The recent federal government shutdown was the lead media story throughout late December and January. Whether the focus was on the underlying policy differences, the partisanship of Congress and the administration, or the negative consequences of the absence of federal workers and the services they provide, it was clear that all Americans were affected by […]

We were delighted to find in our inboxes an email from the Snohomish County Human Services Department (SCHSD) sharing an excellently-framed op-ed, “Commentary: Joint efforts building solutions to homelessness” in the September 30, 2018 edition of the HeraldNet of Everett, Washington. The op-ed was authored by the Community Services Advisory Council (CSAC), an advisory board […]

During his tenure at Goucher College, President Jose Antonio Bowen has introduced a new meaning to “the three R’s.” Rather than the old school – reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic, Goucher promotes learning based on relationships, resilience, and reflection. President Bowen will have more to say on this in the book he is writing, but essentially, […]

With a new year upon us, we thought it would be useful to revisit the origins of reframing by taking a close look at the FrameWorks Institute MessageMemo, “Talking Human Services,” that is the research-based foundation for the National Reframing Initiative’s work. We frequently refer readers to “Talking Human Services,” and so in this issue […]

Each year, Merriam-Webster chooses a “word of the year.” The decision is based on a sampling of “lookups” on the company’s website which are driven by usage in media and public discourse over the previous 12 months. For 2018, the “word of the year” was “justice.” A number of events spurred public interest in justice, […]