The Social Work Podcast | Podcast Guru

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Episodes

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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.

Recent Episodes

AUG 17, 2025

148: Psychodynamic Theory and Human Development: Interview with Dr. Terry Northcut

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 lasting imprint. You'll learn about the epigenetic principle, how repeated interactions, particularly in childhood, generalize into "working models" or "templates" that then play out in all our relationships. We talk about how psychodynamic theory recognizes developmental deficits and how it is strength-based. Along the way, Dr. Northcut acknowledges the role of attachment, trauma, and the importance of neurobiology (the focus of Episode 147 with our Loyola University Chicago colleague, Dr. Jim Marley). You can read a transcript of today's interview at https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2025/08/Northcut.html. You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/swpodcast, or follow the Bluesky feed at https://jbsinger.bsky.social.

42 MIN

JUL 28, 2025

147: Neurobiology for Social Work: Interview with James Marley, Ph.D.

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 being a critical consumer of neuroscience headlines—because clients read them too; and how social workers—often the first to hear about new symptoms or med side effects—can respond with confidence and compassion. We also get into brain basics: structures like the prefrontal cortex and limbic system, neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, and how meds like SSRIs trick the brain into adjusting. We talk about how social workers can talk about the medical side of medication without talking beyond our training, including the neurobiology of side effects, withdrawal, and why you shouldn’t go cold turkey off your meds. If you’ve ever felt underprepared to talk about the brain—or wondered why it matters for your practice—this episode is for you. You can read a transcript of today's interview at https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2025/07/neurobiology.html. You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/swpodcast, or follow the Bluesky feed at https://jbsinger.bsky.social.

45 MIN

JUL 13, 2025

146: The Evolving Landscape of Social Work Practice: Technology, Advocacy, and the Interstate Compact with NASW CEO Dr. Anthony Estreet

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 today's interview at https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2025/07/Estreet2025.html. You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/swpodcast, or follow the Bluesky feed at https://jbsinger.bsky.social.

24 MIN

JUL 6, 2025

145: Experimental Research Design (Part 2): Interview with Bruce Thyer, PhD, LCSW

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 embarrassed if you find experiments intimidating, but why critically appraising research, including randomized experiments, is a core expectation for all social workers. Dr. Thyer shares practical tools like the CONSORT-SPI checklist to help you evaluate studies and encourages you to respectfully challenge your professors about the empirical evidence behind therapies they teach. We'll also tackle some of the challenges and biases in social work against experimental designs, the inherent risks of empirical study where results might not confirm expectations, and the ethical considerations when designing interventions, especially for serious issues like suicide prevention. Plus, we'll clarify the difference between true experiments and quasi-experiments (often mistakenly called 'natural experiments') and understand why precise research is vital, sometimes with its full value recognized much later. You can read a transcript of today's interview at https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2025/07/Thyer3.html. You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/swpodcast, or follow the Bluesky feed at https://jbsinger.bsky.social.

19 MIN

JUL 1, 2025

144: Experimental Research Design (Part 1): Interview with Bruce Thyer, PhD, LCSW

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 experimental research designs—what they are, why they matter, and how social workers have been using them more than you might think. You can read a transcript of today's interview at https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2025/07/Thyer2.html. You can connect with other social workers at the Social Work Podcast Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/swpodcast, or follow the Bluesky feed at https://jbsinger.bsky.social.

21 MIN