Sarah has a wonderful vision for the group she is organizing.   Please check it out and consider if you or someone you know could benefit from this opportunity:

I have a passion for helping those with mental illness, specifically populations that may feel lonely during times of need. I want to start this Expectant Mothers with Mental Illness Support Group to offer a safe and private place for them to receive support. One in every four women will experience some type of depressive episode at some point in their lives. This includes pregnant women. Taking medication during pregnancy for mental illness is decided by whether doing so will harm the baby. Because of this, many women must go off their medication while pregnant because it could potentially harm the baby. The group will allow them to share ideas with each other about healthy ways they have been coping and how to strengthen their self-care while pregnant, especially those who cannot take medication. This group may be a way to prevent the symptoms of post-partum depression by catching it early. By doing this support group, I hope to bring awareness to mental illness during pregnancy and increase compassion for women during a time that they may need extra emotional support. This group will be an open group and will meet the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month. For more information, please contact Sarah at 334-625-8202 or email at sarahmccracken48@gmail.com.

We  are delighted to welcome, Sarah McCracken to the practice.  Sarah is completing the second year of her Masters of Social Work program through Edinboro University.  She will be with the practice until May of 2017 as she completes of 500 hours of field experience.

Sarah is a native of Pennsylvania.  She received her BS in Psychology from Thiel College.  She married the boy next door (literally her next door neighbor) after graduation.  Shortly therafter, she and her husband began moving wherever the Army sent him.  She is Mom to two active boys, a lover of pasta, big socks and good books.  Sarah practices yoga regularly, and is interested in finding ways that yoga practice can benefit her client.

Sarah will be scheduling appointments beginning Sept 12th.   Sliding scale appointments are available with her as well.

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already May! Unfortunately, with the uncomfortable warm weather (I blame the hormones- I normally love warm weather!) comes the end of my time at Social Work Solutions. The past four months have been both a blessing and a whirlwind. I have worked in a foster care setting for the past two and a half years, so to be in a clinical setting was a huge transition, but one I welcomed since my goal is to work as a clinical social worker. In these few short months, I have learned more than I could ever hope to explain, and I am so thankful to have had this opportunity. I can NEVER EVER thank Jennifer enough for allowing me to come in and work with her and her clients this year. I hope that I was able to help some of them as much as they have helped me! Working with Jennifer (and Terri!) has solidified that clinical social work is where I hope to eventually land.

I am sad to be leaving, but so excited to see what the future holds, in both my personal life (Hello Baby Abby MaeJ) and my professional life. In the future, I hope to open my own private practice in my hometown and work as a registered play therapist, specializing in Animal-Assisted Therapy. The experience I gained working at Social Work Solutions will be in invaluable in this endeavor. Again, I cannot say thank you enough to Jennifer, Terri, and our wonderful clients for all of their help, support, and the numerous lessons over these past few months. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Welcome!

I am so excited to announce that Social Work Solutions is joined by yet another outstanding Social Work Master's level student.  Teri Dickey will be working with the practice until July.   

Teri obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Auburn University in 2006 and has been a Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW) since 2007. Teri has over 9 years of experience in the social work field and has worked primarily in the healthcare setting as a care coordinator but also has experience with foster parent recruiting and licensing. Teri is currently enrolled in the Master's of Social Work program at Troy University in Phenix City with an expected completion date at the end of July 2016. 

Teri has been married for 10 years and she and her husband have an 8 year old son and a 5 year old daughter together. Teri enjoys traveling and spending time with her family doing activities such as camping, hiking and playing tennis. 

Both Teri and Jana are available for individual appointments immediately.  

School Supplies and Social Work Students

Its Intern season!  No that's not a thing, but I just made it one.  In Social Work programs one semester per year is set aside for "field placement" which  is  a fancy way of saying "on the job training, get in there and get your hands dirt, you only learn by doing."  Field is such a crucial part of social work training, I am honored to serve as a placement site for my alma mater, the University of Alabama.  Today I was as excited and nervous as if I were starting school because today is my student's first day!  I even bought school supplies, didn't need them just wanted to mark the occasion somehow.  So let me introduce you to Jana Bazell who was gracious enough to share her photo, and a short bio for the blog.

My name is Jana Bazzell. I am married to my best friend and we have a six year old daughter and new bundle of joy on the way! I am a 2014 graduate of Judson College with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis of Equine Facilitated Mental Health and a minor in Equine Science and I am a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. I am currently an MSW graduate student at the University of Alabama as well as a full-time employee of the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries. I hope to earn my Master’s degree in Social Work by next summer and continue as a Social Worker with ABCH. Eventually I would like to open a private practice as a counselor specializing in a version of play therapy and trauma based interventions that would utilize horses in the therapy model.

Welcome Jana!  Its going to be a great Intern Season.