Social Welfare & Public Policy Episodes
inSocialWork® is the podcast series of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. The purpose of this series is to engage practitioners and researchers in lifelong learning and to promote research to practice and practice to research. inSocialWork® features conversations with prominent social work professionals, interviews with cutting-edge researchers, and information on emerging trends and best practices in the field of social work.
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The following episodes are in the *Social Welfare & Public Policy* category:
Episode 261 - Dr. Stephanie Elias Sarabia and Dr. Kathleen Ray: Lessons Learned from Portugal’s Drug Decriminalization Policy: Educating Students on Alternative Models
Interviewer: Caitlin Beck
Monday, April 08, 2019, 9:35:46 AM
In this episode, our guests Dr. Stephanie Elias Sarabia and Dr. Kathleen Ray describe the Ramapo College study abroad program, and how exposure to Portugal’s system has heightened students understanding of the political, legal, and social context of decriminalization. They provide an overview of Portugal’s drug decriminalization policy, and compare and contrast how the US differs from Portugal in regards to approaching substance abuse. Drs. Elias Sarabia and Ray emphasize the need for social workers to challenge our current belief systems regarding drug addiction and treatment, and provide strategies for educators interested in building an international program.
- Episode 261 - Dr. Stephanie Elias Sarabia and Dr. Kathleen Ray
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Episode 255 - Dr. D. Crystal Coles: Privatization in Public Child Welfare...Good for the State or Good for the Child?
Interviewer: Todd Sage, MSW
Monday, January 14, 2019, 8:23:49 AM
In this episode, our guest Dr. D. Crystal Coles discusses her research pertaining to privatization within child welfare and the trajectory of experiences of children in the foster care system. She describes the different levels of privatization between and within state foster care and how these multisystemic variances can impact service delivery. Dr. Coles stresses the need for stakeholders to work together to understand the implications of privatization and to develop new and innovative ways to enhance service delivery.
- Episode 255 - Dr. D. Crystal Coles
Episode 253 - Dr. Philip Hong: Support, Employment Hope, and Economic Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers
Interviewer: Caitlin Beck
Monday, December 03, 2018, 7:37:36 AM
In this episode, our guest Dr. Philip Hong describes his work exploring how welfare reform efforts play out through the eyes and in the lives of people living them. Utilizing a social justice and person-in-environment perspective, he discusses what he is learning about the role of hope and psychological self-sufficiency as articulated by client recipients.
- Episode 253 - Dr. Philip Hong
Episode 248 - Stephanie Diez: Internet Gaming Disorder Among Youth: Research, Policy, and Practice Considerations
Interviewer: Charles Syms, LCSW/ACSW
Monday, September 24, 2018, 8:19:26 AM
In this episode, our guest Stephanie Diez discusses the relationship between Internet gaming disorder and other addictive behaviors, and how Internet gaming is categorized within the DSM-5. National and international social policy initiatives designed to address this public health issue are described, and resources and suggestions on how social workers can more effectively identify and address this disorder are provided.
- Episode 248 - Stephanie Diez
Episode 233 - Dr. Amy Krings: Austerity Politics: What Social Workers Need to Know About Emergency Management Laws
Interviewer: Elizabeth Bowen, PhD
Monday, February 12, 2018, 7:45:53 AM
In this episode, our guest Dr. Amy Krings discusses the increasing use of emergency management laws as a response to fiscal crises and how these policies disproportionately affect individuals residing in urban communities, particularly poor and minority populations. She describes the challenges that urban austerity measures and emergency management practices present and suggests actions that social workers can take to help improve communities, mitigate harm, and shape public policies.
- Episode 233 - Dr. Amy Krings
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Episode 215 - Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr.: The Economics of Urban Segregation (part 2 of 2)
Interviewer: Caitlin Beck
Monday, May 08, 2017, 7:57:42 AM
In this episode, the second of a two-part discussion on the economics of urban segregation, Dr. Henry Louis Taylor introduces the concept of the "just city." He illustrates the contrasts between the just city and the underdeveloped urban communities that permeate the United States today. He also outlines the important role that social work must play in the development of just communities. Finally, using his research and experience in Cuba as a framework, Dr. Taylor describes how a society with very limited resources has been able to create highly developed communities to meet the needs of its inhabitants and, in doing so, place people over profits.
- Episode 215 - Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr.
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Episode 213 - Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr.: The Economics of Urban Segregation (part 1 of 2)
Interviewer: Caitlin Beck
Monday, April 10, 2017, 7:40:37 AM
With over 80 percent of Americans living in urban areas, it is crucial for social workers to consider how the development of cities in the United States has played a role in creating and maintaining the social and economic segregation that is so deeply woven into the fabric of most cities today. In the first of two episodes, Dr. Henry Louis Taylor argues that there is an intentionality to how cities are built that produces the "underdeveloped" neighborhoods that we see, where marginalized populations find themselves forced to live. Further, institutions put into place to solve the problems facing these communities are failing in their mission and have shifted to simply easing the suffering and misery of the communities' inhabitants.
- Episode 213 - Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr.
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Episode 203 - Dr. Linda Plitt Donaldson, Dr. Kristie Holmes, and Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr.: Wanted: Social Workers on Capitol Hill
Monday, November 07, 2016, 7:43:19 AM
For a variety of reasons, social workers in the United States, unfortunately, often avoid becoming actively engaged in the political process. In this podcast, Drs. Linda Plitt Donaldson, Kristie Holmes, and Charles E. Lewis, Jr. discuss the importance of social workers pushing past their reticence and becoming more involved in the political process. The panel shares their thoughts and suggests a range of approaches from advocacy to running for political office.
- Episode 203 - Dr. Linda Plitt Donaldson, Dr. Kristie Holmes, and Dr. Charles E. Lewis, Jr.
Episode 192 - Dr. Caroline Long Burry: "No One Asked About My Children": Voices of Incarcerated Mothers
Interviewer: Patricia Logan-Greene, PhD
Monday, May 23, 2016, 9:42:09 AM
A report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that from 1991 to 2007 the number of incarcerated mothers increased by a startling one hundred and thirty-one percent. In this podcast, Dr. Caroline Long Burry discusses a pilot study she conducted with these parents with the hope of better understanding their parenting experiences. Also explored are the mothers' attempts to negotiate the criminal justice system while in their role as parents.
- Episode 192 - Dr. Caroline Long Burry
Episode 181 - Chad Allee: Leadership in Social Work
Interviewer: Steven Schwartz, LCSW
Monday, December 07, 2015, 7:40:36 AM
The idea of leadership is finding its way more often into the discussions of professional social work, but what is meant by "leadership"? And, what does being a "leader" mean? In this episode, Chad Allee describes what leadership is, argues for the importance of leadership in social work, and points to the need to cultivate more social work leaders.
- Episode 181 - Chad Allee
Episode 171 - Dr. William Wipfler: Human Rights and Torture (part 1 of 2)
Interviewer: Stephanie Sacco
Monday, July 06, 2015, 8:51:02 AM
In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration's thirty articles outline twenty-four basic rights afforded to all people simply because they are human beings. In this episode, Dr. William Wipfler, having spent more than 60 years advocating for human rights, discusses his human rights work, the issue of torture, and his belief that human rights abuses must always be confronted.
- Episode 171 - Dr. William Wipfler
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Episode 169 - Kathrine Bisanz: Social Workers for Reproductive Justice
Interviewer: Gretchen Ely, PhD
Monday, June 08, 2015, 7:23:43 AM
Reproductive justice is a framework grounded in international human rights that seeks to increase social, political, and economic power and resources so that people can make healthy decisions about gender, sexuality, and families for themselves and their communities. In this episode, Katherine Bisanz, co-founder of Social Workers for Reproductive Justice, describes the organization's mission and the role of social work in this movement.
- Episode 169 - Kathrine Bisanz
Episode 165 - Dr. James Mulvale: Basic Income: An Anti-Poverty Strategy for Social Work
Interviewer: Gretchen Ely, PhD
Monday, April 13, 2015, 9:34:35 AM
In this episode, Dr. James Mulvale explains the idea of a basic income. He offers reasons for instituting a basic income and reviews some of the typical objections. Dr. Mulvale also provides a rationale for why this is an anti-poverty model that social work should embrace.
- Episode 165 - Dr. James Mulvale
Episode 152 - Dr. Mimi Abramovitz: Changes in U.S. Social Welfare Policy: The Effects of Privatization on Human Services (part 2 of 2)
Interviewer: Wooksoo Kim, PhD
Monday, September 29, 2014, 8:47:48 AM
In this episode, Dr. Mimi Abramovitz continues her discussion of the rise of New Public Management (NPM) and the privatization of human services. She concludes by discussing her research on the impact of NPM on persons in the front lines of human service agencies and the services they provide.
- Episode 152 - Dr. Mimi Abramovitz
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Episode 150 - Dr. Mimi Abramovitz: Changes in U.S. Social Welfare Policy: The Effects of Privatization on Human Services (part 1 of 2)
Interviewer: Wooksoo Kim, PhD
Monday, September 01, 2014, 5:45:56 PM
In this episode, Dr. Mimi Abramovitz discusses the privatization of human services and the rise of New Public Management. She reviews evolving economic conditions, historical changes in U.S. social welfare policy, and the subsequent impact on human service agencies, their workforce and, ultimately, the clients they serve.
- Episode 150 - Dr. Mimi Abramovitz
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Episode 147 - Dr. Rukshan Fernando and Andy Germak: Social Entrepreneurship as a Social Work Practice
Interviewer: Kelly Patterson, PhD
Monday, July 07, 2014, 9:57:36 AM
When asked about the word "entrepreneurship," most people are likely to think about business-oriented activities, perhaps, more specifically, using business innovation as a route to develop or enhance a business enterprise. However, most people probably have not considered using social consciousness as a foundation for engaging in entrepreneurial activities. In this podcast, Professors Rukshan Fernando and Andy Germak will explore using entrepreneurship as a method to address social change.
- Episode 147 - Dr. Rukshan Fernando and Andy Germak
Episode 131 - Dr. Toni Miles: Health Care Policy: Medicaid Expansion and the Affordable Care Act
Interviewer: Nancy Kusmaul, LMSW, PhD
Monday, November 11, 2013, 8:20:55 AM
Created in 1965, Medicaid, a form of health insurance, was developed to address the health care needs of low-income families as well as individuals who had a disability, were blind, or were aged. Recently, Medicaid is undergoing change. With the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid offers the opportunity for expanding eligibility. In this episode, Dr. Toni P. Miles discusses health care policy, Medicaid expansion, and the Affordable Care Act.
- Episode 131 - Dr. Toni Miles
Episode 128 - Dr. Md. Tuhinul Islam: Residential Childcare: The Experiences of Children in Bangladesh
Interviewer: Filomena Critelli, MSW, PhD
Monday, September 30, 2013, 9:30:01 AM
In this episode, Dr. Md. Tuhinul Islam takes us on a journey to Bangladesh, where he studies the experiences of children in residential childcare settings. He describes how and why children find their way to these settings and what he is learning about outcomes, including those who leave those institutions.
- Episode 128 - Dr. Md. Tuhinul Islam
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Episode 121 - Dr. Christina Sogar: Beyond Diagnosis: The Dynamics of Disability and Disruptions in Parenting
Interviewer: Kathleen A. Knaak, LMSW
Monday, June 10, 2013, 9:18:57 AM
It has been suggested that there are between 4.1 and 9 million parents who have a disability. In this episode, Dr. Christina Sogar discusses how characteristics of disability (e.g., onset and symptom variability) impact and shape the parenting process and can increase the likelihood of child welfare involvement.
- Episode 121 - Dr. Christina Sogar
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Episode 109 - Dr. Luke Shaefer: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps) and the Material Well-Being of Low-Income Families with Children
Interviewer: Charles Syms, LCSW
Monday, December 10, 2012, 9:02:00 AM
In this episode, Dr. Luke Shaefer discusses the effects of the U.S.'s largest means-tested income support program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. Recent breakthroughs in research methods have allowed us to better measure these effects, and results suggest that SNAP improves food security among participant households as well as non-food material well-being.
- Episode 109 - Dr. Luke Shaefer
Episode 106 - Dr. Yunju Nam: Asset-Based Policy: A New Direction in Social Welfare Policy
Interviewer: Kelly Patterson, PhD
Monday, October 29, 2012, 9:30:50 AM
In this episode, Dr. Yunju Nam describes her research in Asset-Based Policy, an alternative to our current income maintenance policies that attempt to respond to the needs of social welfare recipients. She describes how this new paradigm addresses the long term needs of persons living in or near poverty. In addition, Dr. Nam discusses the psychological benefit that asset ownership has on a person's hope, motivation, and quality of life.
- Episode 106 - Dr. Yunju Nam
Episode 94 - Dr. Shelly Wiechelt and Dr. Corey Shdaimah: Women's Experiences in Street-Level Prostitution: Implications for Court-Based and Social Service Programs (part 2 of 2)
Interviewer: Margaret Coombes, PhD
Monday, April 16, 2012, 8:25:05 AM
In the second of a two-part podcast, Dr. Shelly Wiechelt and Dr. Corey Shdaimah return to conclude the discussion of their research into women engaging in street-level prostitution in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Episode 94 - Dr. Shelly Wiechelt and Dr. Corey Shdaimah
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Episode 92 - Dr. Shelly Wiechelt and Dr. Corey Shdaimah: Women's Experiences in Street-Level Prostitution: Implications for Court-Based and Social Service Programs (part 1 of 2)
Interviewer: Margaret Coombes, PhD
Monday, March 19, 2012, 9:57:35 AM
In part one of a two-part podcast, Drs. Wiechelt and Shdaimah discuss their research of women in prostitution in Baltimore, Maryland. They describe how they were drawn to study the women, explain the importance of debunking popular myths related to this population, and emphasize why trauma-informed services rather than punitive and shaming responses are warranted.
- Episode 92 - Dr. Shelly Wiechelt and Dr. Corey Shdaimah
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Episode 87 - Dr. Pam Miller: Oregon's Death with Dignity Act: Hospice Social Work and End-of-Life Decision-Making
Interviewer: Deborah Waldrop, PhD, LMSW
Monday, January 09, 2012, 9:12:51 AM
In this episode, Dr. Pam Miller discusses her research on social worker attitudes, values, and practices since the enactment of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.
- Episode 87 - Dr. Pam Miller
Episode 75 - Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot: Parents with Disabilities and the Child Welfare System
Interviewer: Savra Frounfelker, MSW
Monday, July 11, 2011, 9:01:30 AM
Child welfare has a strong crossover with the disability field, yet there has been little critical examination of child welfare services through a disability lens and no substantial examination of how its policies and programs affect people with disabilities and their family members. In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot discusses her research on the impact of child welfare policies on parents with disabilities.
- Episode 75 - Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot
Episode 68 - Dr. Michael Reisch: How Did Social Work Get Here?: The Historical Narratives That Shape Social Work Research and Practice (part 2 of 2)
Interviewer: Hilary Weaver, DSW, MS
Monday, April 04, 2011, 9:21:13 AM
This is the second of two episodes in which Dr. Michael Reisch describes how the past is the present, and how "master narratives" about historical events have come to frame how the social work research agenda has been set, how its been done, and how its findings have been implemented. Dr. Reisch continues his historical overview from the 1930's to present day, touching on the eras of McCarthyism, Marxsim, Scientific Positivism, and Post-Modernism. He concludes with provocative observations and challenges for current research and practice.
- Episode 68 - Dr. Michael Reisch
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Episode 67 - Dr. Poco Kernsmith and Dr. Roger Kernsmith: I <3 U Send Pix: Addressing Youth Sexting
Interviewer: Nicole M. Fava, MSW, PhD Candidate
Monday, March 21, 2011, 10:19:49 AM
Behaviors like sexting are not new phenomena. However, technology increases the ease and risks of such behaviors. This podcast explores the prevalence of sexting and discuss an appropriate and balanced approach to practice and policy intervention.
- Episode 67 - Dr. Poco Kernsmith and Dr. Roger Kernsmith
Episode 66 - Dr. Michael Reisch: How Did Social Work Get Here?: The Historical Narratives That Shape Social Work Research and Practice (part 1 of 2)
Interviewer: Hilary Weaver, DSW, MS
Monday, March 07, 2011, 8:37:49 AM
This is first of two episodes in which Dr. Michael Reisch describes how "the past is the present" and how "master narratives" about historical events have come to frame how the social work research agenda has been set, how it's been done, and how its findings have been implemented. Dr. Reisch begins with the Progressive Era and concludes part one with the New Deal period.
- Episode 66 - Dr. Michael Reisch
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Episode 64 - Dr. Anna Santiago, Dr. George Galster, and Renee Nicolosi: Where People Live Matters: Using Housing Policy as an Anti-Poverty and Asset-Building Intervention
Interviewer: Kelly Patterson, PhD, MS
Monday, February 07, 2011, 9:56:54 AM
In this episode, our guests discuss their research that attempts to respond to and understand how housing policy influences not only its clients, but the neighborhoods in which they reside. They describe, amongst other programs, the Home Ownership Program in Denver, Colorado; their longitudinal research; their findings; and the continuing challenges to sustaining home ownership and its effect on poverty.
- Episode 64 - Dr. Anna Santiago, Dr. George Galster, and Renee Nicolosi
Episode 56 - Dr. Julie Spielberger: "Sometimes Things Don't Work Out": Barriers and Facilitators of Service Use
Interviewer: Laura A. Lewis, PhD, LCSW, ACSW
Monday, October 04, 2010, 8:10:50 AM
In this episode, Dr. Julie Spielberger discusses findings from her study of a system of prevention and early intervention services for families of young children in low-income communities in Florida’s Palm Beach County. She describes her data examining the use of a broad array of health, educational, and social services by families in targeted low-income communities, patterns of service use over time, barriers and facilitators of service use, and how service use is related to family functioning, child development, and school readiness.
- Episode 56 - Dr. Julie Spielberger
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Episode 54 - Joyce James, LMSW-AP and Carolyne Rodriguez, MSW: Addressing Disproportionality: Promising Practice Innovations
Interviewer: Adjoa Robinson, PhD, MSW
Monday, September 06, 2010, 10:39:06 AM
In this episode, Joyce James of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services and Carolyne Rodriguez of Casey Family Programs' Texas State Strategy systems improvement initiative discuss how their collaboration is addressing disproportionality statewide through promising practices and innovations in undoing racism trainings, values-based leadership development, and community engagement strategies.
- Episode 54 - Joyce James, LMSW-AP and Carolyne Rodriguez, MSW
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Episode 49 - Susan Mangold: Child Welfare Services: Does the Source of Funding Matter?
Interviewer: Kathleen Kost, PhD, MSSW, MA
Monday, June 28, 2010, 9:54:53 AM
In this episode, Professor of Law Susan Mangold discusses how child welfare services are funded, and reviews her findings as she "follows the money." She goes on to describe how the type or source of funding impacts outcomes and quality of child welfare services to a larger degree than the amount of that funding.
- Episode 49 - Susan Mangold
Episode 41 - Dr. Elisabeth Reichert: Social Work and Human Rights
Interviewer: Diane Elze, PhD, MSSA
Monday, March 08, 2010, 10:46:40 AM
In this episode, Dr. Elisabeth Reichert traces the history of the human rights movement and addresses the role of social work in that movement. She discusses the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, political, civil, social, and economic rights, and women's rights, and compares the concepts of universal verses culturally relative human rights. She concludes with a discussion of the role of international education and improved understanding of human rights.
- Episode 41 - Dr. Elisabeth Reichert
Episode 36 - Dr. Claude Welch: Spotlight on Human Rights: Economic Rights in the United States
Interviewer: Peter Sobota, LCSW
Monday, December 28, 2009, 8:38:41 AM
In this episode, Dr. Claude Welch, Jr. explains his contention that human rights can be violated as a result of economic structures. Currently, the issues involved in our response to the economic crisis and U.S. health care reform speak to our society's commitment to protect the human rights of its citizens. Dr. Welch describes the economic conditions that underlie problems such as poverty, housing, and working conditions that create inequality in a wealthy, capitalist society such as the United States.
- Episode 36 - Dr. Claude Welch
Episode 34 - Dr. Sarah Craun: Evaluating the Efficacy of Sexual Offender Registries
Interviewer: Susan Green, LCSW
Monday, November 30, 2009, 9:41:35 AM
In this episode, Dr. Sarah Craun discusses Megan's law and what she is learning about sexual offender registries' usefulness in raising awareness and protecting the public.
- Episode 34 - Dr. Sarah Craun
Episode 23 - Bruce Nisbet, LMSW: Empowerment and Recovery: The Impact of George W. Bush's "President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health"
Interviewer: Catherine Dulmus, PhD, MSW
Monday, June 29, 2009, 2:16:08 PM
In this episode, Bruce Nisbet talks about how the "President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health" transformed service delivery for individuals with severe mental illness in New York and across the United States.
- Episode 23 - Bruce Nisbet, LMSW
Episode 19 - Dr. Michael Hogan: The "President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health": Promise, Progress, and Challenge
Interviewer: Catherine Dulmus, PhD, MSW
Monday, May 04, 2009, 10:51:22 AM
Dr. Hogan discusses his work on the Bush Administration's President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which he chaired from 2002-2003. He discusses how the work of the Commission focused research and service efforts in mental health on promoting recovery, resilience, and transformation in the lives of individuals with mental illness, and what he sees as the ongoing challenges of the work.
- Episode 19 - Dr. Michael Hogan
Episode 13 - Dr. Erik Nisbet: International Conflict and Social Identity: The Influence of Mass Media on "Us vs. Them" Thinking
Interviewer: Catherine Dulmus, PhD, MSW
Monday, February 09, 2009, 12:29:09 PM
Dr. Erik Nisbet discusses how perceptions of international conflict and terrorism across national contexts are shaped by the interplay of mass media frames and social identity schema. Dr. Nisbet describes the parallel processes that occur in the United States and the Muslim world.
- Episode 13 - Dr. Erik Nisbet
Episode 1 - Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin: Social Workers in the Justice System
Interviewer: Adjoa Robinson, PhD, MSW
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 8:53:28 PM
This episode features a conversation with domestic violence expert, the Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin, Family Court judge for Erie County, New York, discussing the important role of social workers in the justice system.
- Episode 1 - Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin
DISCLAIMER: The content shared by the presenter(s) and/or interviewer(s) of each podcast is their own and not necessarily representative of any views, research, or practice from the UB School of Social Work or the inSocialWork® podcast series.
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