Social workers applaud Social Workers and Psychologists Chapter Leader Raul Garcia during his opening remarks.
More than 1,000 school social workers gathered at UFT headquarters and remotely on March 8 for a day of professional learning focused on holistic wellness to mark the union’s eighth annual Social Workers Appreciation Day. Social Workers and Psychologists Chapter Leader Raul Garcia, who organized the event, stressed the importance of providing wellness resources to social workers. “We wear superhero capes, but we also have limitations,” he said. Pina LoGiudice, a naturopath, provided tips for cultivating physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellness, while Reiki master teacher Gina Duffy led participants in a sound bath, a meditative practice involving the use of resonant music. Dessiree Pendleton, a social worker at PS 178 in Queens, said she appreciated the day’s focus on social workers’ own well-being. “We forget about ourselves,” she said. “I think it’s important to remind ourselves to plan self-care into our day,” she said, “and to remind ourselves that it’s needed.”
