Highlights From This Semester's Social Workers Radio Talk Show

The semester opened with forensic social worker, Cessie Alfonso, as a guest. Ms. Alfonso, a licensed social worker, spoke about her career as a forensic social worker who focused on death penalty cases. In this segment, Cessie talked about how she entered into the forensic social work career, how new social workers can explore this specialization, and what a career in forensic social work is really like.

Marie Dolfi, LCSW, also sat down with the show and discussed how identity formation is more complex for adoption triad members due to relinquishment, lack of information, the merging of family backgrounds and society’s negative portrayal of adoption and triad members. She included information on the developmental stages of identity formation for adopted individuals with a special focus on teenage years and transracial adoption.

Maria Mursch, LMSW, called in from her place of employment, CaringKind, in New York City. She discussed how she and her colleague Johnna Scrabis, an Improv teacher from Early Stage Center, use improvisational theater (Improv) with people who are diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. She spoke about what kinds of Improv exercises and adaptations can be used with this population, the reported outcomes that the clients shared, and tips on how to replicate the program in other settings. She shared what she learned, as she embarked on a new and innovative way of connecting with this population, allowing the clients to be the masters of their own space and to use laughter as an outlet.
For more about these exciting segments, please visit www.albany.edu/the-social-workers. If you are interested in being a guest, please contact Alyssa Lotmore at [email protected].