Caregiving from a Distance: How to Support Someone Who Lives with Depression
Whether across the country or, in the time of COVID-19, the next town over, caregiving for a loved one living with depression who is not in your household carries special challenges. How can you gauge their wellbeing? Is it possible to provide constructive support from far away, to help them work toward wellness? Are there effective ways to communicate your concerns? The good news is that, yes, you can be a partner in care even when your loved one is physically distant from you.
In this webinar, presenters Dr. Sandra Edmonds Crewe and Dr. JaNeen Cross will discuss how you can be an effective caregiver for an adult with depression who does not live with you. You will learn how signs and symptoms of depression may vary according to cultural context, ways to help your loved one find and pay for treatment, and tips for overcoming communication challenges related to physical distance.
Presenters
Sandra Edmonds Crewe, MSW, PhD, ACSW
Sandra Edmonds Crewe, MSW, PhD, ACSW, is dean and professor of Social Work at Howard University. She is also a NASW Pioneer©. Dr. Crewe holds an M.S.W. from the National Catholic School of Social Service and a Ph.D. in social work from Howard University. Dr. Crewe held leadership positions for 20 years in the field of public and affordable housing. She currently holds several board positions including the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust, American Association of Service Coordinators, National Association of Deans and Directors, and Home Care Partners. Dr. Crewe is an ethnogerontologist with a focus on caregiving across the life span; African American Caregivers: Seasons of Care Practice and Policy Perspectives for Social Workers and Human Service Professionals is among her numerous publications. Formerly Director of Howard University Multidisciplinary Gerontology Center, Dr. Crewe is principal investigator of a SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Training grant.
JaNeen Cross, MSW, DSW, MBA, LICSW, LCSW-C
JaNeen Cross, MSW, DSW, MBA, LICSW, LCSW-C, is an Assistant Professor at Howard University School of Social Work and a clinical social worker in private practice in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Her research interests include maternal and child health, health disparities, and family support for medically fragile newborns. Dr. Cross holds a B.S.W. and M.S.W. from Temple University, an M.B.A. with a graduate certificate in Health Care Administration from Rosemont College, and a Doctor of Clinical Social Work (D.S.W.) from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a former Health Education and Leadership Scholar and health policy postdoctoral fellow with the National Association of Social Workers. Dr. Cross has a mayoral appointment with the District of Columbia Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Dr. Cross is the co-investigator of a SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Grant and a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer.
Susan Weinstein, JD
Susan Weinstein, J.D., serves as Co-Executive Director of Families for Depression Awareness and Editor in Chief of Care for Your Mind, a mental health advocacy blog. She has been with the FFDA since 2012.