Do Virginia’s Social Workers Know What Their Organization Is Supporting?

My first reaction when I heard the head of the social workers organization in Virginia state that his organization membership supported Senate Bill 177, an expanded program of outpatient commitment with loosened standards for who may be forced to participate in outpatient treatment by the state, was pure anger and dismay.  How could social workers who used to be some of the most progressive clinicians in this country be supportive of such a bill?  My second reaction was maybe this is a Virginia thing.  But my more thoughtful response is to wonder how many clinical social workers in private and public practice even know what stance their organization head is taking with the General Assembly?  How many clinical social workers belong to this organization and of those who do, did any of them have a say in the regressive, anti-civil liberties stance that was given as their official position? 

I hope that clinical and other social workers who know that forced treatment does not work and is an intrusion on the privacy and liberties of the people they serve and that it will disproportionately impact the poor and minorities as it has in New York State, will speak up to their leadership or even quit their organization and form a new one that respects traditional social work values and beliefs. 

And so as not to pick on social workers, I sincerely hope that psychiatrists in private practice who do not want the civil liberties of their patients eroded and the confidentiality of their records taken away, will speak up despite the failure of their state society to do so.  You don’t have to go all the way to Richmond, you can email your state delegate and state senator and tell them what you think as a psychiatrist in practice in this state.  Speak up for your patients, very few others will.