel hurt or censored. It’s one thing when it’s your friends or family who are experiencing this. But when it’s your client, you have a clinical dilemma of your own making. Pitfalls of Twitter There are times when you may find yourself tempted to get caught up in passionate exchanges on Twitter on issues that are meaningful to you. The conversation can be experienced so quickly as Tweets refresh that it’s compelling to respond immediately. But it’s hard to make a strong argument and fine-tune one’s tone in 140 characters. I try to keep the focus on lively conversations but there have been times that I felt baited by provocative Tweeters. I have sat with my fingers hovering over my keyboard, trying to compose a Tweet that I’d feel comfortable with any and all of my clients finding at some point down the line. And I will admit to a handful of times that I’ve deleted Tweets when I wasn’t sure I wanted to live with them forever. This has happened when I wasn’t sure if I’d expressed myself well or when I felt a corny joke fell flat. (Note that these will still show up in RSS readers and be archived if you have posted them under a public account. There also used to be a website called Tweleted that allowed you to view Tweets that had been deleted by users with public accounts.) As your number of Followers increases, you will have more random comments, questions, and spam directed your way. I've had to learn to resist the impulse to reply to every question or comment. It is wise to conserve your time and energy and focus on conversations that have high value to you, but being more selective may bump up against your own worries of being rude or ignoring folks.

There was a time when I felt that I should try to confine my Tweets to "normal" waking hours. I have a tendency to stay up late at night. I like the quiet hours when I do most of my inspired writing and when I’m least likely to be interrupted. Sometimes I wake up at night and I may wind up online where I’ll find an interesting psychology-related news item that I want to Tweet. For a while, I worried that clients might know too much about my habits if I posted late at night. At some point, I gave up on worrying about the timing of my Tweets and decided to allow myself to do what felt natural to my own rhythms. What a relief. Now I feel that so long as I'm fully showing up for client sessions, giving my patients my full attention, and keeping good boundaries about the content of my Tweets, when I Tweet is really my own business. But it is an interesting conflation of both personal and professional space. In a similar vein, clinicians with public Twitter accounts may want to be aware of the effect it may have on clients if you are busy updating your social media profiles before responding to a client’s phone message or email. We may be unwittingly conveying a hierarchy of priorities that can leave clients feeling less important. Another challenge of Twitter in regard to clinical care is the need to be aware that it’s not just our own therapy clients who may follow our postings there. In some cases, others in our clients’ lives may also follow us and this may have an impact both on the client and on our clinical relationship. For example, a client may share with one of his friends, family members, or relationship partners that he sees a therapist and that his therapist is on Twitter. These people may wind up with strong opinions about our social media presence or react to things we post, and this may put our client in the position of either feeling

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protective of us or feeling uncomfortable. Even clients who don’t tell others who their therapist is may have such feelings if and when they see us engaging with others on social media. And what of clients who have friends who follow our updates but who don’t know their friend is in treatment with us? By making ourselves public figures in this way, we’re certainly introducing some non-traditional dynamics into the traditional therapy relationship. Of course, this potential tension has always existed with therapists who write books or are public speakers, but social media increases the ability to immediately access a therapist’s public presence. Having a social media presence certainly is not for everyone. A clinician usually has to have some natural attraction to the media in order to be able to cultivate and care for their professional presence on the Internet. Also, given how visibility in the social networking world is a fairly new thing for many professionals, one also has to be prepared for some of the negative critiques one may elicit from other professionals about the effects of breaking the therapeutic frame. However, it’s important to bear in mind that we do not yet have any empirical evidence that it is harmful to clients in any way to view their therapist acting as a professional outside of the office. I see one’s professional online identity— so long as the interactions are professional and not personal—as a form of community outreach. I have compared it to working in a college counseling center and then visiting a class that your client may be a student in, such as when a community event affects the campus and you provide information or do a presentation. Sometimes we are visible in the community as mental health

professionals and clients may see us acting in this role outside of therapy sessions. An online professional presence can be similar. Some of us are teachers, writers, and lecturers, as well as clinicians. This is our professional life. Perhaps we do not have to exist in a vacuum, only functioning as clinicians in our therapy sessions. Existing online does not have to mean we cannot hold the frame with our clients, nor does it have to mean we are incapable of boundaries or talking about the effects of our online visibility on clients, when necessary. But we are going to have to develop tools and systems to learn to take care of boundaries in new ways and be present to talk with clients about the effect our online lives have on the clinical relationship. Keely Kolmes, PsyD is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco. She writes and speaks on the intersection of clinical care and social media and provides training and consultation to other mental health professionals on these topics. She is currently researching the impact of extra-therapeutic encounters on the Internet between therapists and their clients. She will be presenting at the 2010 APA Convention this August on a panel called Social Media and Psychology—Opportunities and Challenges for Practitioners. Her C.V. and blog are available on her website She keeps a blog specifically to help psychotherapists understand and manage social media: drkkolmes.com/blog/clinicians. She can also be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/drkkolmes. Copyright © 2010 Psychotherapy.net. Reprinted with permission. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of NASW Washington State Chapter. This article is reprinted with the permission of the author, National Association of Social Workers National Chapter.

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Free Membership - New Member Recruitment Drive

Call for Nominations for FY 2012 NASW-WA Leadership Positions

Do you want to earn a free NASW WA Chapter membership? It is easy. Between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, recruit three (3) new FULL members that have not been a NASW member in the last five years, and your membership dues will be paid. A Full member is one that pays the full current membership dues of $190.

All you have to do is recruit three Social Workers that have not been FULL NASW members prior to July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. If you have paid your FULL membership dues in July or August 2011, you are still eligible for the free membership. Just send in the three new members and after the membership is verified that they have not been a member in the last five years, your dues will be refunded. A Full member is one that pays the full current membership dues of $190. Please carefully read the membership recruitment drive instructions and complete the new member application form with your three new Social worker members. All new members will be verified that they have not been a member prior to July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007. Click on the following link for more details: Membership Drive.

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Become Part of the NASW-WA State Leadership Team Call for Nomination for the 2012 Chapter Leadership Election! Our Chapter is filled with social workers from across the state, who work in a variety of capacities and bring with them different talents, interests, values and cultural backgrounds. What unites us is being a member of the social work profession. As the professional association for such a diverse profession, our leadership must be a robust and diverse as our membership to represent the issues and engage in the activities that are important to each of you. Annually the chapter has a variety of elected leadership roles that become available. The available opportunities for the 2012 election are identified below. The Chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nominations & Leadership Identification Committee (NLIC) asks you to review these

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opportunities and consider running for one that fits your skills and interests as a way of giving back to your profession and enhancing your own leadership skills.

South Puget Sound Region Representative

Upon election, the Chapter will provide orientation to your new role, information about current chapter initiatives, as well as opportunities for leadership development. Holding a leadership position offers you an influential role at the state and/or local level to guide our programmatic and policy priorities for the organization.

Blue MT Region Representative

You may nominate yourself, a friend, or colleague who is also a member of NASW-WA. The members of our NLIC Committee as well as our NLIC Chairperson, Taylene Watson and staff liaison are all available to discuss the various opportunities with you and help you decide which role best suits you. Experienced leaders are welcome and new candidates are also encouraged to nominate.

Mount Rainer Region Representative

Fiscal Year 2012 and 2013 Leadership Vacancies (Term Begins July 1, 2012June 30, 2014) Board of Directors Officers (all offices are 2 year terms unless otherwise noted) President Elect – 1 year term Secretary VP Communications Marketing VP Diversity Columbia River Region Representative MT Rainer Region Representative

Suburban King County Region Representative

MSW Representative - 1 year term BSW Representative – 1 year term Non BOD Position Delegate Assembly (2 positions) NLIC Positions

Inland Empire Region Representative South Puget Sound Region Representative Columbia River Region Representative Blue Mountain Region Representative Job Descriptions:

Job Title: President – Elect The President Elect serves as an identified NASW elected Board member and is elected one year in advance of assuming the duties of the office. This person is a voting member of the Board and participates in the decision making process. The President Elect works with other Chapter officers, Board members, Chapter members and Chapter staff to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Serves as an apprentice to the office of President. 2. Fulfills all of the duties of the President in the event of absence or disability of the President.

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4. 5.

Attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Serves on Chapter committees as assigned by the President. Represents the Chapter in attendance at national, regional and statewide meetings as assigned by the President. Assists the President with adjudicated cases of the Chapter Professional Review Committee, helps in assuring compliance with NASW procedures, helps in planning and implementing recommendations in final report, and monitors cases as assigned by the President.

QUALIFICATIONS Membership in NASW. Knowledge of and commitment to NASW and the Chapter. Evidence of active involvement and leadership in Chapter activities. Availability to fulfill the duties of the office.

Job Title: Secretary The Secretary serves as an identified NASW elected Board member and fills a two year term in office, attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and participates in the decision making process. The Secretary works with other Chapter officers, Board members, Chapter members and Chapter staff to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. All Chapter elected terms run from July 1 through June 30. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Records minutes at all Board and Executive Committee meetings and other meetings as assigned. 2. Maintains order of all non-fiscal records of the Chapter. 3. Serves as the primary liaison between the Board of Directors

and Regional Representatives to insure that Regional programs are developed and implemented in a fashion consistent with the Chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic plan, policies and procedures of the Association. Represents the Chapter in attendance at national, regional and statewide meetings as assigned by the President. Reviews adjudicated cases of the Chapter Professional Review Committee, helps assure compliance with NASW procedures, helps in planning and implementing recommendations in final report, and monitors cases as assigned by the President.

Job Title: Vice President of Communication and Marketing The Vice President of Communication and Marketing serves is an NASW Board member, is elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors, attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and participates in the decision making process. The Vice President works with other Chapter officers, Board members, Chapter members and Chapter staff to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. This person serves as program coordinator to fulfill the goal of the Membership and Communication Services Committee: to enhance the effective functioning of the Chapter and to improve the way we

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serve its members. All Chapter elected terms run from July 1 through June 30. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Liaisons with the Membership Committee, Communication and Media Committee, and other Committees as assigned. 2. Provides consultation to the chairpersons of the above groups as appropriate. 3. Provides an effective communications link between the Board of Directors and the Membership Committee and Communication and Media Committee with a quarterly report of their activities. 4. Assures that programs and activities of the above groups are coordinated with each other and with related activities of groups in other program areas. 5. Assures development and implementation of plans and activities that are consistent with the Chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic plan, policies and procedures. 6. Assures the timely completion of projects and programs. 7. Identifies problems areas and undertakes corrective actions in a timely manner. 8. Recommends candidates for Committee appointments. 9. Represents the Chapter in attendance at national, regional and statewide meetings as assigned by the President. 10. Fosters membership in the Schools of Social Work and coordinates with the Student Board Representatives. QUALIFICATIONS Membership in NASW. Knowledge of and commitment to NASW and the Chapter. Evidence of active involvement and leadership in Chapter activities.

Availability to fulfill the duties of the office

Job Title: Vice President of Diversity The Vice President of Diversity serves as an identified NASW elected Board members, is elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors, attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and participates in the decision making process. The Vice President works with other Chapter officers, Board members, Chapter members and Chapter staff to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. This person serves as program coordinator by identifying members to volunteer on assigned committees and projects and overseeing their work. All Chapter terms run from July 1 through June 30. Responsibilities The Committee is responsible for the development of programs, activities, policy and leadership identification that pertain to the mission and goals of this committee. QUALIFICATIONS Membership in NASW. Knowledge of and commitment to NASW and the Chapter. Evidence of active involvement and leadership in Chapter activities. Availability to fulfill the duties of the office.

Job Title: Region Representative The Region Representative serves as an identified NASW elected Board member and fills a two year term in office, attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and participates in the decision making process. The Representative works with other Chapter officers, Board members,

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Chapter members and Chapter staff to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. All Chapter elected terms run from July 1 through June 30. RESPONSIBILITIES Responsible for the functioning of Regions and in the development of District leadership and activities. Activities 1. Provide leadership to the development of Districts within the Regions. 2. Hold quarterly Region leadership and program development meetings with District Chairs. 3. Recommend candidates to the NLIC Committee for Chapter elections. 4. Recommend candidates to the President for Committee appointments. 5. Prepare and deliver a written quarterly report of plans/activities to the Board of Directors. 6. Establish and maintain contact with the faculty and Student District Chair at the schools of social work within the Region (if such are present.) 7. Select and present annual Region awards (e.g., Social Worker and Public Citizen of the Year) and nominate the winners for the State awards. Submit name(s) to the Chapter for statewide awards. 8. Submit a calendar of meeting dates and summary of events to the Chapter office for publication in each issue of Currents. 9. Invite NASW members and non members to attend the District meetings and become involved in the District activities. 10. Hold at least one workshop or training per year. Charge admission with the goal of attaining excess revenue.

QUALIFICATIONS Membership in NASW. Commitment to NASW, the Washington State Chapter of NASW and to the profession of social work. Interest in developing leadership skills and becoming involved in Chapter, Region and District activities. Willingness and availability to fulfill the duties of the office.

Job Title: MSW Student Representative The MSW Student Representative serves a one-year term on the Board of Directors, attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and participates in the decision making process. The Representative serves as an identified NASW leader and works with the Chapter officers, Board members and Chapter members to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. All Chapter elected terms run from July 1 through June 30. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Serves as the representative for all MSW students in the state assuring adequate flow of information from the Chapter and Board to identified Student District Chairs. 2. Assists with the recruitment of a Student District Chair from each of the MSW programs in the state in the spring to begin transition of activities. 3. Meets with the incoming Student Board Representative, after the Spring election, to create a smooth transition for future activities. 4. Meets in the fall with the Student District Chairs and a representative from the Chapter to:

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8. 9. 10.

11.

a) identify student activities and b) plan for student membership recruitment and retention. Is encouraged to attend the local District meetings and encourages students to participate in these meetings and activities. Convenes NASW meetings for students on his/her own campus 1-2 times a year and encourages the Student District Chairs to hold similar student meetings. Communicates with the Board Representative in the Region in which the student goes to school. Provides quarterly reports to the Board. Writes articles on MSW student activities for the Currents. Identifies student members with leadership interest or potential for the Chapter Nominations and Leadership Identification Committee (NLIC). Communicates with the identified faculty liaisons in the school at which the student attends.

QUALIFICATIONS Membership in NASW. Must have at least one year remaining in his/her program of study when taking office. Knowledge of and commitment to NASW and the Chapter. Interest in becoming involved in a leadership training position and in Chapter activities. Availability to fulfill the duties of the office.

Job Title: BSW Student Representative The BSW Student Representative serves a one-year term on the Board of Directors, attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and participates in

the decision making process. The Representative serves as an identified NASW leader and works with the Chapter officers, Board members and Chapter members to fulfill the mission of the Chapter. All Chapter elected terms run from July 1 through June 30. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Serves as the representative for all BSW students in the state assuring adequate information flow from the Chapter and Board to identified Student District Chairs. 2. Assists with the recruitment of a Student District Chair from each of the BSW programs in the state in the spring to begin transition of activities. 3. Meets with the incoming Student Board Representative, after the Spring election, to create a smooth transition for future activities. 4. Meets in the fall with the Student District Chairs and a representative from the Chapter to: a) identify student activities and b) plan for student membership recruitment and retention. 5. Convenes NASW meetings for students on his/her own campus 1-2 times a year and encourages the Student District Chair in other schools to hold similar student meetings. 6. Communicates with the Board Representative in the Region in which the student goes to school. 7. Is encouraged to attend the local District meetings and encourages students to participate in these meetings and activities. 8. Provides quarterly written reports to the Board. 9. Writes articles on BSW student activities for the Currents. 10. Identifies student members with leadership interest or potential for the Chapter Nominations and Leadership Identification Committee (NLIC).

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11. Communicates with the BSW and faculty liaisons in the school at which the student attends. QUALIFICATIONS Membership in NASW. Must have at least one year remaining in his/her program of study when taking office. Knowledge of and commitment to NASW and the Chapter. Interest in becoming involved in a leadership training position and in Chapter activities. Availability to fulfill the duties of the office.

Job Title: Delegate to National Delegate assembly RESPONSIBILITIES The Delegate Assembly is the representative, decision – making body – comprised of 277 elected delegates – through which NASW members set broad organizational policy, establish program priorities, and develop a collective stance on public addresses Delegate Assembly. The Delegate Assembly meets once every three years. Click here for Details.

members and Delegates. The candidates shall be selected so as to guarantee that candidates reflect the population concentrations, geographic distribution, ethnic minority distribution, gender distribution, students and special interests of the membership.

The Nomination Process Complete the Nomination form for Elective Office and submit to the Chapter Office. Nominees will be asked to complete a biographical fact sheet to provide the NLIC with additional information about the prospective candidate. For additional information regarding leadership opportunities, please contact the NASW-WA Chapter Office at 206-706-7084 or via email.

Job Title: Nominations and Leadership Identification Committee (NLIC) Authorization and Accountability The Nominations and Leadership Identification Committee (NLIC) is mandated by the Chapter Bylaws Article IX and is accountable to the Board of Directors. Duties The duties of the NLIC shall be: To select at least two candidates for each position in the regular election of Chapter officers, Board members and NLIC Visit our Website for more information at www.nasw-wa.org. Enjoy!

Health Insurance, HIPAA and Client Privacy By Sherri Morgan, Associate Counsel, LDF and Office of Ethics & Professional Review, Carolyn I. Polowy, NASW General Counsel and Amber Khan, Legal Researcher ©2011 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction Many social work clients depend on health insurance companies to cover the costs of their mental health treatment and, in return, many clinical social workers depend on reimbursement from health insurance companies for their income. In order to facilitate the claims and payment processes, health insurers generally require access to some information about the clients’ emotional or mental conditions and the progress of treatment. As insurers’ requests for confidential information have increased, social workers sometimes have experienced conflicts with the ethical and legal obligations to respect the privacy of their clients and to maintain confidentiality. This Legal Issue of the Month article will evaluate the effects on client privacy when social workers interact with health insurance companies and will focus on provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) that provide mechanisms for protecting clients’ privacy. Background Health insurers, including Medicaid, Medicare and managed care organizations, continue to seek reductions in healthcare costs by reviewing providers’ claims to assure that the treatment provided was medically necessary and properly

documented according to the insurer’s standards. During the claims process or even years later, for auditing purposes, an insurer may request detailed information about the client’s mental health symptoms, treatment, progress and prognosis, including clinical records of psychotherapy sessions. At times, the client and/or the clinical social worker may determine that an insurer’s request is so intrusive as to interfere with the treatment process or to violate client privacy rights. In order to determine what options are available for responding to requests for detailed client information a social worker may need to review federal health privacy standards, state laws concerning health privacy and social work practice, and ethical principles. HIPAA The privacy regulations which implement the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) list the circumstances in which health care entities may disclose protected health information, and the circumstances in which they must disclose. Generally, HIPAA allows health care entities to disclose protected health information for purposes of “treatment, payment, or health care [business] operations” without client consent (45 CFR 164.506 (current through 2011)). This includes information disclosed by clinical social workers to health insurance companies to facilitate claims for payment. Although HIPAA allows the disclosure of information without consent for payment purposes, it does not prohibit health care providers from obtaining client consent in order to meet professional ethical standards, such as the NASW Code of Ethics, which does require

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consent before releasing confidential client information to insurers (NASW, 2008). With the client’s signed consent to release information, clinicians may complete health insurance claim forms and submit them to the insurer for reimbursement. From time to time, insurers may ask for some additional information to justify the continuation of treatment for a specific number of sessions and clinicians generally rely on the initial release form signed by the client as sufficient authorization to release the additional information. However, when an insurer insists on a copy of the clinician’s notes there are concerns as to whether the client’s expectations about privacy may be breached. At least three provisions within the HIPAA privacy regulations are available to protect client privacy from requests by insurers for more detailed clinical information than the client or practitioner believes is necessary: 1. Clients who self-pay may request that their health care practitioner not inform their health insurer and the practitioner is required to comply with this request, according to a HIPAA amendment included in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act 42 U.S.C.S. § 17935 (2009). In this instance, clients with higher incomes can afford to “pay” for increased privacy by bypassing their available mental health insurance benefits, while lower income clients generally cannot afford this option.

2. Health insurers are subject to HIPAA’s “minimum necessary” requirement (as are providers). The insurer is required to limit its request for the disclosure of information to the minimum amount necessary for a particular purpose. However, the entity that is releasing the information (such as a clinical social worker) has the authority to determine whether the amount of information to be released is the “minimum necessary” (42 U.S.C.S. 17935(b)(2)). 3. A readily available option is for the clinical social worker/psychotherapist to create two folders for each client. The “medical record” would contain summary progress notes sufficient to document that clinical services were provided on specific dates, that the treatment was medically necessary and appropriate. The client’s detailed information about the content of sessions and the therapist’s own thoughts and analysis would be placed in a separate “psychotherapy notes” folder. Thus, when an insurer requests access to or a copy of the entire “medical record,” their staff will not have access to the psychotherapy notes. Psychotherapy Notes With a few exceptions, separately maintained psychotherapy notes may not be disclosed unless the client has signed a separate authorization form (45 CFR 164.506; 45 CFR 164.508 (current through 2011). HIPAA defines psychotherapy notes as, Notes recorded (in any medium)

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by a health care provider who is a mental health professional documenting or analyzing the contents of conversation during a private counseling session or a group, joint, or family counseling session and that are separated from the rest of the individual's medical record. Psychotherapy notes excludes medication prescription and monitoring, counseling session start and stop times, the modalities and frequencies of treatment furnished, results of clinical tests, and any summary of the following items: Diagnosis, functional status, the treatment plan, symptoms, prognosis, and progress to date (45 CFR 164.501 (current through 2011)). Thus, the material that HIPAA “excludes” from psychotherapy notes is what would be included in the client’s primary clinical record (e.g. the HIPAA “medical record”), as well as insurance and payment information. A client cannot be required to sign an authorization to release the separate psychotherapy notes as a condition of “treatment, payment, enrollment in the health plan, or eligibility for benefits” (45 CFR 164.508). Thus, insurers are prohibited from coercing or pressuring clients to sign a consent to release psychotherapy notes and the information will remain protected from disclosure (Morgan, 2006). Minimum Necessary Standard Health care entities must generally abide by the HIPAA minimum necessary standard. Under HIPAA, “When using or

disclosing protected health information or when requesting protected health information from another covered entity, a covered entity or business associate must make reasonable efforts to limit protected health information to the minimum necessary to accomplish the intended purpose of the use, disclosure, or request” (45 CFR 164.502 (current through 2011)). This standard applies to disclosures made for payment purposes, although there are a number of other exceptions to the rule. The minimum necessary provision is intended to provide the individual client with as much privacy as possible, even when providers disclose the individual’s protected health information to other entities, such as health insurance companies. Tension exists between consumer privacy advocates and the health insurance industry as to how much and what personal information health insurers should be able to access and use in the conduct of their business. In order to challenge an overly-broad or overly-detailed request for information from a health insurer, the practitioner may need to follow up with a contact to the insurer’s “HIPAA privacy officer” in writing, if attempts to communicate the concerns to the provider relations staff have been unsuccessful. The HITECH amendments to HIPAA indicate that the entity that is releasing information “shall” determine whether it is the minimum amount necessary. This provides practitioners with clear statutory authority to determine what information to release; however, it is unclear how insurers will respond in the event of conflicting views on how much clinical information is needed for claims processing, auditing and other insurance business activities.

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State Health Privacy Laws A number of states have provisions defining and protecting a health care practitioner’s personal notes. Different terms may be applied to that content and the type of privacy protection varies from state to state (Morgan and Polowy, 2001, Appendix II). For purposes of protecting client’s information from unnecessary disclosure to health insurers, it is advisable to follow the HIPAA standards for maintaining separate “psychotherapy notes.” Analysis and Conclusion Since the HIPAA privacy regulations were implemented eight years ago, there has been sufficient opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the “psychotherapy notes” provision and it has been a beneficial mechanism to protect clients’ privacy. Changing expectations about privacy in the wake of electronic health records and new modes of communication may heighten concerns about whether any confidential information can be adequately protected from disclosure. The limits on disclosure of separate psychotherapy notes are one of the few extra privacy protections provided in the HIPAA regulations. Although the use of separate notes is voluntary, it is highly recommended that clinical social workers utilize this mechanism if the social work practice or agency routinely files claims with health insurers. Even insurers with which a social worker has had a long and positive working relationship may conduct a random audit (often through an outside contractor) several years after treatment has terminated and request clients’ detailed clinical

information. The needs of the insurer/auditor can be readily met while protecting client privacy, if psychotherapy notes were maintained separately. It is less clear how effectively the “minimum necessary” standard has been applied to protect clients’ privacy, as it is subject to widely varying interpretations between (and within) health care entities. Finally, the “selfpay” provision (noted in the numbered paragraph above) is effective to block insurers’ access to client information, but at a cost to the individual client and potentially to society, as it does not address the rights of those who cannot afford to pay for treatment out of pocket. References 45 CFR § 164.501 (current through 2011). 45 CFR § 164.502 (current through 2011). 45 CFR § 164.506 (current through 2011). 45 CFR § 164.508 (current through 2011). Morgan. S., et al. (2006). Social workers and psychotherapy notes. Legal Defense Fund, Legal Issue of the Month, National Association of Social Workers. [Online]. Available at https://www.socialworkers.org/ldf/legal_issue/2006 /200606.asp (accessible to NASW members). Polowy, C., et al. (1997, 2011 edition pending). Client confidentiality and privileged communications. General Counsel Law Note, National Association of Social Workers. [Online]. Available to order at http://www.socialworkers.org/ldf/lawnotes/confiden tiality.asp. Polowy, C. and Morgan, S. (2001). Social workers and clinical notes. General Counsel Law Note, National Association of Social Workers . [Online]. Available to order at http://www.socialworkers.org/ldf/lawnotes/notes.as p. 42 U.S.C.S. § 17935 (2009). This Article has been reprinted with written permission from NASW National.

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Easy Access to Online Learning

Professional social workers are more pressed for time than ever, but the fact that there are too few hours in a day doesn’t let us off the hook when it comes to continuing education requirements. This is a good thing. We all want practitioners in our profession to be on top of their game and that means staying current on the latest research, techniques, and best practices. Sometimes, however, we need to find creative solutions to help us keep up with CE requirements. Technology is just such a creative solution, as it can provide the means to access continuing education at any time of the day from anywhere Internet access is available. This opens up a whole new world for those of us trying to squeeze CE into an already full schedule. At NASW Washington State Chapter, we recognize that online CE is both an important tool and a necessity for busy social workers. That is why we have developed a brand new online CE program. We call the program, the Online CE Institute. The Institute is a part of the NASW-Washington Chapter website where members can browse and select courses from an extensive

CE catalog. Institute courses include self-study programs, live online seminars, taped video presentations, and audio workshops. And the Institute is designed to make it easy for members to find, register, and participate in courses. Since Washington State social workers are allowed to earn twenty six of the required 36 continuing education credits online, the Institute provides the perfect opportunity to participate in highquality courses and programs at your convenience and through a trusted source. By the time this article goes to print, the NASW Washington State catalog will have grown to hundreds of online options. Course content includes subject areas from addiction, adolescent behavior, and anxiety to depression, geriatrics, PTSD and much more. Tips for Getting Started Using the online catalog is simple. Just go to the NASW Washington State website and click on the Online CE Institute banner in the right sidebar. Or look for “continuing education” in the top pull down menu and click on “online continuing education”. Once you are on the Online CE Institute page, use the tabs to navigate to the courses you are interested in. Purchasing a course is also easy, just click “buy now,” complete your registration, and pay for the program. That’s all there is to it. One of the advantages of an online course is that you can complete it in multiple sittings (unless it is a live seminar). If you want to take a break for a minute or a week, just return at your convenience and go to the “MyAccount” tab. Your course will be waiting for you, right where you left off. When you complete a course, take the test, and fill out the course evaluation. Once completed, you will be prompted to print your certificate. It’s straight forward and

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convenient. But if you do happen to run into technical difficulties while registering or taking a course, NASWWashington State has that covered. We have included a “HELP” tab that is accessible on any Online CE Institute website page. There, you will find answers to commonly asked questions as well as contact information for live technical support--email, chat, and phone. So you are covered, no matter when you happen to be taking the course.

Strategy of the Month: Healthy Living at Via Verde October 2011

CE Where and When You Need It Social work is a challenging and rewarding career. It also requires a commitment to ongoing learning. At NASW-Washington State Chapter, it is our goal to support your commitment to continuing education by making it easier for you to find and participate in high quality courses and workshops. The Online CE Institute was created to do just that. We hope you will visit the Institute next time you are online and we welcome your thoughts about the Institute and continuing education in general. Happy learning! NASW-Washington State Chapter

An architectural rendering of the Via Verde development in the city of New York. Image Credit: Phipps, Rose, Dattner, Grimshaw

Set for a late 2012 completion, a new development in the Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx — situated on formerly contaminated land in a historically distressed neighborhood — is a prime example of quality affordable, sustainable, and mixed-income housing. Known as Via Verde, the project was the winning entry of the New Housing New York (NHNY) Design Ideas Competition of 2004, sponsored by the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Designers were challenged to create affordable, sustainable, and mixed-income housing through innovative design. Phipps Houses and Jonathan Rose Companies, together with Dattner Architects and Grimshaw, was the development team responsible for the Via Verde project; the team was awarded first place out of 32 entries.

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To translate the concept design into a built project, the NHNY Legacy Project was established in 2006 — awarding the development team a 40,000 square-foot, vacant cityowned lot for a nominal fee and a $145,000 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation environmental remediation grant. The project broke ground on May 3, 2010. Via Verde (The Green Way) is a 221unit project that includes townhouses, live-work units, and duplex apartments in a 300,000 square foot mixed-use complex. Seventy-one units will be homeownership co-op units, aimed at households earning 110 percent of the area median income (AMI), while 150 units will be rental units for low- and moderateincome households earning between 30 and 90 percent of AMI. What sets Via Verde apart from other affordable developments is its focus on green and healthy living. The project is a pilot for New York City’s Active Design Guidelines, which seeks to alleviate obesity through physical activity while also supporting the goal of sustainability. Physical activities are encouraged through its design and amenities; the property is located near mass transit, staircases are lit with natural light and placed ahead of elevators to encourage walking, and the fitness room overlooks views of the terraced roof to encourage its use. Via Verde will also include a farmer’s market on the ground floor and a health education and wellness center, to promote a healthy life style. Via Verde’s sustainable features include rooftop gardens, which serve a multitude of purposes — onsite community gardening, increased energy efficiency from an added layer of

insulation, and storm water management achieved through rainwater retention. According to Via Verde Homes, LLC, Via Verde is designed to achieve Gold LEED certification, as well as to exceed environmental responsibility guidelines established by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and Enterprise Green Communities. The building is estimated to be 30 percent more energy efficient than a standard building. The Via Verde project rethinks public housing as a mix of public and private spaces near mass transit, aimed at addressing health concerns such as obesity, while providing access to healthy food and opportunities for physically activity. For additional details and a link to the project, please click here We hope this information will assist communities as they continue to look for ways to promote sustainable affordable housing. If you have successfully implemented affordable housing programs of any kind, would like to share resources, or require assistance in identifying additional policy tools, research, or strategies available through our searchable online Clearinghouse database, email us at rbcsumbit@huduser.org, call us at 1-800-245-2691 (option 4), or visit our website at www.regbarriers.org. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of NASW Washington State Chapter. This article is reprinted with the permission of the author, National Association of Social Workers National Chapter.

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Social Work Lobby Day 2012 Make your voice heard to your elected officials. Stand up and speak out on important issues facing the social work profession in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legislative arena. February 20, 2012 The United Churches 110 11th Ave SE Olympia, WA 98501 8:30 AM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3:00 PM Join all your social work colleagues for NASW-WA Chapter Lobby Day February 20, 2012. Lobby Day is an opportunity for the social workers across the state to speak one on one with their state legislators and voice support for legislation that impacts children, families, health care, the profession of social work, and many other social justice issues. The last several years, approximately 200 social workers participated in the WA Chapter Lobby Day.

2012 LOBBY DAY CONTEST FOR SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK The college or university with the greatest participation in Lobby Day will receive a plaque honoring their efforts. Two prizes will be given - one for the largest number of participants, and one for the greatest percentage of students attending. Contact NASW-WA at 1-206-7067084 for more information and contest rules!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving with Family and Friends!

Lobby Day will be held at The United Churches of Olympia, 110 11th Street SE, Olympia, WA 98501. The events will begin at 8:30AM and run until early afternoon with your visits to your state legislators. Come together on February 20, 2012, and support the profession of social work and the clients we serve.

Visit our Website for more information at www.nasw-wa.org. Enjoy!