Join us for Part 1 of our series on DEI as AG Clark returns to the Social Work Lens studio to unpack current executive orders as they pertain to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.   Show notes & transcripts available at https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Rooted in Pride: Youth-Led, Youth-Centered In this episode, we sit down with Emmett, Youth Organizer at Outright Vermont, for a powerful conversation about the role of young people in shaping political and social justice movements. Emmett shares insights into what youth organizing looks like on the ground, why affirming trans youth is a collective responsibility, and how adults can truly show up—by listening, believing, and staying curious. Tune in for a moving reminder that youth aren’t just the future—they’re leading right now. Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

“You can’t come home and tell your spouse, or your best friends what you experienced at work… because then you are just traumatizing other people, and no one is going to really, fully understand.”  - Anna Rodgers Anna Rodgers, a seasoned attorney with over 15 years of experience in immigration law and removal defense, joins Cassie to discuss the impact & sustainability of practicing immigration law in America right now. Transcript & show notes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

On July 22, 2025, Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavaria was detained and questioned by federal agents for four and a half hours at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Wilmer is a US citizen and despite holding valid travel documents and a Global Entry pass, he was neither told why he was being held nor given any explanation when his pass was subsequently revoked by email. Wilmer is a previous guest on our podcast and did an episode with us last spring titled “Immigration is a Human Right”. Today we are bringing you an interview with Wilmer about his recent detention and a re-release of his original episode. Please note- due to the urgent nature of this content we wanted to expediate the release of this episode, so we are pushing it out on our streaming platforms before adding it to our webpage and archive webpage. Transcript & show notes are coming soon to https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

What would it take to transform child welfare into a system rooted in healing, trust, and human connection?   In this powerful episode, we speak with Paul Nixon, an independent social worker and internationally recognized leader in restorative practices. From his early work in the UK to consulting across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, Paul has spent decades championing relational approaches that honor the voices of those most impacted.   Now contracted with Vermont’s child welfare system, Paul shares insights from his current work helping transform services to become more relational, connected, and family-centered. He explores how restorative practices challenge punitive models and instead prioritize listening, accountability, and meaningful engagement with children, families, and communities. This conversation is both deeply practical and visionary—highlighting what’s possible when we lead with empathy and prioritize relationships at every level of the system. Transcripts & show notes @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/  

Did you know Vermont has a Human Rights Commission?  Are you curious about what rights and protections you and/or your clients have under Vermont state law? Join Cassie as she speaks with Big Hartman, the Executive Director & General Counsel of VT’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) about what the VT HRC does, and how their work promoting full civil and human rights in Vermont is being impacted in this current moment. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Show notes & Transcripts available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

PART 2- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening. This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all. This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all.   Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG  @thesocialworklens

PART 1- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, painful struggle for dignity and recognition. Disguised as policy, these decisions struck at the right to exist safely, access care, and live authentically. They echoed decades of systemic neglect, reminding us that for trans people, political shifts aren’t abstract—they’re personal, urgent, and too often, life-threatening. This begs the question- who gets to define whose life has worth? Whose identities are real? Who deserves basic human rights and bodily autonomy? An attack on healthcare, bodily autonomy, dignity, and respect against our transgender community is an attack against us all. This week, we speak with three professionals who help us to define what gender affirming care means, why it’s important for trans youth, and how being affirming and respectful is a movement toward a stronger community for us all.   Show notes & Transcript @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Follow us on IG  @thesocialworklens

We recently brought you an episode on the political and legal landscape of Immigration. In this episode, we take it down to the personal level and bring you the voices of two Vermont high school students who talk about their daily experiences in the midst of this national conversation. Join us as we talk with students Gabby & Stacey, their teacher Caitlin Macleod-Bluver, and their Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria. Shownotes & Transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Please note – Gabby & Stacey were very active in the movement to have their high school designated as a sanctuary school. If you are interested in more information about this work please see the links below, or watch Wilmer, Caitlin, Gabby & Stacy in action at the school board meeting here https://www.mediafactory.org/winooski-schools?modal=45,episode,235066  

Are you wondering what is actually going on with Immigration in the United States right now? Are you curious about what these executive orders mean and how the system is ‘supposed’ to work? We are too! Join us as we speak with Jill Martin Diaz from the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project about immigration, and what social workers and helping professionals need to know. Shownotes & Transcripts @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/  

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 3: The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work featuring Dr. Brenda Solomon. Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/  Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 2: Voices from the Conference. Show notes & transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/  Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes exploring how Vermont is talking about antiracism and abolitionism in child welfare. Please join us in this series: How the Story is Told: An Abolitionist Child Welfare Conference. This is Part 1: What is a Title IV-E Roundtable Anyway? Show notes & transcripts  available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/  Follow us on IG: @thesocialworklens  https://www.instagram.com/thesocialworklens/  

Are you confused about what is happening in this political moment? So are we! Thankfully, VT Attorney General Charity Clark dropped by the studio to help us sort through the news, recent executive orders, and the work of the VT Attorney General’s Office. Show notes available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

This week we are sharing one of our favorite podcasts with you! Please enjoy this episode of Mining for Gold’s podcast: Audio Nuggets.  Links, transcripts, and shownotes available at https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/ Welcome to the cypher, right here on Audio Nuggets! On Audio Nuggets we strive to bend the arc of non-linear modes through conversations that tug and pull from the best of who we are. We give ourselves rooted permission to tell a collective story of the principled struggle for liberation. We are filled with joy and honored to be joined by Myah Overstreet for Episode 35: To Be Invisible—A True Narrative. Myah Overstreet is a filmmaker and journalist. Her area of focus is on the intersection of culture and racial injustices among marginalized communities. She is dedicated to amplifying bold, untold stories. Just two weeks ago, Myah’s documentary “To Be Invisible” was published on The New Yorker site. The film follows the journey of Alexis and Kelley as they demand the return of their children from the family police in North Carolina. Shining light and love on Black women was always what Myah wanted to focus her work on. In this episode, we unpack Myah’s journey to using film and journalism to tell the true narrative of reproductive justice rights of Black women, and the policing of bodies--the story that is not talked about. Myah shares the evolution of the film and how she joined with mothers and activists in the movement to abolish family policing to tell the story. Myah brings life and love to the film to magnify what’s been hidden. Every story that is told in this true narrative is getting us closer to a new world!

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM 5- TR, looms large in mental health services. As the principal guide for psychiatric diagnoses, the DSM seeks to provide a common language and standard criteria for mental health treatment. It is also an evolving text, that has been the subject of ongoing critique and revision since it’s original publication. Join recent Bachelor of Social Work graduate Olivia Baker and faculty member Danielle Jatlow, as they discuss some strengths and limitations that Olivia explored in her independent study on the DSM.   Shownotes & Transcripts available @ https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Sibling aggression is the most common form of family violence, yet it remains hidden and confused with sibling rivalry. Numerous studies have linked sibling aggression and abuse to worse mental and physical health and problematic interpersonal relationships with parents, peers, and romantic partners. Join Cassie as she speaks with Corinna Jenkins Tucker, PhD, CFLE & Tanya Rouleau Whitworth, PhD about their work in this important area. Transcripts & shownotes available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/  

Is mandated reporting critical to achieving child and family safety in our communities, or is it an outdated strategy that facilitates family surveillance? Who is this policy serving and why?  What is driving the shift in thinking about mandated reporting?  Join Jill Richard, MEd. & Dr. James Metz as they set the stage to learn from our history and create new possibilities.  

Neurodivergent youth and young adults, including those with autism, and gender-expansive youth face more adversity and are at a greater risk of trauma, such as abuse and neglect, as well as experiences like rejection, isolation, and bullying than their peers without those differences. Those living at the intersection of both neurodivergence, and gender expansiveness are at even higher risk. Join Cassie & Kelly Smith as they explore the relationship between gender diversity and trauma in Part 3 of this series.   Show notes & resources available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/

Neurodivergent youth and young adults, including those with autism, and gender-expansive youth face more adversity and are at a greater risk of trauma, such as abuse and neglect, as well as experiences like rejection, isolation, and bullying than their peers without those differences. Those living at the intersection of both neurodivergence, and gender expansiveness are at even higher risk. Join Cassie & Kelly Smith as they explore the relationship between neurodivergence and trauma in Part 2 of this series. Show notes & resources available at: https://vermontcwtp.org/podcast/