For those in helping professions like social work in order to build sustainable habits, you need to be able to connect with your best self even when nothing is going right. Rebecca Gomez, PhD, LCSW, is the interim dean and an associate professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Gomez discusses in […]
Experiencing hunger at any time of year is difficult and scary, but it can be especially challenging during the holiday season when on-campus dining options are limited or closed entirely. This article provides tips on how to help students this holiday season. Youngmi Kim, Ph.D., an associate professor at the VCU School of Social Work, […]
In September, the Biden administration hosted the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 50 years with the goal to completely eliminate food insecurity by 2030. Food insecurity has been tied to poor physical health, focus, and mental well-being. Youngmi Kim, Ph.D., VCU School of Social Work associate professor, has studied and […]
Social affirmation is important, especially for children who have begun to realize that their identity does not match the gender they were assigned at birth. Although it is not technically medical care, social affirmation is an important part of providing gender-affirming care. Maurice Gattis, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Social Work and […]
The importance of appropriate pronouns is something that is becoming more widely acknowledged, but not everyone may realize that chosen names matter just as much. They matter, moreover, not just for the transgender and nonbinary communities but also for people in a variety of situations for whom a legal name or birth name may not […]
An uptick in coverage of mass shootings has caused some to have crippling day-to-day anxiety. Hyojin Im, Ph.D., an associate professor in the online master of social work program at Virginia Commonwealth University explains how repeated trauma impacts the body’s ability to accurately assess danger and cope with stress. Check out this article to read […]
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and you can’t discuss mental health without discussing the LGBTQ community. That’s because mental health is an LGBTQ issue. The LGBTQ community faces disproportionate risk of negative mental health outcomes like depression, anxiety, and suicide. These risks are especially pertinent among LGBTQ children. According to a 2022 survey from […]
Miscarriages are a common but dreadful experience that every expecting couple fears. When they occur, they do so suddenly, usually without warning. In their wake, it can be difficult to identify and handle the feelings that follow.
‘I arrived home from the hospital in May 2021 with my fourth son and sat down to nurse him, balancing pelvic ice packs with lower back heating pads, an adult diaper, one breast infected with mastitis and three other young sons eagerly bouncing around wanting to meet him. The baby finally settled in on my […]
Not so far away from the daily lives of most Americans is a growing crisis: the opioid epidemic. Government reports show that from April 2020 to April 2021, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses. These numbers don’t account for the people who have been lucky enough to survive, yet are still battling addictions […]