World Social Work Day: Social Workers Leading Transformative Change for a Shared Future

World Social Work Day (March 19) celebrates the impactful contributions of social workers worldwide. This year's theme, "Buen Vivir: Shared Future for Transformative Change," underscores the importance of adopting innovative, community-led approaches grounded in indigenous wisdom and harmonious coexistence with nature. The multifaceted role of social workers is often misunderstood, and as a new social...

What I’ve learned about harnessing outdoor adventures to overcome anxiety and fear, and cultivate self-belief and resilience

Over the years, I've spent considerable time reflecting on how nature has been a guiding force in my journey to overcome fear and anxiety, while cultivating a sense of confidence in myself. Since childhood, the outdoors has served as a source of solace and growth—a space where I've discovered not only my own strength, but...

Lessons from a Pandemic Job Search

In March 2019, I left my job at a public health NGO in Kenya in order to pursue my passion of working in mental health. I decided to head back to the US and take a job working for a wilderness therapy program in the Appalachian Mountains. For seven months, I worked alongside clinicians to...

Introducing the Playing to Live Podcast, Episode 1: Morgan Sykes

I've recently begun doing some work with Playing to Live (PTL), a non-profit organization seeking to meet the mental health and psychosocial needs of children and communities in low-resource, high trauma communities worldwide. I'm excited to announce the launch of PTL's new podcast! PTL's executive director and founder, Dr. Alexis Decosimo, and PTL curriculum builder,...