I was pleased that the Philadelphia Inquirer printed the following letter.
With warm wishes, and with hope,
SaraKay

Enduring evil

To the editor:

Racism, built into the fabric of American culture, is protected by those who live and further it. Some knowingly, some not. The majority of those involved in the killing of Tyre Nichols, and countless others, long to fit in and be accepted by the powerful who endorse this malignant expression of hate, the deadliest of emotional cancers. Owning and confronting this truth, the myriad ways (both covert and overt) racism continues to be expressed, and the necessity of coming together to right a horrific wrong — for which we continue to pay a deadly price — is crucial to America’s endurance.

SaraKay Smullens

Philadelphia

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

     I found Spare, the controversial memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, released to the public on January 10, 2023, to hold many important life insights and opportunities for reflection (for social workers and our clients). I also found it to be misunderstood, condescended to, and judged harshly by many reviewers, critics, and readers, including several who hold a powerful media presence.   

     In its most brutal truths, Spare is a memoir about a lonely, isolated, abused, purposeless boy who becomes determined to face his realities in order to mature—in the messy, disorganized, and even conflicting process that occurs when traumas and abuse are faced. Harry exposes his family truths as he sees them to the fullest extent he can, while only hinting at some too painful to fully expose and discuss. From a social work perspective, I see his work as brave, heartfelt, and honest. Harry could well be our client. Or ourselves.

Read more Here

I am pleased that the Gazette printed the following.  Warm new year wishes, SaraKay

Putting together your full introduction to Liz Magill [“Liz Magill Is Listening (in a Good Way),” Sep|Oct 2022], and the emphasis offered in Proudly Penn [a supplement mailed with some copies of the issue], I see our new president as a much-needed gift for the present, a leader with long awaited qualities. As a graduate of our School of Social Work (now the School of Social Policy and Practice) and a former board member, it is clear to me that a university that protects a School of Social Work echoes its conscience and commitments.

Liz Magill both highlights and lives this commitment, one that can only serve our proud, historic university and all we touch and inspire very well. In your description of a woman who is available, listens deeply, and treats all with respect, yet is tough and decisive when this is called for, Liz Magill qualifies for the highest compliment I can offer. She, like the present dean of my grad school, Sally Bachman, is a “natural social worker.”

SaraKay Smullens SW’65, Philadelphia

Family Life Education is an extremely valuable and often overlooked road to understanding and coping.

This column was inspired by the book Wisdom for Parents. Key Ideas From Parent Educators, edited by the late Robert E. Keim, Ph.D., CFLE, and Arminta Jacobson, Ph.D., CFLE. This book, which helps to fund the CFLE Scholarship, includes the shared knowledge and experience of many Family Life Educators, most of them CFLEs. Wisdom for Family Life Educators provides an opportunity for CFLEs to share the wisdom they have acquired after many years in the practice of Family Life Education.

The author of this issue’s Wisdom for Family Life Educators column, CFLE SaraKay Smullens, MSW,LCSW,BCD,CGP, made two contributions to the Wisdom for Parents book, addressing the concepts of courage and loyalty in the family. In this article she shares her insight and perspective on the relevance of Family Life Education within the practices of social work and therapy and its value in addressing, rather than pathologizing human experiences.

Read the full article here

Dear friends and colleagues,

I hope you find the review of the series "League of the Own" (and its differences from the 1992 film) meaningful. Issues raised are relevant in light of today's raging prejudices and hatred, including antisemitism.

Found on The New Social Worker.

Penn State leadership is courting danger and undermining democracy by not seeing the threat of legitimizing the Proud Boys in the aftermath of January 6. I was pleased that The Philadelphia Inquirer published my letter on October 17th.

In our troubled and divided country, with democracy under siege, the most important mission a college can honor is to inspire its students to be ethical human beings and, to the best of its ability, protect them from danger. Especially danger from within the institution. Sadly, Penn State’s leadership is courting danger from within by protecting their campus conservative club’s Oct. 24 speaking invitation to Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, who consistently inspires violence with his expressions of prejudice in hate-laced rhetoric. Students pushing back on this invite warn that McInnes’ presence, one that may bring large numbers of his followers to campus, poses an enormous threat.

According to Penn State leadership, however, the organization issuing the invite, Uncensored America, a recognized student organization, has an “undeniable constitutional right” to carry on with its planned evening. Why doesn’t leadership value the “undeniable constitutional right” of students to protect themselves and their academic home from the highly disturbed vitriol of the likes of Gavin McInnes and his followers?

SaraKay Smullens, Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 17, 2022

Found on The Philadelphia Inquirer

Found on The New Social Worker.

Found on Medium.

Found on The New Social Worker.

Found in the Philadelphia Inquirer on July 15, 2022

Found on The Broad Street Review.

Found on The New Social Worker.

Found on The Medium.

Found in The Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine.

Found on The Medium.

Found on The New Social Worker.

Found on the New Social Worker.

Found on Social Workers Speak.

Found on The New Social Worker.

Found on The Legal Intelligencer.