Social Workers and Service Members: Joining Forces

America's Social Workers Join Dr. Jill Biden to Launch "Social Work and Service Members: Joining Forces to Support Veterans and Military Families"

National Association of Social Workers urges 650,000 professional social workers to gain education and training on mental and behavioral health, health, economic, and social challenges facing nation’s veterans and military families

Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, speaks at the National Association of Social Workers annual convention in Washington, D.C., July 25, 2012. Biden announced the association's commitment to help military families and veterans as part of the "Joining Forces" campaign. White House photo by Melanie Kaye

WASHINGTON, D.C.— July 25, 2012 - Dr. Jill Biden will join the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at their national practice conference, Restoring Hope: The Power of Social Work, to announce a new Joining Forces commitment aimed at educating all social workers, regardless of practice area or focus, to have a better understanding of issues relating to the care, culture, and lifestyle of our nation’s troops, veterans, and military families. The Joining Forces commitment means that more than 650,000 social workers – the nation’s largest group of mental health care providers – will have access to training and resources to help meet the needs of our service men and women, veterans and military families.

“We have asked a lot of our military over the past decade, and they have responded to the need for more and frequent deployments without complaint. Our veterans and military families are among the most resilient men and women I have ever met and I am always inspired by them. But they have shouldered a tremendous burden and for those who need some additional support, we need to be ready to help. Social workers are uniquely positioned to help reach our troops, veterans and military families exactly where they are, in every single county in America,” said Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States.

In addition to invisible wounds such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which impact approximately one in six of our troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, service members and veterans have a heightened risk of substance use, unemployment, homelessness, and suicide. Female veterans and those residing in rural areas are at an even greater disadvantage as they may find it difficult to access services or find resources that directly address their unique needs. read more>>>

Social Workers Join Movement to Support Military Families

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2012 – Social workers today became the latest field of professionals to sign on to help service members, veterans and their families in a broad effort as part of the White House’s “Joining Forces” campaign. read more>>>