May is Mental Health Awareness Month

IN TUNE with Mental Health

Village Concert Fundraiser Created by Fieldston Junior to Help Artists Facing Mental Health Challenges

On Saturday, May 18th, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Fieldston High School junior, Ariana Sidman along with her band of teenage musicians, will be giving a concert at The Bitter End in the Village to benefit NYC artists struggling with mental health challenges. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. with ticket prices $18 in advance, $20 at the door. All profits go to Creatives Care, a NYC non-profit that provides free services to help artists access affordable, high-quality mental health care.

The set list focuses on mental health challenges and also portrays a sense of hope. Ariana’s band consists of talented musicians Raf Katchen, 17, junior on drums; his younger brother Micah Katchen, 13, 8th grade on guitar/vocals; Ariana Sidman, 17, junior on piano/vocals; Cole Corper, 17, junior on guitar/bass/vocals; Merrick Brannigan, 16, sophomore on vocals/guitar).

Political leaders have been invited including Council Member Gale Brewer who will share a few words supporting and advocating for accessible mental health services for NYC residents.

Ariana’s goal for this concert event is to help bring awareness to the challenges that artists face during Mental Health Awareness Month in May.

The Bitter End is located at 147 Bleecker Street (near La Guardia Place).

---

For ticket and event info: bitterend.com/#/events/102513

---

One Concrete Step to Help Address the Mental Health Crisis

A LETTER TO CONSTITUENTS
By Erik Bottcher, New York City Council Member, District 3

As a New Yorker, as a City Council Member, and as someone who is open about being a survivor of suicide, I’ve made addressing the mental health crisis in New York one of my top priorities.

It is a task that can feel overwhelming at times, as it involves reversing decades of disinvestment and failed policy, and because mental illness is intertwined with so many other issues, like housing and substance use. 

We need more immediate steps that will help now. My team and I have identified an effort underway in New York right now for a policy change that would help address the severe shortage of mental health workers: a repeal of the State requirement that social work graduates must pass a standardized examination to receive a nonclinical Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) license.

New York is experiencing a severe shortage of social workers, who provide a wide range of services, from individual counseling and therapy to community outreach and advocacy. They work in schools, hospitals, private clinics, community centers, and more.

Many fully-funded social work positions in the government and non-profit sectors remain unfilled. A recent survey found that social work jobs ranked the third most difficult to fill among all sectors in New York City. A 2022 audit by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli exposed that 80 percent of NYC schools failed to meet the recommended ratio of one social worker for every 250 students.

There are many reasons for a shortage of social workers, including low salaries. Another barrier is the onerous process of getting licensed.

To become licensed as an LMSW in New York State, individuals must graduate from an accredited social work master’s program with a clinical curriculum, complete at least 900 hours of supervised field work, complete training in the identification and reporting of child abuse, and pass an Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) clinical examination.

A 2022 analysis found major racial disparities in who passes the LMSW licensing exam, with only 44 percent of Black social work graduates and 62 percent of Hispanic/Latino graduates passing in 2021, compared to 85 percent of white graduates.

Because of these racial disparities, Illinois, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Utah have passed legislation eliminating the requirement for an examination to receive an LMSW license. California and Michigan never had the examination requirement.

After Illinois removed the requirement for non-clinical social workers to take a licensure test, the state gained nearly 3,000 new licensed social workers in the first six months of 2022, compared to just 421 during the same period in 2021.

I have introduced a New York City Council resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, the Social Worker Workforce Act, State legislation introduced by Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas and State Senator Samra Brouk, which would repeal the superfluous examination requirement.

As the group Social Workers for Justice says, “Many graduating social workers have also worked for many years in social service positions. We are fully capable of competently performing in entry level social work positions.”

Despite our reputation, New Yorkers are caring, kind people who want to help people in need. This is exemplified by our social workers.

Let’s fill the unfilled social work positions at this time of great need. Let’s follow the lead of other states and increase and diversify our mental health workforce.