This initiative that helps families improve their finances makes so much sense.
There's really no overstating the role money plays in our lives.
Our financial status often has an effect on our mental well-being, our relationships, our stability, and so much more. Social workers have seen this link for a long time, but in the last few years, a few in particular have stepped up to take action. Jodi Frey, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Maryland's School of Social Work, is one of them.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work. Used with permission.
What does money have to do with social work? Well, if you think about it, it makes a lot sense for them to go hand in hand.
Social workers are in the perfect position to help communities build financial strength. This wasn't always apparent, though.
Frey says that when people came in with financial issues or issues that were amplified by financial stressors, the M.O. used to be to refer them to credit agencies and other institutions for help — but that was risky. There are so many predatory practices out there that the chance was too great that people would be referred to businesses that would only further their financial distress. Payday loans ring a bell?
Image via Eddie~S/Flickr.
Realizing they needed a better solution, the School of Social Work formed The Financial Social Work Initiative. It works to help social workers really understand what's happening on the home front — what's the environment that people are in that's causing financial distress and making it difficult to recover?
The key, they've found, is talking about and understanding money better. To do that, social workers start with themselves.
The Financial Social Work Initiative trains social workers so that they're prepared to talk to people about money. It helps those very social workers to address their own experiences with finances and to address any personal biases they may hold. It conducts research to understand what programs are available, which ones are working, and how to improve upon them.
Image via iStock.
Most importantly, it helps families to get on the road to true financial stability. It's not enough to make money if you don't have a savings. And what do you do if you're not making enough to make ends meet? The Financial Social Work Initiative is step one in addressing all of these issues. The initiative takes a close look at access on a number of levels: access to assets, wealth-building, and jobs that actually provide livable wages. It's a multifaceted approach. The goal is to help "from the individual all the way up to the community and policy level," Frey said.
Lack of financial stability doesn't just affect a few people. Nearly half of American households are financially insecure.
Frey told Upworthy:
"We saw the need of social work to better handle financial concerns with individuals and families within the communities. And I saw that in the workplace after the recession and the slow economic recovery where you had lots of folks who considered themselves to be comfortable and middle class, all of a sudden in financial crisis ... folks that never thought they would need to talk to a social worker or access community benefits were suddenly in financial crisis and potential ruin."
And there are many people who need help and need resources but are afraid of the stigma of seeking help from a social worker or through community resources.
Fortunately, The Financial Social Work Initiative is just the start.
Frey said she wants to "continue to figure out what works." She tries to keep in mind who is being reached and whether the programs are helping those who are in dire need or are only addressing a fraction of those who need help.
"Too often, the financial services out there are not for individuals in everyday crisis," she said. Her goal is to get to the root of the problem and help the initiative grow to address, on a holistic level, the problems that lead to financial instability — before the household gets to the crisis point — because the reality is, most people will face financial difficulty at some point in their lives. Knowing that there are resources out there to help is one step to curbing that problem.
This is a huge undertaking, but it's so necessary — and its continued implementation will change the lives of so many people. The more people like Frey who help highlight how important these money conversations are across economic spectrums, the more we all benefit.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."