AI in Social Work | Purpose, Identity, and Connection with Ace and Alicia

Social Work, Workplace Trauma & Institutional Betrayal | Heliana Ramirez

Workplace trauma is real trauma, especially when racism, anti-LGBTQ bias, and institutional betrayal are part of the job. In Episode 34 of the Revolutionary Social Work Podcast, Alicia Stettler and Causha Spellman-Timmons host a grounded, practical conversation with Heliana Ramirez, PhD, LISW on toxic workplaces, psychological safety, culturally affirming crisis response, and what it takes to stay bold in advocacy without losing yourself. Ace was taking a burnout break from podcasting, and Alicia and Causha held it down. Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com Connect / collaborate: castettler@alaska.edu Guest Links Website: https://www.workplacetraumarecovery.com/ Provider page: https://care.headway.co/providers/heliana-ramirez About Heliana Ramirez, PhD, LISW Heliana Ramirez is a clinical social worker and researcher focused on the trauma of toxic workplaces, including workplace racism and anti-LGBTQ bias. During her own recovery from a toxic workplace, she recognized how unprepared many mental health providers are to address the specific injuries of workplace abuse and institutional betrayal. Drawing on post-traumatic growth and peer support, she developed communal resources to reduce isolation and strengthen recovery, including culturally informed somatic interventions, career-protection tools, a self-help workbook, blog posts, and on-demand webinars for survivors and the clinicians and advocates who support them. Her work spans anti-racist and LGBTQ+ affirming workforce wellness, occupational psychosocial safety, culturally responsive suicide prevention, somatic trauma therapy, harm reduction, and liberatory community building. Episode Focus Workplace trauma • institutional betrayal • psychological safety • suicide prevention • culturally affirming crisis response • social work advocacy inside institutions • middle management pressure • somatic recovery • community support Chapters 00:00 – Theme song + intro 01:50 – Introduction and Guest Introduction 07:38 – Exploring Workplace Trauma and Healing 13:09 – The Neuroscience of Trauma and Institutional Betrayal 18:54 – Navigating Middle Management Challenges 21:23 – Social Work's Role in Addressing Global Issues 28:49 – Overcoming Fear in Advocacy 31:45 – Living with Fear and Ancestral Trauma 37:26 – Workplace Trauma and the Me Too Movement 40:55 – Navigating Financial Abuse in the Workplace 49:05 – Understanding Workplace Abuse Dynamics 55:45 – The Intersection of Childhood Trauma and Workplace Abuse 59:12 – Gathering for Change: The Waves of Consciousness Summit 01:01:27 – Addressing the Suicide Crisis: A Call to Action 01:07:59 – Crisis Intervention: Rethinking Our Approach 01:13:24 – Cultural Healing: The Role of Community in Suicide Prevention 01:19:33 – Boldness in Advocacy: The Future of Social Work#WorkplaceTrauma #ToxicWorkplace #InstitutionalBetrayal #PsychologicalSafety #SocialWork #RevolutionarySocialWork #TraumaRecovery #SomaticTherapy #SuicidePrevention #LGBTQAffirming #WorkplaceRacism #MentalHealth #WorkplaceAbuse #CrisisIntervention #CommunityHealing © Revolutionary Social Work

AI in Social Work | Purpose, Identity, and Connection with Ace and Alicia

AI is reshaping social work, education, and everyday life fast. In episode 33 of the Revolutionary Social Work Podcast, Ace and Alicia talk through what this shift means for purpose, identity, mental health, and community, and how to lead with heart while staying grounded and ethically clear. If you’ve felt the tension between technology and humanity, this one is for you. Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com Email (connect + collaborate): castettler@alaska.edu Chapters 00:00 Theme Song + Intro 00:43 Introduction and Check-In 01:55 The Impact of AI on Social Work 03:31 Purpose and Identity in a Changing World 08:38 Youth Connection and Social Interaction 16:29 Navigating Technology and Social Media 23:12 Adapting to AI in Education 25:50 Conclusion and Future Directions About Ace (Christian “Ace” Stettler)Professor Ace is a professor of social work, writer, and creator based on Hawai'i Island. He is the founder of Revolutionary Social Work, a framework centered on deep self-reflection, relational practice, and becoming more fully human. Ace hosts the Revolutionary Social Work Podcast and The Critical Social Worker: A Revolutionary Storytelling Podcast, creating conversations that challenge conformity in the profession and call people back to connection, conscience, and kinship. About Alicia Stettler, LCSW, CYTAlicia Stettler is a Revolutionary Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Yoga Teacher, and guide for those seeking deeper healing, health, and happiness. With over a decade in mental health, her integrative approach blends evidence-based clinical practices with yogic philosophy to support personal and collective transformation.Alicia created the Circle of Self, a framework for lasting healing through (re)connection to seven essential elements: Movement, Stillness, Nature, Community, Spirit, Nourishment, and Love. She teaches that we must nurture our own Circle in order to share it with others. Join the conversation: What part of the AI shift feels most real in your work or life right now, and what helps you stay grounded? #RevolutionarySocialWork #SocialWork #AI#SocialWorkPodcast #EthicalAI #MentalHealth #Purpose #Identity #Community #Connection #FutureOfWork #SocialWorkEducation #Healing #CircleOfSelf #RelationalPractice #EmbodiedHealing © Revolutionary Social Work

Alan Dettlaff on Abolishing Family Policing | upEND Movement + Revolutionary Social Work

Alan Dettlaff (upEND Movement) joins Ace + Alicia for a direct conversation on abolitionist social work, ending the family policing system, and reclaiming social work from professionalized compliance. We get into electoral politics, the profession’s silence on genocide, desensitization and empathy, organizing for community, and practical action like economic boycotts and finding clearer information in a saturated media landscape. Connect + collaborate (we actually read these): RevolutionarySocialWork@gmail.com Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com Explore Alan’s work:upEND Movement: https://upendmovement.org/Alan Dettlaff: https://www.alandettlaff.com/ About Alan Dettlaff:Alan began his career in the family policing system as an investigative caseworker and administrator. He later helped create the upEND Movement (2020) to abolish the family policing system and build healing-centered alternatives. He’s the author of Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for Abolition (Oxford University Press, 2023), co-editor of Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice (OUP, 2023), and co-founding editor of Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work (open-access, peer-reviewed). Topics in this episode include: abolitionism, family policing, child welfare, social work education, solidarity, community building, media saturation, boycotts, and revolutionary social work. Chapters 00:00 Theme song + intro 02:40 Introduction to Revolutionary Social Work 03:49 Alan Dettlaff’s Background and Abolitionist Work 06:17 The Impact of Angela Davis on Activism 08:17 Distraction Tactics of Oppressors 10:36 The Limitations of Electoral Politics 13:44 Critique of the Democratic Party 15:14 Disappointment in Social Work Organizations 18:08 The Silence of Social Work on Genocide 21:54 The Performative Nature of Social Work 25:06 Desensitization to Global Issues 27:25 The Need for Political Education 30:25 Authenticity vs. Fear in Activism 32:46 Addressing Global Genocides 34:44 Revolutionizing Social Work 37:32 Reclaiming the Term “Social Work” 41:37 Reclaiming Social Work: A Complex Identity 47:31 The Role of Education in Social Work 51:18 Abolitionist Ideas in Social Work 56:12 Collective Action and Political Engagement 01:02:41 Building Community and Connection 01:05:59 Navigating Information Overload 01:15:25 Towards Liberation: A Call to Action #RevolutionarySocialWork #AbolitionistSocialWork #upENDMovement© Revolutionary Social Work

Social Work, Identity, and Ubuntu | Shayla Dube

Social work, identity, Ubuntu, community, and cultural transition anchor this conversation with Shayla S. Dube, an Africentric and decolonial educator whose work embodies collective responsibility and relational practice. Alicia and Ace explore the tensions between assimilation and belonging, the power of Ubuntu-centered care, and the ongoing work of reclaiming cultural foundations in a world shaped by colonialism and accelerating technology. Shayla reflects on her journey from Zimbabwe to Canada and the costs of assimilation; the role of community participation in becoming more fully human; and the need for social work education that centers relational learning, cultural humility, and ancestral knowledge. The discussion moves through identity reauthoring, the ethics of AI, and the work of re-centering African and Indigenous wisdoms in practice. This episode speaks to anyone committed to liberation, grounded pedagogy, and community-made identity. Visit Shayla's Website: https://wellnessempowered.com/ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@RevolutionarySocialWork/sub_confirmation=1 Email: RevolutionarySocialWork@gmail.com Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com Chapters: 00:00 Intro / Theme Song 01:38 Introduction and Identity Exploration 07:14 The Importance of Community and Participation 13:04 Cultural Transition: From Zimbabwe to Canada 18:52 Assimilation and Identity Loss 24:04 Reclaiming the Village in Modern Society 29:46 Teaching and Learning in a Community Context 35:06 Navigating Parenting in a New Cultural Environment 38:14 Helping Others Discover Their Identity 46:40 Understanding Human Experience Beyond Pathology 47:44 Cultural Identity and Ancestry Exploration 48:55 Creating and Reauthoring Culture 50:41 The Role of Culture in Human Behavior 52:42 Connecting with Cultural Foundations 54:20 Navigating Cultural Disconnection 57:04 The Dynamic Nature of Culture 58:46 Technology, AI, and Social Skills 01:04:10 Ethics of AI in Social Work 01:07:54 Re-centering Indigenous and African Wisdom in Social Work #RevolutionarySocialWork #Ubuntu #SocialWorkPodcast #CulturalHumility #AfrocentricPractice #DecolonialEducation #IdentityAndCommunity #UbuntuCenteredCare © Revolutionary Social Work

Disrupting the Micro Pipeline in Social Work with Patrick Taylor | Revolutionary Social Work Ep. 30

Social work keeps defaulting to clinic-first. Patrick “Taylor,” LCSW, joins Alicia and Ace to unpack how education, licensure, billing, and program design funnel graduates into the micro pipeline... and what it takes to rebuild legitimate macro pathways, restore creativity, and center structural change. Contact: revolutionarysocialwork.com Key themes Micro pipeline: how education, licensure, and billing narrow practice Financial incentives versus public mission; creativity under compliance Business/management literacy as a missing competency in MSW training Practicum leverage and self-advocacy; confronting unpaid internship norms Community, coalition, and long-horizon change in a corporate/remote era Chapters: 00:00 Intro + theme song 02:00 Introduction to Revolutionary Social Work Podcast 03:15 Patrick Taylor’s background and research focus 05:49 Exploring the micro pipeline in social work 11:09 The shift from macro to micro in social work 14:55 Financial incentives and their impact on social work 19:03 Creativity constraints in practice 23:41 Challenges social workers face today 31:15 Creative approaches in therapy 33:45 Navigating stigmas in mental health 37:00 The role of education in social work 40:41 Confrontation and advocacy in practice 44:12 Why macro practice matters 47:50 Cultural influences on career choices 51:15 The problem of unpaid internships 53:43 Forging your own path in social work 01:01:47 Empowerment through change 01:04:39 Navigating education and career paths 01:07:37 Valuing experience in social work 01:11:17 Advocacy and the power of community 01:16:10 Finding hope in challenging times 01:23:44 Envisioning the future of social work Guest bio Patrick “Taylor,” LCSW is a macro-focused social worker and DSW candidate working to disrupt the profession’s systemic default to clinical identity. He uses research, storytelling, and strategy to elevate macro practice in education, policy, and leadership; advocates licensure reform that reflects the full scope of social work; and builds content and coalitions for future-focused practice. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-macrovision/ Article: When the Fix Reinforces the Funnel: Rethinking Macro Pathways in MSW Education — https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-fix-reinforces-funnel-rethinking-macro-pathways-msw-patrick-v931c/ Below are a few links to resources Taylor mentioned during the episode: Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA) – https://acosa.clubexpress.com/ A membership-based organization that promotes community practice, social justice, and macro social work education. Network for Social Work Management (NSWM) – https://socialworkmanager.org/ A professional network focused on advancing social work leadership and management across sectors. Special Commission to Advance Macro Social Work – https://macrosocialwork.org/ An initiative dedicated to strengthening and expanding macro social work education, research, and practice. Macro Exposure & Career Direction in Social Work: Student & Early-Career Perspectives (Survey) Purpose: To better understand how macro social work is represented, supported, and experienced in MSW programs. The study examines advising, coursework, field placement, and program culture, and how these factors shape students’ professional identity and influence access to macro career pathways. Eligibility Criteria: Current MSW student or recent MSW graduate (within the last 5 years) from a CSWE-accredited program within the US and US territories Link: https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Igdvtfz9TnFPjo Support the projectIf this episode is useful, subscribe, like, comment, and share. It helps others find the work and strengthens the community. #SocialWork #MacroPractice #RevolutionarySocialWork #SocialJustice #LicensureReform #Practicum #CommunityPractice© Revolutionary Social Work