With eight months into the new decade, the health experts continue to fight the battle against Covid-19. Meanwhile, the social workers are rendering their services in these uncertain times to pull everyone out from this pandemic. People are putting efforts to adjust in the new normal by maintaining a social distance, practicing hygiene, and using facemask as an accessory with clothing. At the same time, many families are witnessing financial insecurity with the stresses of lockdown.
Alongside being a threat to physical wellness, Covid-19 is also hurting mental health. Thus, social workers hunt for ways to reduce stress, fear, and anxiety levels in society. Reap the benefits of this digital world and come up with something that can make a difference. Instead of chasing after the entertainment platforms like Facebook and Instagram, opt for podcasts.
It is one of the best ways to keep up on the news and engage in exciting topics. Hence, think of representing all the social work in the podcasting universe. People actively listen to podcasts since they are free of cost and not more than 20-minutes long. It is the most excellent way to put your message across and create awareness amongst people in this pandemic.
Can’t think of any creative or informative podcast? Here are some ideas for health social work podcasts during Covid-19.
1. COUNSELING TOOLBOX
It is quite easy to lose track of life in the hustle-bustle of the new normal in today’s era. You can provide some tips and tricks to get people back on track by counseling them about achieving goals and dreams. If you wish to build your expertise in this niche, look for online social work masters programs to become a real-pro in counseling others. It doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary, delve into topics that can help people with mood disorders and addictions. You can pick a different topic every week – some days, you can talk about peer pressure on teenagers, while at times, you can help people make career choices.
2. FAMOUS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN 2020
Spreading awareness is the only way to curb the threat of viruses, and podcasts can help you. You can spring up different topics regarding safety measures and their importance. However, don’t overload the listeners with information and keep it engaging. For instance – you can talk about “hand sanitization” and educate people about different sanitizers. Explain the difference between alcohol-based sanitizers and the ordinary ones to reveal which one kills more germs. Likewise, make a podcast on “How to keep people away – social distancing” or about “signs you are wearing the facemasks inappropriately.”
3. DEEP THOUGHTS & HUMOR
A lot is happening in this world but goes unnoticed. How about you shed light on these deep thoughts with some humor? You can pick all the underrated topics which don’t receive enough attention in the society, allowing people to give it a thought. You can talk about the LGBT community, the Bermuda triangle, or even human trafficking. If you want some thrill, go a little controversial – talk about politics.
4. MENTAL ILLNESS HAPPY HOUR
In today’s era, teenagers and young adults are into a lot of dark stuff. It is potentially one of the reasons for increased depression and anxiety rates. Likewise, this current lockdown and financial instability is a significant reason for skyrocketing stress levels. Social workers can use their podcasts to entertain the listens. Collaborate with comedians, artists, and create conversations around mental health issues. It would be incredible to highlight the battles people are fighting in their heads. A touch of humor keeps the podcast engaging, giving them a hope to smile and become hopeful again.
5. SOCIAL MATTERS
In the past few months, everyone’s main concern was Covid-19, meaning all other social issues went unattended. Therefore, use your podcasts as an opportunity to enlighten people with the current problems in this world. You can exchange views on feminism and its real meaning or discuss racial injustice. Alongside these creative discussions, focus on bringing up solutions more than problems to create a better society. For instance, if you are hashing over domestic violence – educate women about basic laws to help them stand for their rights.
6. TALKING THERAPY
These days, people have a lot of low days where they don’t feel like doing anything. As a result, they spend their time surfing online, making them feel worse since social media is nothing but an illusion. Being a social worker, you can kick off a talking therapy podcast where you can promote personal growth. You can bring social, spiritual, emotional, and psychological leaders to motivate and inspire them. Your target audience would be the people who are suffering in their life due to varying reasons. Pick topics like “tools for healing” or “walking through grief of a loved one” so people can relate to it.
7. HELPING SOCIETY
People are spending their time indoors, meaning they have lost connection with the outside world. It is imperative to give back to the community, especially in these unprecedented times. Hence, create a podcast to put forward how people can help society by sitting at home. Create topics around different aspects of society. You discuss how to “plant trees” or “how to educate a child” by donating online. Feel free to list all the NGO’s accepting donations. Also, disclose the ways how people themselves can participate in social work.
8. PRIVATE PRACTICE
The upcoming generation is clueless about what they are doing with life. Creating podcasts could a great way to show them the path of success. You can pack it up with powerful and useful techniques to help people decide what they want to become. Initiate episodes like “Intersection of life and work” or something on “exploring talents” – to help people discover themselves. Have a warm and upbeat coaching style to keep the listeners hooked throughout the episode.
WRAPPING UP
Social workers have a lot to offer, whether fighting mental illnesses, counseling people, or combating injustice. Use this digital world as your oyster and collaborate with the online audience to make this world a better place. With plenty of threats, Covid-19 also brings a fair share of opportunities for everyone. Hence, kick off your podcasts and make the most out of this time.