1 Mar, 2023

Ask Nicole: What is a Public Health Social Worker?

By |2023-03-01T12:27:07-05:00March 1st, 2023|Categories: Public Health & Social Work|Tags: , , |0 Comments

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There are two things I know for sure about social work and public health:

One: Social work and public health are naturally complimentary fields, perfectly suited to advance community health and wellbeing.

Two: People are just as confused about what public health is as they are with social work.

A struggle with social work is, because the profession is so diverse, most have a narrow view of what social workers do. While most only associate social work with social services, social workers work in many different settings, including schools, hospitals and clinics mental health practices, veteran centers, child welfare agencies, the criminal justice system, corporations, academia, research and policy, and state, federal and local government.

Similar to social work, public health practitioners work in various settings like the one’s I’ve mentioned. Also similar to social work, the general public is unclear about what public health is, what practitioners do, and how public health adds value. This disconnect limits communities’ understanding of what’s required to do social work and public health work effectively.

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1 Feb, 2023

Ask Nicole: I’m Uncomfortable Working with Certain Clients

By |2023-02-01T12:23:36-05:00February 1st, 2023|Categories: Public Health & Social Work|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

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In the early years of my social work career, I had a large caseload of individuals from various backgrounds and needs.

Some clients were more challenging to work with than others, but I’d say I got along well with everyone I worked with.

Yet sometimes, I didn’t click with every person I worked with. However, these experiences were easier to navigate when I made the decision to focus on the client’s needs as opposed to my personal feelings towards them.

There were moments, however, where I was uncomfortable working with certain clients. Mainly male clients who disclosed (either in sessions with me or in their intake assessment with another colleague) their history of violence towards women.

I shared my feelings during supervision one day, only for my supervisor to share this with another colleague. Needless to say, this didn’t help matters. I was looking for guidance on working with clients that, based on experiences that had nothing to do with me, I didn’t want to work with due to my own personal values.

These days, I have more control over who I work with, but I want to provide some insights I learned during that time that may be useful. While you don’t have to like a client to do your job as a social worker, it’s harder to do a good job when you actively dislike them.

In your personal life, you’re more likely to go above and beyond for someone you like. It’s harder to do this for someone you don’t like.

In a professional setting, you can’t really get away with this. Sometimes, these relationships improve over time, but when you find yourself not wanting to work with a client, here’s some guidance:

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4 Jan, 2023

Ask Nicole: What To Do with Ineffective Board Members?

By |2023-01-23T19:53:51-05:00January 4th, 2023|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

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The board of directors is a governing body for an incorporated organization, consisting of individuals that provide strategic governance and support to an organization’s leader, staff, and stakeholders.

Here in the United States, in order to maintain 501(c)3 nonprofit status, an organization needs to have a functioning board. And, unfortunately, inactive and ineffective boards are pretty common in the nonprofit world.

I’ve experienced various board dynamics, both within my consulting role and as a board member for a few nonprofits over the years. I’m fortunate to have served on boards with members dedicated to serving in this capacity and care about organizational mission. However, even with my personal experiences and my interaction with boards in my projects, I’ve noticed quirks among boards that are confusing at best but can also be detrimental to staff if not checked.

While its considered an honor to serve on a board, the decisions a board makes can positively or negatively impact how staff carry out the organization’s mission.

So, how much of this is the fault of the board, and how much rests on the shoulders of the organizations that invite them to serve? Below are 10 things I’ve noticed, and how to spot them in your board:

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3 Aug, 2022

Ask Nicole: Trust & the Client-Consultant Relationship

By |2022-08-02T22:35:30-04:00August 3rd, 2022|Categories: Consulting|Tags: , , |0 Comments

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A year or so before leaving my old agency, I conducted an intake assessment with a new client. They were in their early twenties and presented as a young man. They were soon assigned to my caseload, and after a few appointments together, they arrived unannounced to the office and asked for me.

When I got the call from the receptionist, I didn’t recognize the client’s name, and after combing through my electronic records, I couldn’t find them in our electronic charts.

The client somehow knew my name and insisted with the receptionist that I was her social worker. After speaking with my supervisor, we both walked to the waiting area.

As we got closer to the waiting area, I saw a young woman standing at the reception desk. She turned to looked at me and waived.

And I realized who she was.

After we sat down at my desk, I said, “Well…you look differently from the last time I saw you.”

She laughed, saying, “I wanted to get to know you first before I felt comfortable showing you who I really am.”

The client was a young transgender woman, and at this meeting she presented as such and shared her transition story with me.

This was one example of many I experienced, where the key takeaway was understanding that important information may not be revealed at the onset.

When we look at our familial, social, work, and romantic relationships, some people know certain information compared to others.

But at the start of my social work career, this frustrated me, as it felt I had to do a lot of digging in order to provide appropriate care.

But you can’t rush trust building.

How I engage with client organizations today is pretty similar to how I engaged with individual clients.

And as a consultant, you won’t know how the relationship with the client organization will go until you’re on the project. And like the takeaway above, important information may not be revealed initially.

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1 Jun, 2022

Ask Nicole: Pros & Cons of Naming Your Business After Yourself

By |2022-06-01T10:39:36-04:00June 1st, 2022|Categories: Consulting|Tags: , , |0 Comments

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Today marks 6 years since leaving my employer to run my business full time.

While I no longer talk about the ins and outs of running a business anymore, today is an exception.

Six years ago, I was more excited, more hopeful, less secure in whether this will work out, and restless.  

Today, I’m more confident, more stable, pleased with how things have worked out, and still restless. 

The restlessness comes in large part due to thinking about the future, what comes next, and how I want my business to live beyond me.

One of the most important tasks of starting a business is coming up with your business name. Since I wanted to focus more on what services I wanted to offer, I kept it simple: Nicole Clark Consulting.

Six years later, I’m considering changing my business name.

Much like a newborn baby, coming up with a name that resonates and speaks to your business’ mission can be daunting.

But what’s in a name? Here are my pros and cons for naming a business after yourself:

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