The University of Michigan Depression Center: The Depression Toolkit

As a University of Michigan alumna, I subscribe to a monthly newsletter called "Michigan Today," to keep myself informed about new developments and progress of the University. To my delight, this month's e-newsletter featured a link called "Help for the depressed," which leads readers to an online toolkit for individuals suffering from depressive disorders. 

The toolkit is extremely comprehensive, and a great website for individuals and families to familiarize themselves with depressive symptoms, treatment, and coping strategies. Readers can find quick assessment tools, information about how to find the right therapist, medication logs, goal setting forms, and numerous other tools all available to download.

There is also a page devoted to self-care that details 12 different ways an individual can proactively manage their symptoms. As someone who personally exercises for self-care, I particularly like their video on "quick tips on incorporating exercise." Other strategies include positive self talk, managing stress, journaling, establishing support systems, and developing an appropriate food plan.

Photo Source: University of Michigan Depression Center

Capturing Mental Illness with Art

“This benefit of seeing... can come only if you pause a while, extricate yourself from the maddening mob of quick impressions ceaselessly battering our lives, and look thoughtfully at a quiet image... the viewer must be willing to pause, to look again, to meditate.” - Dorothea Lange

In order to expand my knowledge and understanding of mental illness, I am always on the lookout for powerful images that capture the internal experiences of my patients. I find the most compelling pictures to generate a deeper understanding of my patients' pain and suffering, and in turn, help deepen my empathy and respect for them.

As the above quote states, we often carelessly glance at images in our daily lives, and never take the time to ponder or contemplate their meaning or connection to the present moment. On the days where I feel calloused from the maddening nature of the inpatient unit, I find it helpful to direct my attention to a portrait or photograph to remind me of what my patients are going through.

The following is a collection of pieces from a few artists who did a wonderful job depicting symptoms and related emotions of individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders.

Jason Bard Yarmosky

"Cheerleader"

"Tight End"

Brian Lewis Saunders

"Cocaine"

"Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Xanax"

"Morphine"














Andres Guzman

Marion Bolognesi

Simulating Auditory and Visual Hallucinations

Throughout my internship at an inpatient psychiatric hospital, I've interviewed dozens of patients who suffer from psychotic symptoms, namely auditory and visual hallucinations. Often times, hallucinations can be so intrusive that a patient is unable to carry on a short conversation or answer a simple question. In my experience, it is pretty easy to tell when a patient is responding to internal stimuli during an interview. He/she will appear distracted, ask me to repeat questions, or give looks of confusions. On rarer occasions, I have witnessed patients talking to and running away from imagined figures. One patient even introduced me to a hallucinatory figure.

While it is impossible for those of us who do not suffer from mental illness to truly understand what it is like to experience these psychotic symptoms, there are a number of simulated videos that attempt to provide us a taste of what it might be like. If you are currently working with individuals who suffer from hallucinations, I encourage you to watch the following videos:

Janssen's Mindstorm: A Simulation of Psychosis


Simulation of Hallucinations:


Teenage Girl Begs to Be Hospitalized after a Psychotic Episode

Professor Stephen Bainbridge and Implications for UCLA Diversity

Last month, UCLA student Alexandra Wallace was blasted by the University's administration for posting a YouTube video titled Asians in the Library, where she spouted ignorant and revolting comments about the Asian community on UCLA's campus. Astoundingly, UCLA is dealing with yet another expression of insensitive and hurtful language coming from one of the University's own: Law Professor Stephen Bainbridge.

As detailed in The Daily Bruin, Bainbridge's blog (which is endorsed by the American Bar Association) contained a "xenophobic" blog post that called a FedEx customer service representative a "moron with an impenetrable accent." Bainbridge pretentiously added, "What third world shithole do they have him penned up in?" Bainbridge has since removed the post, apologized, and called his words "offending passages." Ironically, Bainbridge is known as a pro-immigration conservative.

Bainbridge's language is both shocking and disrespectful, and raises concerns about how diversity is talked about and understood on college campuses. As many journalists and students have pointed out, UCLA might be statistically diverse, but it is clear that social exchanges between various groups is far from integrated. As Frank Shyong of the Daily Bruin so eloquently states, "We have effectively amalgamated different groups of people within a square mile, but diversity is more than the numerical presence of variety. A functional conception of diversity implies a meaningful cultural exchange that we sorely lack."

Wallace's video and Bainbridge's post are painful reminders that UCLA is far from where it needs to be in regards to ethnic and cultural integration. While I don't have any grand solutions to this systemic problem, I do believe students attending the Luskin School of Public Affairs can serve as an example to the rest of the UCLA community. Between lectures, student-run caucuses, and developing relationships with faculty and peers, there is tremendous opportunity to model what true integration can look like.

Photo Source

UCLA MSW Program: Winter Quarter

As mentioned in a previous post, faculty at UCLA rolled out a brand new curriculum for the MSW program for the 2010 - 2011 academic year. For the most part, changes appear to be positive. However, as expected with the rollout of any new program, students have a few qualms about the curriculum content and design. For example, many students feel that the program does not focus enough on topical issues such as the LGBT social rights movement.

While fall quarter was relatively stressful (transitioning back to a grad school does pose a few challenges), winter quarter definitely felt more relaxed. This was largely driven by the fact that we had the majority of Fridays off.

For those interested in learning specifics about the program's curriculum, the following is a brief rundown of my schedule and class experience for winter quarter.

M: Field Placement (8-5)
T: 240B (9-12), 201B (2-5)
W: Field Placement (8-5)
Th: 230B (9-12), 201C (2-5)
F: No scheduled classes

201B: Development, Risk, Resilience, and Attachment Relationships in a Multicultural Society
This human behavior course provided an overview of how empirically based theories can be applied to individuals, groups, organizations, and macro systems. The first five weeks was heavily focused on attachment theory, while the second five weeks covered ego psychology, object relations, and social learning theory. The teacher did an excellent job applying the theories to case vignettes and real-world examples. If nothing else, students gained a strong understanding of how secure and insecure attachment relationships play a role in the lives of our clients across the life span. The teacher, Sharon Chun-Wetterau, is also fantastic. I highly recommend taking a class from her.

Average reading/week: 50-80 pgs
Texts: Inside Out and Outside In: Psychodynamic Clinical Theory and Psychopathology in Contemporary Multicultural Contexts
Major Assignments: Midterm exam (case vignette); Final term paper (10-12 pgs)
Caveats: Those who majored in psychology or related fields in their undergrad might experience some repetition.

201C: Dynamics of Human Behavior: Community and Organizational Perspectives
While I am a micro student with a mental health specialization, I thoroughly enjoyed this policy class. Main themes discussed in the classroom included issues of diversity, inequality within the school system, and the dynamics of racism intersecting with other forms of oppression such as heterosexism, ableism, classism, ageism, etc. We spent a significant portion of the class evaluating Paul Tough's journalistic account of The Harlem Children's Zone, called Whatever it Takes. The final project required students to design an intervention utilizing a theory of change (my section was required to develop one for school-aged children in LAUSD).

Average reading/week: 40 pgs
Texts: Whatever It Takes
Major Assignments: Midterm reflection paper, Group intervention design with presentation and final paper
Caveats: Unfortunately, the sentiment I have of the class was not shared among all sections of my cohort. Numerous individuals felt the final group assignment was assigned way too late, and many felt expectations were not clearly delineated upfront.

230B: Theory and Methods of Direct Social Work Practice
This was a continuation class from the first quarter, and part of a year-long sequence that covers core concepts of generalist social work practice. Students do have the ability to select different professors and sections depending on availability. Class material focused on carrying out evidence-based practices with clients including case management, crisis intervention, brief and supportive therapies, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing. Role playing was particularly helpful in grasping core concepts of each intervention. If you have a chance to take the course from Rebecca Danelski, I highly recommend her.

Average reading/week: 40 pgs
Texts: Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills; course pack reading
Major Assignments: Midterm exam (case vignette), Final exam (case vignette)
Caveats: While this class is essential for micro students, course material is not as relevant to macro/policy students. Also, one quarter is not nearly enough time to cover evidence-based practices. As little as one class was devoted to a given theoretical perspective.

240B: Theory of Social Work Practice in Organizations, Communities and Policy Settings
This was another continuation course from first quarter. However, students were required to stay in the same section as the fall quarter in order to continue a macro project investigating mental health barriers in an older adult population. My particular section had a lot of flexibility to define the terms of our final project. We decided to create a market segmentation of underserved older adults who are in need of additional mental health services. The final "prezi" can be viewed HERE.

Average reading/week: 30-60 pgs
Texts: Social Work Macro Practice
Major Assignments: Program Logic Model, Community Project Final Report and Presentation
Caveats: As I mentioned previously, the macro project took up an overwhelming portion of time both in and outside of class.

The UCLA 2nd Year MSW Internship: Social Work Interview Questions and Other Resources

I am currently going through the dreaded second year internship interview process. While the first year internship is assigned, students go through a formal interviewing process for their second year. The UCLA MSW program limits its students to elect 2 agencies to interview with. For those interested, a list of possible placement agencies can be found HERE.

Preparing for interviews is definitely stressful, but having a solid list of interview questions from which to practice from is a great way to clam the nerves. Below is a compilation from various sources around the web, which I felt were particularly helpful in my interview prep:

Questions/interview prompts compiled from UCLA Faculty:

1. Please tell me about a particularly difficult case in which you felt challenged by.
2. Please tell me about a case/client, in which things did not go your way. How did you rectify the situation?
3. How do you visualize yourself as a social work professional after you graduate?
4. What are you looking for in a supervisor?
5. (Micro students) What theoretical orientation are you inclined to?
6. How do you typically handle countertransference?

Links to other helpful resources:

1. A Social Work World
2. The Social Work Career Center

3. Student Handout_Smith College


4. University of Texas Interview Questions

Food For Thought: An Extremist Perspective on Social Work Education

The National Association of Scholars produced an article titled, The Scandal of Social Work Education, which concludes that social work programs and affiliated organizations are “ideologically loaded” and are guilty of imposing "indoctrination to a scandalous extent." NAS supports these claims by evaluating ten social work programs (including UCLA), in addition to providing three case studies that demonstrate the supposed "politicization" of social work education.

While the article grossly overgeneralizes how universities approach social work education, I do feel the author begets the novice social work to consider his/her ideological, political, and religious viewpoints, and how they might interfere or clash with a profession that endorses leftist ideals. The article also heightens core aspects of the social work profession.

The Scandal of Social Work Education

It's Official: The Meyer and Renee Luskin School of Public Affairs

Last month, UCLA held a ceremony to officialize the renaming of The School of Public Affairs to The Meyer and Renee Luskin School of Public Affairs. As mentioned in a previous post, the Luskin family donated a generous $100 million to the University, $50 million of which is for The Public Affairs program.

In attendance was Dean Frank D. Gilliam Jr., Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, Chancellor Gene Block, Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation JR. DeShazo, Vice Chancellor of UCLA Scott Waugh, Meyer and Renee Luskin, their family and friends, UCLA faculty, and students.

After opening remarks and acknowledgements, Meyer Luskin delivered a speech that was both humorous and heartfelt. I especially enjoyed his explanation as to why he chose to donate his family's fortune to The School of Public Affairs, rather than other equally deserving academic departments.

"Gutenberg invented the printing press, but that magnificent achievement did not prevent a Hitler. Mendeleev developed the periodic table, but that great breakthrough did not prevent a Stalin. And the inventive genius of an Edison, did not prevent a Joe McCarthy. It is imperative that we develop the plans, techniques, and laws for a peaceful and productive society. Not only for this world, but for the one we leave for our children and our grandchildren. And thus, we are led to the School of Public Affairs."

It feels great to be part of a graduate program recognized for its contributions to society at large. Meyer's entire speech can be watched in the following video:



A few more photos from the event:

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Meyer and Renee Luskin; Chancellor Gene Block

Chancellor Gene Block

Luskin Director JR. DeShazo

Naming Reveal

Lessons from a Hateful Video: A UCLA Student's Racial Tirade

UCLA Authorities are up in arms about a "repugnant," racist video that went viral last Friday, and for good reason. The YouTube video is both embarrassing for the University and shameful to our generation; but far worse is this student's clear lack of insight, awareness, and empathy for her fellow classmates.

As a social worker, I am trained to look at this incident from multiple perspectives, including the perspective of Alexandra Wallace, the student who created this video. In no way am I defending her behavior, but I will say that generating a hateful discussion about this person is both counterproductive and dangerous. It is critical that we divert our energy and attention to the lessons we all can learn from this horrific YouTube posting:

1. Our actions have consequences
2. Racism is driven by hate, but it is also driven by ignorance
3. There is a difference between being politically incorrect and racist
4. Emoting on YouTube is passive-aggressive and childish
5. The term "American Manners" does not exist
6. Extended familial support is a beautiful thing
7. If you don't like your environment, feel free to change it
8. Attaching specific behaviors to ethnic, racial, or religious groups is stereotyping
9. Imitating another culture's language is rude, embarrassing, and downright repulsive
10. Racism can be subtle or obvious

Wallace will undoubtedly pay for her actions. She will most likely not be able to finish her degree at UCLA, show her face on campus without feeling immensely shameful, or find a respectable job if she graduates from college. While I believe it is important that we all take part in a communal discussion about the social implications of her video, I believe it is equally important to proceed with caution and limit our knee-jerk reactions. Contributing to the demise of an individual, even if it is through an anonymous posting online, is in some ways just as hateful.

I ask my fellow social workers to be cautious when discussing this video with others. Let's try to make it a productive conversation, rather than a hateful one.

Photo Credit: Peter Cade

My Secret Weapon: Psych Notes Pocket Guide

Please let me introduce you to Psych Notes Clinical Pocket Guide. I often refer to this as my "secret weapon" while I'm at my internship, because it contains all kinds of great assessment tools, disorder overviews, intervention techniques, and a lot of other useful information for professionals who work at an inpatient psychiatric hospital.

I am constantly referring to it when I conduct biopsychosocial assessments, interact with new patients, or write notes in patient's charts. I think this is a great tool for anyone who is entering the field of psychiatry, whether it be nurses, therapists, social workers, etc. The notebook is dense, but really compact (note its size compared to a computer mouse), making it great for portability. 

Psych Notes is divided into seven distinct sections including basics, assessment, disorders/interview, drugs/lab, drugs A-Z, crisis, geriatrics, and tools/index. This makes it incredibly easy to locate the information I need.

The basics tab contains an overview of various psychological theories including psychodynamic (pictured), psychosocial, and interpersonal. Additionally, biological aspects of mental illness, issues related to confidentiality, HIPAA, and patient's rights are also covered.

I frequently use the assessment tab, as it guides the components I must cover during a biopsychosocial interview of incoming patients.

Because the DSM is a bit cumbersome to reference (especially when time is of the essence), the disorder overviews are particularly helpful when trying to evaluate a patient's presenting symptoms, and a possible diagnosis.

Considering the low cost, I think Psych Notes is a great investment to students or new social workers to the field of mental health. Plus, it's water proof, which really came in handy last week when I spilled coffee all over my desk!

















The entire notebook is also available to download via Scribd. Enjoy!

Psych Notes - Clinical Pocket Guide Scanned