The Social Work Podcast

The Social Work Podcast

Join your host, Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., LCSW in an exploration of all things social work, including direct practice, human behavior in the social environment, research, policy, field work, social work education, and everything in between. Big names talking about bigger ideas. The purpose of the podcast is to present information in a user-friendly format. Although the intended audience is social workers, the information will be useful to anyone in a helping profession (including psychology, nursing, psychiatry, counseling, and education). The general public will find these episodes useful as a way of getting insight into some of the issues that social workers need to know about in order to provide professional and ethical services.

Episodes

111: Engaging People At Risk for Suicide: Interview with Dana Alonzo, Ph.D.

November 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Episode 111: Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is about engaging people who are suicidal into professional mental health services. I spoke with Dr. Dana Alonzo from Fordham University. We talked about some of the reasons why people might not want to seek professional mental health services when they are suicidal, and some of the things that mental health professionals do to make it hard for folks to want to stay in treatme...
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110: The Arc of Therapy: Beginnings (Part 1)

November 26, 2025 • 46 mins
Episode 110: Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is the first of a three-part series on the arc of therapy – the beginning, middle and end. In today’s episode I’m going to talk about the beginning phase of therapy. I'll talk about some conceptual issues like what do people want when they come to treatment, and how should you be with clients? I’m also going to review some of the more concrete aspects of the beginning of treat...
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148: Psychodynamic Theory and Human Development: Interview with Dr. Terry Northcut

August 17, 2025 • 42 mins
Episode 148: In today's episode of the Social Work Podcast, I spoke with Dr. Terry Northcut, Lucian and Carol Welch Matusak Endowed Professor at Loyola University Chicago's School of Social Work about psychodynamic theory as a framework for understanding human development. She talks about how psychodynamic theory offers conceptual scaffolding for understanding our internal worlds and how early experiences continue to leave a lastin...
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147: Neurobiology for Social Work: Interview with James Marley, Ph.D.

July 28, 2025 • 45 mins
Episode 147: In today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is about a topic that's often glossed over in social work education: neurobiology and the brain. I spoke with Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work associate professor James Marley, Ph.D. In today’s interview, we talk about how trauma literally writes itself into the brain; why understanding neuroplasticity gives hope to clients who feel stuck; the importance of b...
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146: The Evolving Landscape of Social Work Practice: Technology, Advocacy, and the Interstate Compact with NASW CEO Dr. Anthony Estreet

July 13, 2025 • 24 mins
Episode 146: In today’s episode of the Social Work Podcast I talk with NASW CEO, Dr. Anthony Estreet, about what he sees as some of the most pressing issues shaping the future of social work. These include the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the urgent need for social workers to organize and advocate, the Social Work Interstate Compact, and NASW's renewed vision for the organization. You can read a transcript of...
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145: Experimental Research Design (Part 2): Interview with Bruce Thyer, PhD, LCSW

July 6, 2025 • 19 mins
Episode 145: Today's episode is the third of a three-part series on research design (and the second of a two-part series on Experimental Research Design) with Dr. Bruce Thyer, Distinguished Research Professor and former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University. In today's episode, Dr. Thyer unpacks how social work practitioners can think about experimental research design. We explore why you don't need to be...
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144: Experimental Research Design (Part 1): Interview with Bruce Thyer, PhD, LCSW

July 1, 2025 • 21 mins
Episode 144: In today's episode, I spoke with Dr. Bruce Thyer, Distinguished Research Professor, former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University, founding and current editor of the journal Research on Social Work Practice, and author of the 2023 Columbia University Press text Experimental Research Designs in Social Work: Theory and Application. Today’s episode is the first of a two-part series about experime...
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143: The Power of One: Single System Design with Bruce Thyer, PhD, LCSW

January 13, 2025 • 33 mins
Episode 143: In today's episode, I spoke with Dr. Bruce Thyer, is Distinguished Research Professor and former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University about Single System Design. We start our conversation diving into why social workers should know about single system design, its core components, and the kinds of measures and assessments that work best and where to find them. We discuss real-world examples, t...
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142: Social Roots of Youth Suicide: Interview with Anna Mueller, PhD

December 30, 2024 • 29 mins
Episode 142: In today's episode, I spoke with sociologist, Anna S. Mueller, PhD. Luther Dana Waterman Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Senior Research Program Leader of the Mental Illness, Suicide, and Addiction Section of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University. Anna and I spoke about why Anna and her colleague, Seth Abrutyn, looked at the social roots of youth suicide at Poplar Grove, the social factor...
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141: How Do You Feel?: Interview with Jessi Gold, MD

December 16, 2024 • 42 mins
Episode 141: In today's episode I speak with Jessi Gold, MD about her 2024 book, How Do You Feel? One Doctor's Search for Humanity in Medicine, a powerful, honest, and often funny exploration of mental health and well-being, both in and outside of healthcare. Today's conversation covers the importance of vulnerability and storytelling in addressing mental health stigma; practical tips for healthcare providers to prioritize their ...
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140: The Greatest of All Plagues: David Lay Williams, PhD on Economic Inequality

November 25, 2024 • 52 mins
Episode 140: In today's episode I talk with David Lay Williams, Professor of Political Science at DePaul University about his 2024 book, The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx. Today's conversation will provide you with a deeper understanding of the historical roots of economic inequality, insights into the ethical, social, and political implications of economic disparitie...
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139: An Update of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Interview with Tia Dole, PhD

September 19, 2024 • 8 mins
Episode 139: In today's episode, I speak with Tia Dole, PhD, Chief 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Officer, about updates to 988. We talk about how 988 provides services to Deaf and hard of hearing people, crisis support in Spanish, and the September 17, 2024 launch of geo-routing for T-Mobile and Verizon customers. We talk about how geo-routing is different than geo-location, and what people should know about contacting 988 in a s...
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138: Embracing Therapeutic Complexity: Interview with Patricia Gianotti, Psy.D.

June 6, 2024 • 41 mins
Episode 138: In today's episode of the Social Work Podcast, I speak with Dr. Patricia Gianotti, author of the book, Embracing Therapeutic Complexity, and Academic Director of The Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy at Loyola University Chicago. Patricia and I speak about the neurobiology of shame, why depth work is important, and how to think about human complexity in a therapeutic context. She emphasizes the impact of attachment ...
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137: The Role of AI in Child Welfare and Community Organizing: Interview with ChatGPT-4o

May 22, 2024 • 31 mins
Episode 137: In today's Social Work Podcast, I speak with ChatGPT-4o about the role of AI in child welfare and community organizing and how we can use Bronfenbrenner's ecosystems framework and an antiracist perspective. That's right. I'm interviewing OpenAI's LLM, ChatGPT-4o. This is the first time I've interviewed a chatbot. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the interview. Please text me or leave a voicemail for me at (215) 9...
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136: Living with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease: Interview with Allan Cole, PhD

April 30, 2024 • 46 mins
Episode 136: In today's Social Work Podcast, we speak with Allan Cole about his experiences with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease affects nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 6 million people worldwide. It is a a progressive neurological disorder that primarily affects movement. I spoke with Allan Cole, a person who lives with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease. He also serves as the Dean of...
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Social Work Pioneer

July 17, 2023 • 4 mins
I am humbled and honored to let you know that I have been selected as one of 25 Social Work Pioneers for starting the first podcast by and for social workers. The NASW Social Work Pioneers program celebrates some of the most influential social workers in the nation. There is no way I would have been considered for this prestigious honor had it not been for you, the long time devoted listeners of the social work podcast. You have we...
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135: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers – Part 2: Interview with Lisa Damour, PhD

April 5, 2023 • 34 mins
Episode 135: Today's episode is the second of a two-part series with Lisa Damour about her 2023 book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents. In today’s episode we talk about how decades of research on the gender binary can provide insight into the emotional lives of adolescents across the gender spectrum. We talk about intersection of race and gender. We end our conversation tal...
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134: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers – Part 1: Interview with Lisa Damour, PhD

February 21, 2023 • 31 mins
Episode 134: Today's episode is the first of a two-part series with Lisa Damour about her 2023 book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents. In today’s episode we talk about the difference between adolescent distress and adolescent mental illness, how the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for parents to distinguish between normative adolescent distress or pandemic-related ...
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133: Eliminating the ASWB exam from the Illinois LSW law: Interview with Joel Rubin, LSW

February 14, 2023 • 27 mins
Episode 133: In today's interview, NASW-IL Executive Director, Joel Rubin, and I talk about the legislative process that NASW-IL went through to eliminate the requirement that BSW and MSW graduates from accredited social work programs in Illinois had to take the ASWB licensing exam in order to get their LSW. Joel shares the story about how and why the legislation changed. We talked about how the legislative process works, from conn...
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132: Loving someone with suicidal thoughts: Interview with Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW

December 25, 2022 • 32 mins
Episode 132: In today's interview, Stacey and I talk about how she drew on her personal and professional experiences to write a book for families, friends and parents of someone who is suicidal. She talks about why and how families can create support teams, when and why it might not be appropriate to reach out to others, and how to navigate reaching out even when the suicidal person doesn't want you to. We talked about how to find ...
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