Florence Ackey, (L) Executive Director of Refugee and Migrant Women's Initiative, receiving recognition as the Tampa Bay Unit 2020 Social Work Organization of the Year from her colleague, Janet Blair.
Dawn Brown (L), University of South Florida, receiving recognition as the Tampa Bay Unit 2020 Social Work Educator of the Year from her colleague, Melissa Thompson.
TAMPA BAY UNIT
(Updated 3/19/20)
Friends and Colleagues,
How is everyone doing?
I don’t know about you, but I am being inundated with notices and announcements and breaking news. There are the all important emails and video chat collaborations with our employers, especially for those working from home. Then there are invitations to online activities, Watch Parties, Webinars, etc. Are you like me, feeling the need to retreat and separate; to slow down thoughts, breathing, and activities; and to prioritize mental and physical health care?
With the Pandemic, the rescheduling and/or cancellation of our best laid plans for celebrating social workers and our social work profession around Florida and around the country, comes this unprecedented opportunity to practice self care as we care for the ones in our care.
At your request, the very first workshop convened by the NASW Tampa Bay Unit was a workshop on self care. May I remind us of the salient point in Dr. Luis Rosa's workshop. Dr. Luis asked us to ponder the main question, What are we doing too little of? As crises erupt all around us, this may be the perfect time to increase our practice of the following and in so doing, improve our mental and physical health:
- Sit with ourselves.
- Know ourselves (values, needs, habits, motives, attitudes, strengths).
- Take time for ourselves.
- Practice self-compassion.
As you hunker down and deal with the consequences of the Pandemic, please continue to do your part to prevent the spread of the virus. Heed the recommendations and mandates of the elected officials and the professionals advising them. Please, do your best to:
- Practice social distancing.
- Wash your hands more often.
- Not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Use your best judgment in your decisions to avoid congregating in person in large groups and to venture outside your homes.
- Most importantly, take care of yourselves and each other.
I encourage each of us to check in with each other; that is, say hello every once in a while. We will adjust as things change. We all will grow as social workers, individually and as a profession, as a result of this current crisis.
I will be back at a later date to honor the recipients of our Social Work Month awards with a proper tribute. You will not want to miss checking out some photographs from the Tampa Bay Unit Social Work Month event, held on March 4 at Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, Tampa, Florida.
All the best to you and your families.
Sharon Barber
Tampa Bay Unit Chair
tampabay.naswfl@socialworkers.org
Follow us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/naswtampabay
As always, feel free to submit your ideas to make our Tampa Bay Unit better. If you have ideas or wish to volunteer, please contact Sharon Barber at tampabay.naswfl@socialworkers.org.
Tampa Bay Unit Awards
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 11, 2020 • Virtual
*NASW-FL Tampa Bay Unit presents "Changes Impacting Social Work Practice on the Local, State and National Levels" with Nancy Gordon, LCSW from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You will have the opportunity to share concerns and the challenges you are experiencing during the COVID-19 Pandemic as well as explore the many ways to cope and practice self-care. Registration is free!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
UNIT LEADERSHIP
Sharon Barber - Unit Chair
tampabay.naswfl@socialworkers.org
Chapter Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification (CCNLI)
Stacy Kratz
Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) Committee
Christine Campbell, LCSW
Membership
Mary Martinez-Drovie
Social Media
Elizabeth Thomas, MSW
Legislative
Brittany Peters
491 Board Liaison
Susan Infanzon
Chapter Supervisory Task Force
Nancy Gordon
Susan Infanzon
Ethics
Stacy Kratz
MSW Representative
Alexandra Pellot, USF
BSW Representatives
Haydee Davis, Saint Leo University