PERSPECTIVES - University of St. Thomas | University of St ......Sep 08, 2017 · The Mapping Social Justice Project 4 Summit Focuses on Diversity Gap in Workforce 8 School of Social

PERSPECTIVESA MAGAZINE FROM THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas January 2018

MACRO-INFORMED PRACTICE

PERSPECTIVES A magazine published by

St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas

School of Social Work2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105

(651) 962-5800

[email protected]/socialwork

Executive editorCindy Lorah

director of marketing and recruitment

EditorKate Norlander

Art DirectorSara Klomp

PhotographyMike Ekern

Mark Brown

ContributorsCorrine Carvalho

Pam KilpatrickCindy Lorah

Amy MullowneyAnde Nesmith

Kate Norlander

Front cover: Katie Pauly ’11 BSW brings

a macro-focused social work perspective to the

Minnesota governor’s office. Story page 10.

Photo by Mike Ekern ’02.

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

January 2018

ST. KATE’S – ST. THOMAS

Dean’s Letter 3

The Mapping Social JusticeProject 4

Summit Focuses on Diversity Gap in Workforce 8

School of Social Work News 10

Professional Notes 22

Snapshots 24

Upcoming Events 26

Support the School of Social Work 27

2 stthomas.edu/socialwork

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FROM THE DEANWelcome to the first issue of Perspectives for the 2017-18 academic year!

If you were to ask any of the social work faculty about this particular academic year, I wager they would say it’s a time of change and adjustment. Perhaps the most obvious change is the fact that I am writing this dean’s letter.

St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas owe Dr. Barbara Shank a great deal of gratitude for her work establishing and growing the School of Social Work. Her vision and hard work resulted in programs whose strength and mission fit are vital parts of both universities. I am grateful to serve this incredible faculty whom she assembled.

Any change brings a mix of excitement and anxiety, trepidation and hopefulness. This is especially the case with programs that were developed and grew under the leadership of the same dean. Even if nothing else changed, the presence of a new person in this role would be a major shift for the school.

Many of our stakeholders and alumni may be wondering about the appointment of someone who is not a social worker to the role of interim dean. I want to let you know a little bit about me and why I love this role.

It is not uncommon in university settings to appoint an interim dean as part of the transition to a permanent dean. The interim dean is usually someone from the university community who will not be seeking the permanent position. This lays the groundwork for a robust search for a permanent leader.

The job of an interim dean includes leading the faculty through the process of visioning for their future, so that they can better recruit the best candidate to lead the unit into that future. I have been the co-chair of the strategic planning process on the University of St. Thomas campus these past four years and have a lot of experience leading units in the creation of their particular visions.

As a theologian, I am honored to lead a group of faculty and staff whose ethical foundations resonate with my own. My new tag line is “Theologians talk about social justice. Social workers do something about it!” I admire the whole sweep of social work practice, which aims to support the dignity of every person through work with both individuals and systems.

This edition of Perspectives focuses on the latter element: the importance of macro-informed social work. It includes examples of students, faculty and alumni incorporating macro perspectives and advocacy into all levels of their practice. I am especially proud of the work that Dr. Lisa Kiesel and her MSW research students have been doing on the Mapping Social Justice project (page 4), a groundbreaking model to integrate macro and mezzo across a clinical program, which is gaining attention from other schools of social work nationwide.

My residence with this unit will only be for a short while, but it is an important time. Both universities have been reviewing their own macro-systems to provide education that remains relevant and accessible in the 21st century. I am humbled to be part of that process.

Dr. Corrine CavalhoInterim Dean, St. Kate’s - St. Thomas School of Social WorkProfessor of Theology

St. Kate’s – St. Thomas School of Social Work 3

Within the field of social work, macro-informed practice is often squeezed out. Work with a micro focus is generally the kind of work that gets funded, and social workers in counseling positions are in demand. But a macro-informed practice is critical, because it encourages social workers to focus on the big picture – on practices that will provide structural solutions to existing problems, thus preventing future problems from happening.

Associate professor Jessica Toft, current president of National Association of Social Workers-Minnesota Chapter, said, “Social work is the only profession that has promoting social justice in its code of ethics. We’re trying to change conditions to prevent people from needing our services.” She believes that part of a social worker’s job is to be a voice in alliance with the com-munities he or she serves.

Bringing advocacy to direct practiceBecause the St. Catherine University – University of St. Thomas School of Social Work is focused on clinical

social work, assistant professor Lisa Kiesel saw the need to help students bring a macro perspective into their practice. A couple of years before she developed the Mapping Social Justice program, she pondered ways to sustain graduate student engagement in advocacy. Under the Social Justice Initiative, students had voted to support the Justice 4 All Restore the Vote campaign. The students volunteered for door knocking and phone bank work. But the following year, only three students wanted to continue the work.

MACRO-INFORMED PRACTICE: THE MAPPING SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT

Lisa Kiesel


A “Take 5” event

Kiesel knew that, as they balanced work, school and other commitments, it was difficult for students to add advocacy to their plates. “They enrolled in an evening program for a reason,” she said. She decided that it was important to bring advocacy to students and encourage them to engage on an individual basis rather than urge them to show up for collective actions.

When a grant became available, it allowed Kiesel to put resources into creating a way to integrate policy, advocacy and community engagement into practice. She asked herself, “How could I create a system to target relevant information to students?” In answer to the problem, she came up with a way of targeting macro-level actions according to a person’s interests – the Mapping Social Justice project.

What is Mapping Social Justice?Mapping Social Justice began with a focus on students in the MSW program; since then, alumni have been rolled into the program. Designed to fit the needs of busy people doing clinical social work, Mapping Social Justice may be rolled out to more groups as appropriate. Participants fill out a brief survey, which allows them to indicate populations they are working with and areas that interest them. It limits the number of areas they can choose in order to focus the Mapping Social Justice alerts each person receives. These on-target alerts increase the likelihood that the recipients will take action. The list of possible areas of interest is comprehensive, including children, adolescents, wom-en, men, members of the LGBTQ+ community, military service members and veterans, immigrants and refu-gees, aging adults, criminal offenders, racial minorities, families, people with severe and persistent mental illness, people with disabilities, people who are socio-economically disadvantaged, people struggling with substance abuse and addiction, and victims of domestic violence, among other populations and issues.

Once people have submitted their areas of practice and interest, they

begin receiving email alerts tailored to the issues that most concern them. The work of finding information for and crafting alerts belongs to research assistants from the MSW program: Lauren Abdill, Kate Lesch and Emily Neighbors. Neighbors has been with the program from the beginning. Lesch is the newest assistant. They divide the work between them by topic, scanning the news for relevant information.

“I try to look for what the mainstream press isn’t covering,” Lesch said. The information in the alerts needs to be local, actionable, easy, informative and timely. The research assistants gather a lot of information from local and national organizations. They may look at what other universities are saying and doing. They also follow nonprofits on social media. They sign up for email lists and check state representa-tives’ webpages, watching for what’s trending and what will come up in the legislative session.

Once they’ve gathered information, the researchers craft short alerts both for email and for social media. The alerts might propose action items. An alert about supporting DACA suggested four possible actions for readers: contacting their legislators about supporting the DREAM Act, participating in a protest, reading firsthand stories about young people who have benefit-ted from DACA and – for readers who are themselves DACA recipients – educating themselves on their rights. Another alert, targeted at people who are interested in voting rights, announced an informational event on combatting voter suppression tactics. People who follow the Mapping Social Justice Facebook page have encountered alerts about an NASW-MN Town Hall (see call-out box on page 7) and about the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act and how to support it, among other things.


When a grant became available, it allowed Kiesel to put resources into creating a way to integrate

policy, advocacy and community engagement into practice.

INTERPRET

A good thing is worth sharingThe success of the Mapping Social Justice project has been measured through surveys and through actions taken by participants. The latter isn’t always easy to measure if it isn’t reported, but Lesch pointed to the good turnout at a recent postcard campaign as an example of the project’s success. The event was de-signed to make things easy, so that participation would take students about five minutes. The student research-ers provided participants with both writing prompts and addresses for their representatives. The event specifically targeted MSW students, but some non-MSW students also participated. “Anyone can ‘like’ our Mapping Social Justice Facebook page,” Lesch said. “We know some community members follow it.”

Kiesel has shared information on Mapping Social Justice at different conferences. In June 2017, she presented to the Influencing Social Policy national conference: Policy 2.0. The conference was largely focused on teaching social work, policy and related subjects. Kiesel pointed out that, because of their experience, audience members understood the struggle


STUDENTS FACULTY ALUMNI

SOCIAL JUSTICE CONCERNS

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ORGANIZEGUIDEIDENTIFY

STUDENTS, FACULTY, ALUMNI

LEARN MORE

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

SEND A POSTCARD

JOIN A PROTEST

SOCIAL JUSTICE CONCERNS(children, veterans,

refugees, racial inequality…)

MAPPING SOCIAL JUSTICE

of trying to engage busy students at a macro level.

In October, Kiesel presented again at the Council of Social Work Educators national conference, giving a poster session to field instructors and an oral presenta-tion to an audience of people who teach policy. During this conference, she was approached by someone from the University of Nevada, Reno, who had been at the Influencing Social Policy conference. They told her they were implementing Mapping Social Justice at their own school – exactly the sort of thing Kiesel wanted to hear. Kiesel contributed to a book CSWE is putting together about the grant initiatives they funded, which will give educators another way to learn about Mapping Social Justice and implement it at their own schools.

In the end, the more Kiesel can encourage busy clinical social workers to engage in advocacy work, no matter how small the action, the better she has succeeded. “We can all play a part in social change and social justice,” she said. “We all need to play some part, and it’s very possible.” n

JESSICA TOFT: A MACRO CHAMPIONAS NASW-MN PRESIDENTThis has been an extremely busy – and rewarding – time for associate professor Jessica Toft, president of the National Association of Social Workers–Minnesota Chapter. In August 2017, Toft penned a response to President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding Charlottesville that was sent to all licensed social workers in the state. It was also picked up by other chapters around the country and either emailed to their members or reposted, including in Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Carolina, New York City, Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas and Utah. This letter is available at naswmn.org: “NASW-MN Response to President Trump’s Statements on Charlottesville, VA.” Also in her role as NASW-MN president, Toft chaired a Social Work Legislative Town Hall event on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Five state legislators attended this event and heard from social workers about their experiences of the impacts of social policy on their practice and their clients. It was attended by numerous MSW students, alumni and faculty, thanks partially to the Mapping Social Justice project. The event was livestreamed via Facebook so social workers across the state could watch and participate. The recorded event is available on Facebook: @naswminnesota.


Toft (pictured on far right) with legislative panel during NASW-MN Town Hall in October.

By Amy Mullowney (reprinted from St. Kate’s Newswire)

Every year, the St. Catherine University – University of St. Thomas School of Social Work Field Practice Institute holds a summit on emerging issues in social work practice. This year, the focus was on social justice in action, “Creating Pathways to a Diverse Work-force.” Over 100 people attended, including educators, employers and social workers.

The summit began with presentations from a panel of five speakers. They shared information on efforts to develop a responsive, representative and reflective workforce. Speakers also discussed successful initiatives to create change and respond effectively to diverse communities.

“The only way to fill the gap is to tell the truth,” said Richard Oni, PhD, executive director of Progressive Individual Resources, Inc. And the truth he spoke of is the lack of people of color in the field providing for minority communities.

“The information that’s out there is consistent and overwhelming,” said panelist Tom Steinmetz, CEO at Washburn Center for Children. “We know very clearly that there are racial inequities and disparities

that impact not only the mental health workforce but also outcomes and access to services.”

One third of Twin Cities working-age adults will be people of color by 2020. However, nationally, only 6 percent of psychologists and 13 percent of social workers are people of color, explained Steinmetz, citing research by Stanton Adams Consulting, LLC.

“The bottom line is that the social work profession does not reflect the population. That’s unacceptable,” Steinmetz stated.

From theory to practiceSpeaker Nelly Torori expressed her gratitude to the St. Kate’s – St. Thomas School of Social Work for the Diversity Social Work Advancement Program (DSWAP). Torori wears two hats as a mental health program consultant at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and as a recipient and 2011 graduate of the advancement program.

DSWAP is one initiative providing pathways for workforce change, funded by DHS Adult Mental Health Services in collaboration with The Family Partnership.

In 2010, the St. Kate’s – St. Thomas School of Social

SIXTH ANNUAL SOCIAL WORK SUMMIT FOCUSES ON DIVERSITY GAP IN WORKFORCE


Faculty Lisa Richardson with summit panelists (left to right) Nitika Moibi, Debra Jahnke, Nelly Torori, Richard Oni and Tom Steinmetz.

Work joined the DSWAP initiative supporting the pathway to licensure for Master of Social Work (MSW) students from minority, immigrant and refugee communities. Lisa Richardson, director of St. Kate’s – St. Thomas MSW Field Education, shared the pro-gram’s proven success: “a 95 percent pass rate on the Licensed Graduate Social Worker exam.”

Initiatives like DSWAP are invaluable for the real-world experience they provide students of cultural and ethnic minorities who may face barriers like location and cost. Torori explained, “There’s much we can do in class to understand the theoretical part of what it means to be a clinician … but it’s when you’re out doing your field practicum and direct practice that you truly understand what it’s like to work with folks who are having mental health challenges.”

Moving forwardIn small groups, attendees were asked to discuss the question, “What actions can be taken to help diversify the face of the social work workforce?”

It will take multiple types of approaches at multiple levels to achieve diversity in the health provider workforce, but the annual summit provides a space for dialogue exploring best practices, collaboration and strategies – especially, remarked Steinmetz during the Q&A panel, self-reflection.

“Speaking as a white man, looking at a largely white room, we have to start by acknowledging and accept-ing the realities of historical racism and historically racially based trauma,” Steinmetz said. “We have to develop our own self-awareness and take a deep look at unconscious bias and white privilege – do our own hard, reflective work to see how we as a field and we as individuals are contributing to some of these dispari-ties.”

To that end, Steinmetz offered two resources for all entering the field of social work: “Healing the Hidden Wounds of Racial Trauma” by Kenneth Hardy and A Good Time for the Truth. A series of essays on race in Minnesota, A Good Time for the Truth provides a range of perspectives from 16 writers of color in Minnesota, including St. Kate’s faculty, and has been the basis of regular community discussions since its publication in 2016. n

HOW MIGHT WE DIVERSIFY SOCIAL WORK?In Minnesota, the social work diversity gap is even greater than the national average. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 92 percent of licensed social workers identify as white and over 86 percent of graduate-prepared licensed social workers (LGSWs, LISWs and LICSWs) practice in metropolitan areas.*

Below are the traditional levers to diversify health professions that were shared at the summit,* along with a few examples and resources.

Levers:Government• Loan forgiveness and repayment programs

(federal and state)• MERC (Medical Education and Research Costs)

grants• National Health Service Corps (nhsc.hrsa.gov)• Example: DHS-MN Cultural and Ethnic Minorities

Infrastructure Grants

Educators• Exposure to career opportunities• Scholarships• Mentorships and traineeships• Example: Diversity Social Work Advancement

Program

Employers• Exposure to career opportunities and internships• Preceptorships• J-1 visa waivers• Traineeships• Loan forgiveness or repayment• Example: Washburn Center for Children’s

Pathways Fellowship program

Summit participants shared examples of donating clinical supervision, providing licensure test help and advocating for programs such as those listed above. Everyone has a part to play in creating pathways to a more diverse workforce.

* Statistics and “levers” presented during the 2017 summit from the MDH Workforce Planning and Analysis Unit, housed within the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care: health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/workforce/index.html


KATIE PAULY ’11 BSW BRINGS A MACRO-FOCUSED SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE TO THE MINNESOTA GOVERNOR’S OFFICEWhen Katie Pauly ’11 BSW talks about her job as director of scheduling for the Minnesota Office of the Governor, she notes that people might be surprised to find someone with a social work background in the position. “It doesn’t appear to be a good fit,” she said, “but I bring a different lens, so it’s valued in my office. Because I previously worked in direct services and advocacy work, I see how what we do affects people. It also helps me see how executive-level systems work. I draw on my systems theory background in this job.”

Pauly started working in the governor’s office when she moved back to Minnesota in 2013, after receiving a Master of Social Work, social justice and social change concentration from Catholic University of America. One of her classmates from St. Thomas let her know about an opening for a citizen outreach liaison in the governor’s office. She held that and a special projects coordinator position before moving into her current position.

“I never would have thought I’d end up here, but it’s very rewarding,” Pauly said. “In this position I see the need for social workers to hold administrative and policy roles. We bring a perspective that others can’t bring to these positions.”

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT


ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNA RECEIVES VETERANS’ VOICES ‘ON THE RISE’ AWARDLindsey V. Erdmann ’17 BSW was a recipient of the 2017 Veterans’ Voices “On the Rise” Award for former and current military service members ages 40 and younger who have made outstanding community contributions. Part of the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Veterans’ Voices program, the awards were presented on Sept. 11 in a ceremony at the University of St. Thomas.

Erdmann joined the Marine Corps in 2010. She deployed to the Middle East, Albania and Spain and served as a supply administrative clerk and fiscal chief. She received a Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal in 2013 for her dedication to duty.

While at St. Thomas, Erdmann was awarded a grant to design and carry out a research study on the impacts of stress on caregivers in relation to free, healthful meals provided by Open Arms of Minnesota. The results showed that those meals are crucial in providing a stable support system and reducing levels of emotional and financial stress.

Erdmann volunteers at East Side Neighborhood Services in the Family Violence Program. She facilitates educational groups for perpetrators of domestic violence, focusing on improving communication skills, developing empathy and breaking down stereotypes of women.

She joined the Veterans Affairs Mental Health Council at the Minneapolis VA Hospital through a connection from the Humanities Center’s Veterans’ Voices program. Erdmann has since become secretary and co-organized the council’s participation at Stand Down, a homeless veteran outreach event.

Comfort Dondo ’15 BSW is serving as the team lead of the Young Women of Color Initiative of Minnesota, Office of Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith.

Congratulations to Judy Brown ‘05 MSW on her recent appointment to the ClearWay Minnesota board of directors! Brown, a program facilitator and social worker in the Minneapolis Public Schools Systems, was elected as an at-large member of the board. ClearWay Minnesota works to reduce smoking prevalence, secondhand smoke exposure and tobacco-related health disparities.

Lindsey Erdmann (left) received a Veterans’ Voices “On the Rise” Award. Also pictured: Humanities Center board member Sakinah Mujahid.

Ikram Koliso ’17 BSW joined Katharine Hill’s policy class this fall to share her experience in policy and advocacy as a staffer working on Melvin Carter’s St. Paul mayoral campaign. She shared how she used her social work skills in her community outreach role, engaging diverse communities, starting “where the person is,” brokering services and helping to develop the candidate’s public policy platforms. For Koliso, the work was mission driven and all about working toward social justice.


Ikram Koliso

ALUMNI NEWS

Mariah Rooney O’Brien ’16 MSW completed a post-graduate fellowship at Hamm Memorial Psychiatric Clinic in St. Paul and is currently a post-graduate social work fellow at the Trauma Center at JRI in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a project coordinator for the Center for Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders.

Congratulations to Susan Schmidt ’17 DSW, whose article on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status was published in the Encyclopedia of Social Work, July 2017.

Tonya van Tol ’17 DSW received funding for a three-year grant to provide treatment services in jail for people with co-occurring disorders, with re-entry support in order to have continuity of care for treatment upon release. The grant was based on the proposal she wrote for Dr. Robin Whitebird’s course on grant writing. Van Tol was recently promoted at Western Technical College in Wisconsin, where she has administered a re-entry program focused on reducing education and employment barriers. She will be a manager for admissions along with managing her grant project.

Matthew Jadlowski ’17 BSW is working at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska, as a member of the Alumni Volunteer Corps. He is co-teaching Catholic Social Teaching, a service-learning theology class, as well as assisting with student advocacy and the outreach office. He shared some of his advocacy work with his former policy teacher Dr. Katharine Hill: “I taught the students about different ways to advocate, especially because they are not old enough to vote yet. I had them look up their federal, state and local representatives and write down their phone numbers. I showed them how to email a senator from their website and how to make a call. The kids were very surprised that you can actually call them!”

Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein ’17 DSW presented “Songs as Social Commentary” at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) 2017 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov. 3, with two of her BSW students. The workshop presented a course assignment in which students engaged with the power of music as a form of commentary on social issues, and its direct or indirect relationship to social work and/or social welfare policy.

Sister Stephanie Spandl ’06 MSW, LICSW, adjunct faculty member and School of Social Work Advisory Board member, presented “The Church Without Frontiers: Accompanying Churches Welcoming Refugees” at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) 2017 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on Nov. 3. Her presentation asserted that “acting on the biblical mandate to welcome the stranger, Christian social workers have an important role to play in accompanying congregations that have committed to assisting immigrants. They can help bridge the goodwill of church members with practical knowledge needed to successfully assist immigrant families adjust to a new life and culture.”



ALUMNI NEWS

LEGACY OF CARING: WHEN SOCIAL WORK RUNS IN THE FAMILYThe St. Catherine University – University of St. Thomas School of Social Work has had more than one instance in which a parent and their child have both pursued social work degrees. Both Abbie Thebault-Spieker ’17 BSW and MSW student Ashley Hipp ’17 BSW have followed in the footsteps of one of their parents.

Each of the women said that their social worker par-ent was instrumental in influencing them to go into social work. Hipp said, “My mom [Jennifer Hipp ’12 MSW] suggested I pursue a career in health care, but I was hesitant, because she was practicing social work in a health care setting. I changed my mind when I saw the different avenues I could take as a social work-er. My mom practiced in hospital and clinic settings. Now she’s with UCare. My mom always has shared the impactful things she was doing, and it seemed like she was making a difference.”

Thebault-Spieker also started out wanting some-thing different. “I wanted a PhD in history,” she said. “I wanted to become a professor to highlight voices that are not usually heard. When I decided not to pursue that path, my dad [John Spieker ’85 BSW, ’15 MSW] talked me into a social work major instead. He thought I’d be a good social worker both because of the way I interact with others and because of the reason I was interested in history.”

Having a parent in social work – especially one who has gone through the same program you’re pursuing – provides an excellent sounding board. Thebault-Spieker has talked to her dad about topics ranging from coursework to her next career steps. And because their parents pursued social work degrees at St. Kate’s – St. Thomas, they understand where their children are coming from. “My mom is able to provide an environment where academics and professionally relevant topics are discussed in a way that allows me to hone my professional development,” Hipp said.

Not all of their classmates know that Thebault-Spieker and Hipp are part of a parent-child tradition of St. Kate’s – St. Thomas social work, and when it has come up, it usually hasn’t been a big deal. Thebault-Spieker did have one time when she was concerned about her father’s role in social work, because he works for Catholic Charities and had submitted a bid for an intern. “If one of my classmates took the internship, I didn’t want to take the fieldwork class with them. I didn’t want them to be uncomfortable discussing my dad as their supervisor,” she said. As it turns out, no one she knew filled the internship, so the problem was avoided.

Not all children enjoy following in a parent’s footsteps. Some do all they can to avoid it, while others follow reluctantly. But neither Thebault-Spieker nor Hipp regrets their decision. “I love it,” Hipp said. “I can’t imagine things any other way.”

Abbie Thebault-Spieker and John Spieker

Jennifer and Ashley Hipp

STUDENT NEWS

STUDENT HOLLY CLARK IS RECOGNIZED FOR HER WORK WITH YOUTHIf you spend just a little time talking with MSW student Holly Clark ’14 BSW about her job, you can tell she genuinely enjoys it. “Most days are fun,” she said. “The young men are resilient and hilarious. I just like spending time with youth. And the staff I work with are amazing.”

The young men Clark referred to are transitioning from Red Wing Correctional Facility back into the community. Clark works as a youth support specialist for the YMCA’s intervention program. She serves on the juvenile justice team, assisting Hennepin County Probation. Her job can include arranging when a teenager will return to school, helping him fill out job applications or getting him involved in pro-social activities that interest him. A large part of her job is just being there for him.

Clark’s dedication to the job hasn’t gone unnoticed. In October, she received the Corrections Person of the Year award from the Minnesota Corrections Association. The group that nominated her included case managers, probation officers, transition staff and one young man she had worked with. They commented on her commitment to youth and on the skillful way she integrates social work into the criminal justice system. In the words of the young man who contributed to her nomination: “She pushed me toward greatness.”

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT


STUDENT NEWS

THE SOCIAL WORKER ON THE FRONT LINE OF DOUGHERTY FAMILY COLLEGE Catching up with Teron Buford ’10 BSW, ’18 MSW By Cindy Lorah

Teron Buford graduated with his BSW from St. Thomas in 2010. Following graduation, he became a St. Thomas admissions counselor and then assistant director of admissions and coordinator of multicultural recruitment. With primary focus on the Twin Cities metro, he saw firsthand the struggles of many high-need students to find a path to a four-year

degree that they could afford and that would give them the education and career opportunities they were looking for. These kids were often “falling through the cracks” of traditional academic institutions.

This fall, Buford was named associate director of admissions for St. Thomas’ new Dougherty Family College, which serves students who face financial or social barriers to college. The college provides a two-year associate degree and prepares students with the skills to earn a four-year degree. Students receive Metro Transit passes, meals, textbooks, a laptop computer, mentoring and a paid internship. Dougherty Family College is exactly the kind of program Buford saw the need for in his previous positions.

In 2015, while guiding the multicultural recruitment efforts of the university, Buford enrolled in the St. Kate’s – St. Thomas MSW in clinical social work

program as a part-time student. He is set to graduate in May 2018, just as the 105 students in cohort 1 of Dougherty Family College complete their first year. Earlier this fall, we spoke about how his social work background informs his work with the college.

“I can’t drive home enough how versatile a social work degree is,” Buford said. “My training helps me to aid families, provide access to resources in the community, de-escalate situations and facilitate difficult conversations. I use skills I learned in my Communication and Interviewing Skills class daily. I even train others based on the material I had in my BSW.”

Speaking about his MSW research project, Buford said, “I’m looking at standardized tests and how ‘not kind’ they are to high-need students and students of color. More affluent students average 5-6 points better on the ACT than these students and many four-year schools set their requirements well above what they achieve. We look beyond the numbers. We interview prospective students to see if they have the drive, motivation, resilience, grit and determination to achieve beyond their circumstances. As in social work, it’s all about focusing on strengths. From there we can figure out how we can best support them in their journey toward a four-year degree.”

Buford has talked to a number of Dougherty Family College students who are interested in the field of social work. “Many of these students have had times where they could have used – or did use – the resources of a social worker,” he said. “They understand the vital role they can play. They want the opportunity to be that resource for someone else and are interested in stopping the problems that they may have experienced themselves. They’re eager to give back to their communities.”



BSWS HAVE IMPACT AS STUDENT MENTORS Three BSW students participated as scholars in St. Kate’s AMP (Assistantship Mentoring Program) this fall. The program creates the space for students and mentors to engage in intellectual creativity and collaboration as a teaching assistant, research assistant or program assistant. Crystal Wirtz and Zara Wolfe worked as TAs, and Amy Jeffrey as a PA (pictured below).

“I am one of three study advocates for the Emerging Scholars floor of St. Mary’s Hall. In this role, I have my own group of 10 to 11 students that I meet with often to see how they are doing in school,” shared Jeffrey. “We host Dine & Learns every other Thursday with different faculty, staff and resources that the school has to offer. The best part of my AMP experience so far has been getting to interact one on one with students and assisting them with what they may need to help them succeed their first year of school.“

The ability to make a positive impact on other students is a common motivation for these AMP mentors. As Wirtz shared, “I am a TA for Cecilia Konchar Farr’s The Reflective Woman (TRW) section. When she asked if I would be her TA, I eagerly accepted, because I hope to positively influence the students’ TRW experience. The best part of my job is the ability to see what class is like through a professor’s lens and the possibility that I might make a difference in a student’s life.”

Wolfe was a TA for the College for Adults (CFA) section of Intro to Social Work with Laurel Bidwell. In this role, she addressed some of the unique needs of adult learners. She and Bidwell incorporated anonymous feedback from students to make sure that her role would be a valuable resource and support for students. Wolfe participated in class sessions, maintained office hours and had a section of D2L where students could ask her anything. “I have mostly been a resource to students to ask all of their questions to a fellow CFA student about juggling school, an internship, outside employment, family and everything else,” Wolfe shared.

All three students were also motivated by an interest to learn about teaching, possibly with an eye toward doing it themselves someday. Each had an opportunity to facilitate student discussions and observe teaching style and course structure up close. Learn more about AMP opportunities at stkate.edu/academics/institutes-and-centers/cwl/amp.

STUDENT NEWS

BSW STUDENT SELECTED AS FAMILYWISE INTERN OF THE YEARKristin Page completed her junior field internship with FamilyWise during the 2016-17 academic year. She was selected by a panel of judges based on an essay she submitted reflecting on her field experience and learning. She was presented with a monetary award to celebrate her accomplishment at the FamilyWise fall fundraiser in October. Congratulations, Kristin.

MSW STUDENT ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS LICENSURE PREPPreparation for LGSW licensure is well underway for the MSW Class of 2018. The annual licensure information sessions were held on Dec. 1 for all interested BSW and MSW students to learn more about social work licensure directly from Heather Conley, social work licensing specialist at the Minnesota Board of Social Work. The MSWSA then hosted the first of two LGSW licensure exam review sessions on Dec. 16 for all 2018 MSW graduates. During these sessions, MSWSA adviser Jane Hurley Johncox leads the group through an entire practice test, exploring rationale and engaging in critical thinking. The second (and last) class of the year is being held on Saturday, Jan. 27. MSWSA leaders ensured livestreaming of both sessions to support the participation of as many students as possible.

Crystal, Zara and Amy


STUDENT NEWS

SOCIAL WORK HEALS SCHOLARSCongratulations to our Healthcare Education and Leadership Scholars (HEALS) grant recipients! The grant is co-sponsored by the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers.

The grant supports two BSW students and two MSW students who receive health care education and training, opportunities to engage in leadership and interprofessional programs, a tuition stipend and funding to attend the Social Work HEALS policy summit in Washington, D.C. A unique aspect of the St. Kate’s – St. Thomas program is the involvement of student scholar and field instructor pairs on our Social Work HEALS Leadership Council. The 2017-18 recipients and their field supervisors are:• Sherronda Bowden, BSW, with Theresa McPartlin

of the St. Thomas Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services

• Karolyn Britton, BSW, with John Spieker of Catholic Charities – Higher Ground St. Paul

• Stephanie Lien, MSW, with Nicole Helland of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

• Alison Waid Higgins, MSW, with Kayla Carlson of North Memorial Medical Center

This year, the grant has provided funding to encourage schools to host a health care policy event. On Aug. 7, 2018, Social Work HEALS will present the Seventh Annual Summit on Emerging Issues in Social Work Practice in conjunction with the Field Practice Institute.

WELCOME DSW COHORT 4!The St. Kate’s – St. Thomas Doctorate in Social Work program welcomed its fourth cohort, the DSW Class of 2020, to campus in July. The students come from 14 different states and represent myriad practice and research interest areas.

HONOR SOCIETY STUDENTS ‘TIE-UP’ TO SUPPORT FAMILIES ‘MOVING OUT’In November, Beta Epsilon, the St. Kate’s – St. Thomas School of Social Work chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society, hosted a tie-blanket drive to donate to People Serving People, a nonprofit that seeks to uplift families that are experiencing adversity and homelessness. When a family staying in their shelter secures housing, they are given a basket full of items to make their new home. One of the items they try to include in every basket is a cozy fleece tie-blanket.

DOCTORAL STUDENTS NEWSStephanie Bradford presented “Social Work Ethics and Organizational Culture: Impact on Social Work Field Education” at the NASW Ohio Chapter Conference in November.

Shannon Cassidy Cousineau presented the poster “Faith, Spirituality and Social Work Education: An Exploratory Inquiry” at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work 2017 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov. 3.

Quincy Dinnerson co-wrote “Using the College Systems Model to Address High-Risk Underage Drinking,” which was published on Sept. 8, 2017, in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety.


DSW STUDENT NEWS (CONTINUED)Laura Escobar-Ratliff received funding for her second year as a minority fellow in the CSWE Minority Fellowship Program for the 2017-18 academic year. Escobar-Ratliff is one of 24 fellows (16 returning fellows and eight new fellows) in this year’s cohort. The extension of the award to a second-year demonstrates her good work and ongoing commitment to the program.

Jamie Langloi co-authored “Navigating Social Work Education: Utilizing an ePortfolio Survey to Map Curriculum,” published in the Association for Authentic, Experiential & Evidence-Based Learning (AAEEBL) ePortfolio Review, 2(1), 25-30.

Brenda Mack was one of three recipients of the 2017 Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health Outstanding Service Awards, which recognize individuals who have had a significant, positive influence in the lives of children with mental health needs.

Leah Prussia published the article “A Natural Connection: Relational-Cultural Theory and the Environment” in the book Transforming Community: Stories of Connection Through the Lens of Relational-Cultural Theory, C. Gunderson, D. Graff, and K. Craddock (Eds.), 2017.

Rachael Richter presented “Reclaiming Our Radical Roots” at the NASW Ohio Chapter Conference in November.

C. Jean Roberson has had her article “Closing the Health Gap and Social Work Education: A Grand Challenge” accepted for publication in the Journal of Social Work Education.

Katie Terry presented “The Christian Perspective on the Grand Challenges for Social Work” at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work 2017 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov. 3. She also presented “What Works for Hyperlexia in Children and Adults With ASD” at the OCALICON conference for autism and disability leaders on Nov. 16.

2017 CSWE-APM PRESENTATIONSOur school had a strong showing at the Council on Social Work Education 63rd Annual Program Meeting, Oct. 19-22, in Dallas, Texas. Over 20 of our DSW students and recent alumni attended the conference, representing their programs and their scholarship in myriad ways. In addition to the presentations listed below, many faculty, students and alumni serve on committees, associations and program tracks as chairs, members and scholars.

Faculty Presentations• Kari Fletcher, “Supporting Student Veterans’ Success in

Social Work Programs and Within Higher Education” and “Women Veterans: The Role of Post-Secondary Institutions”

• Lisa Kiesel, “The Mapping Social Justice Project: Integrating Macro/Mezzo Across a Clinical Program”

• Ande Nesmith, “Teaching Environmental Justice Across the Curriculum: 2015 EPAS and Beyond” and “Informal Host Homes: Connecting Rural Homeless Youth to Caring Adults”

• Lisa Richardson, “Closing the Health Gap through Social Work Leadership: The HEALS Program”

• Carey Winkler, “Challenging the Language of Difference in Social Work Education Competencies”

Doctoral Student Presentations• Mindy Eaves, “The African American Female Faculty

Experience: Diversity in Social Work Education”• Janet Holter, “The Development of Professional Identity

in Undergraduate Social Work Field Education”• Stephanie Grant, “Leveraging Efforts to Foster

Resilience in Military Social Work”• Andrew Thompson, “Promoting Smart Decarceration

through Forensic Assertive Community Treatment”

Alumni Presentations• Rebecca Coleman ’17 DSW, “Project-Based Learning:

Using Small Groups to Strengthen Community Collaborations and Solutions”

• Cindy Locklear ’17 DSW, “Developing Interprofessional Collaboration Through Participation in Integrated Behavioral Health Training”

• Christine McDonough ‘17 MSW, “Factors Associated with Suicide Risk in Female Service Members and Veterans”

• Janet Vizina-Roubal ‘17 DSW, “Benefits and Challenges in Creating An Open Source Textbook: A Professor/Student Collaboration”

STUDENT NEWS

JANE HURLEY JOHNCOX: PAVING A PATH TO LICENSURE Jane Hurley Johncox, clinical faculty, was recently one of five faculty members nationally selected for the Association of Social Work Boards’ Path to Licensure Institute. These five individuals form the inaugural group of scholars to participate in the institute.

Much of Hurley Johncox’s work has involved professional development of social workers in the field, including coordinating student and career services and advising the MSW Student Association. The institute, designed to help schools of social work incorporate information on licensure and regulations in their curriculum, was a perfect fit.

The institute began with an intensive session at the ASWB headquarters in Virginia, during which Hurley Johncox began formalizing a Path to Licensure program for St. Kate’s – St. Thomas MSW students, building on and enhancing the current structure of licensure information sessions, LGSW exam reviews and exam preparation tailored to students from diverse backgrounds with individualized needs. Ideally, the program will result in a measureable difference in students’ understanding of the licensure process and regulation standards. After it has been established in the MSW program, it will be expanded to the BSW program.

In addition to measuring students’ knowledge of licensure and regulations at the beginning and end of the year, Hurley Johncox is engaged in a longer-term research project involving the role of supervision in ethical practice. Specifically, she is examining whether a change in supervisory hours required for licensure results in fewer ethical violations.

“People need strong, ethical advocates,” Hurley Johncox said. The Path to Licensure program can help produce those advocates.

stthomas.edu/socialwork/pathtolicensure

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT


FACULTY NEWS


PROFESSOR PUBLISHES EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM FOR IMMIGRANT LATINA WOMEN

Over seven years of community-based, participatory research have culminated in the publication of Dr. Catherine Marrs Fuchsel’s Si, Yo Puedo (SYP) program manual, a step-by-step, culturally specific, 11-week curriculum used in group settings for Spanish-English graduate-level licensed mental health professionals (e.g., clinical social workers, professional counselors, family and marriage therapists, and psychologists). Si, Yo Puedo is Yes, I Can in English.

The empowerment program is designed to provide education, promote self-esteem, prevent domestic violence and help readers understand healthy relationships within a cultural framework. Participants meet weekly for two hours and examine topics addressing issues related to immigrant Latina women’s sense of self, characteristics of healthy relationships and dating, keys to understanding the dynamics of domestic violence and ways to access resources. The program manual includes structured

sessions with goals and objectives, in-class self-reflection drawing and writing exercises, and handouts for the weekly topics. Upon completion of the SYP program, immigrant Latinas and Latinas in general will be empowered to examine current relationships and their self-esteem and to potentially make changes in their lives. The manaul is available through Oxford University Press (oup.com/academic).

Marrs Fuchsel is the DSW program director and is a bilingual Spanish-English Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). Originally from Lima, Peru, she has over 18 years of direct practice experience working with Latino families across the country. Her research focuses on the prevention and intervention of domestic violence among immigrant Latinas.

EXCERPTS FROM ‘PROFESSOR’S CURRICULUM PROJECT EMPOWERS WOMEN ON THE FRINGES’ BY JULIE MICHENER, NOV. 18, 2015, FROM ST. KATE’S NEWS:

Associate professor of social work Catherine Marrs Fuchsel has found her life’s calling addressing the needs of some of society’s most vulnerable women: Latinas living in the U.S. with no immigration status, unfamiliar with the language and culture, and being physically and verbally abused by an intimate partner.

Her [Si, Yo Puedo curriculum] project uses community-based participatory research to examine and address the needs of vulnerable women. Aided by the Twin Cities-based Latino community and cultural resource organization, Centro, groups of Latinas use her … curriculum as an educational tool.

Surveys before and after the course bear witness to the program’s effectiveness: improved self-esteem, expanded critical thinking skills and greater awareness of what healthy relationships look like. Latinas taking the program also report having a better understanding of the community resources available to them and how to access those resources.

The Pew Research Center’s 2011 Statistical Portrait of the Hispanic Population reports more than 250,000 Latinos in Minnesota with as many as 95,000 – 22 percent – lacking immigration status. There are nearly 52 million Latinos in the U.S. – about 17 percent of the total U.S. population.

“Healthy relationships matter, and the women I see are some of the most vulnerable,” Marrs Fuchsel said. “To promote the well-being of Latino families is my calling.”

FACULTY NEWS


PROFESSOR EMERITA RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITIONCongratulations to Theresa McPartlin, St. Kate’s – St. Thomas

School of Social Work professor emerita, who received the 2017 Heart of Social Work Award from the North American Network of

Field Educators and Directors.

McPartlin serves as a field instructor for BSW and MSW students at the St. Thomas Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services and was nominated by Director of BSW Field Education Carey Winkler. McPartlin has served as a field instructor for 29 years, inspiring and mentoring over 300 students.

A former student shared: “Theresa has a gift for transforming how students see themselves, the people they serve and their confidence in their ability to do social work.” “McPartlin … is proof that the efforts of one person can truly make a difference.”

BEARING GOOD NEWS TO MSW FIELD SITESIn June 2017, Lisa Richardson, director of MSW field education, facilitated the distribution of over $675,000 in MERC grants to 32 MSW field placement sites. The grant, administered by the Minnesota Department of Health, distributes

funds to providers of clinical medical education in Minnesota.

MERC grants are one of the “levers” mentioned by the Minnesota Department of Health at the Field Summit on “Creating Pathways to a Diverse Workforce” (see page 9). The St. Kate’s – St. Thomas MSW field program has led the way in encouraging our field partners to apply for the grants.

TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM Dr. Ande Nesmith was one of several educators who presented at the Grand Challenges Teaching Institute at the October CSWE-APM meeting in Dallas, “Teaching Environmental Justice Across the Curriculum: 2015 EPAS and Beyond.”

She addressed questions about the addition of environmental justice as a competency to the 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.

”Environmental issues are critical to social work education and practice due to the profession’s unique focus on the person-in-environment perspective. We have a role to play in environmental crises both by serving as first-responders for vulnerable communities and, at the macro level, by advocating for fair policies and for community members’ right to have a voice in policy decisions affecting their environment and their lives,” Nesmith said. “This begins with teaching and training future social workers to remember that our social environments reside entirely within the natural environment and to recognize relevant issues locally. There are ways we can draw on

real-life situations to engage students in environmental justice, not just far away but in our own communities.”

Dr. Colin Hollidge, co-director of the Advanced Clinical Practice Institute, partnered with the Minnesota Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis to bring “Considering the Role of Early Experience in Working with Children and Families” to our community in September.

The program featured Robert and Barbara Weigand of the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University, whose presentation highlighted the importance of an individual’s early relationship experience.

Dr. David Roseborough directed the effort to co-host “Mental Health First Aid” with the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in December. This free workshop is designed for individuals seeking basic information on mental illnesses and how to help someone in crisis. Information regarding the curriculum can be found at mentalhealthfirstaid.org.

CORRECTIONSpring 2017 issue p. 16 Keana Multhauf is a BSW graduate. Congratulations, Keana.

George Baboila, co-director of the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services, and colleagues from St. Thomas, Harvard and the University of Connecticut, presented “Interdisciplinary Collaboration in University-Based Clinics Representing Asylum-Seekers: Opportunities and Challenges for the Professional Training of Lawyers, Health Professionals and Social Workers” at the XXVth International Congress on Law and Mental Health at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, July 2017.

Laurel Bidwell, assistant professor, was selected to participate in the Alia “Ten of Ten for Kids” (#10of10forkids) project, which brought together 100 thought-leaders from throughout the country to spend three-and-a-half days in Minneapolis in late spring, re-imagining a child welfare system utilizing IDEO design innovation. Out of this effort has come six initial drafts of guiding principles for child welfare redesign and 30 initial prototypes of ideas to transform child welfare. You can find full details and view the Ten of Ten for Kids results webinar at aliainnovations.org/10of10forkids.

Kingsley Chigbu, assistant professor, provided a workshop to behavioral health staff at Fairview Health Services. The workshop covered ways to improve patient care outcomes through teamwork. He also is consulting with Fairview Health Services Clinical Education on ways to empower the institution’s mental health staff to enhance their understanding of how to effectively address the needs of individuals with different mental health diagnoses and clinical

presentations, including psychoses, personality disorders, and aggression or violence. Dr. Chigbu presented his study, ”The Impact of Global Alcohol Policies on Road Fatalites,“ at the Midwest Injury Prevention Summit in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Nov. 30, 2017.

Mike Chovanec, professor, presented a poster session titled “Partner for Change Outcome Management System: Introducing Client Feedback into a Domestic Abuse Program” at the 22nd International Summit on Violence, Abuse and Trauma in San Diego, California, on Sept. 24, 2017. The poster provided findings from Chovanec’s yearlong evaluation, funded by an internal grant from St. Catherine University, of a local domestic abuse program that he facilitates.

Kari Fletcher, associate professor, co-wrote “Use of College Mental Health Services Among Student Veterans,” a peer-reviewed article in Best Practices in Mental Health Volume 13, Number 1, January 2017. In September, she delivered the lecture “Support for Military-connected Children: Research, Policy and Practice Considerations” for the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research Webinar 2017 – Issues in the Health of Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families, at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Additionally, she co-wrote the peer-reviewed article “Belonging and Support: Women Veterans’ Perceptions of Veteran Service Organizations,” which was published in the Journal of Veterans Studies, 2(2), 1-12 (2017). She also has co-written, “The Challenges Posed by the Mental Health Needs of

Pa Der Vang, associate professor, presented “Redefining Viv Ncaus: Mentoring Students, Supporting Colleagues and Developing Leaders” at the Hmong Women Summit: The Authenticity Project on Oct. 28 at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She presented “Dismantling Racism: Understanding Institutionalized Racism” at the Overcoming Racism Conference at Metropolitan State University on Nov. 3 with BSW student Jessie Hanson and student Terese Hermann. Vang gave the keynote speech at the Hmong New Year celebration in St. Paul on Nov. 25, where she had the honor to be the first Hmong woman to cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony. She represents the Minnesota Hmong Social Work Coalition on the Minnesota Board of Social Work Advisory Committee.


PROFESSIONAL NOTES

Military Service Members and Veterans,” which was published in Community Mental Health: Challenges for the 21st Century (3rd edition), 2018, edited by J. Rosenberg and S. Rosenberg. She was co-author on the publication “Mental Health Needs of Military and Veteran Women: An Assessment Conducted by the Service Women’s Action Network,” published in the advance online publication of Traumatology, Oct. 2, 2017: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/trm0000132.

Mari Ann Graham, associate professor and interim MSW program director, presented “Binding up our Nation’s Wounds: An Ethic of Inclusion” at the North American Association of Christians in Social Work 2017 convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov. 3. In it, she used an integral ethics framework to assist participants in exploring the subtle ways they get trapped in boxes of their own making that undermine their intentions to actually be inclusive.

Katharine Hill, associate professor and BSW program director, and her research partner Dr. Shannon Lane from Adelphi University, won the Voter Empowerment Research Award at the Policy Conference 2.0: Successes and Solutions: Policies That Work in June 2017. The award was given for her work on a classroom-based, nonpartisan voter engagement project that was implemented with undergraduate students in two states. Students gained knowledge and skills, registered 468 voters and assisted community members in having their voices heard.

Stacy Husebo, clinical faculty, presented at the Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Conference – Radicalizing Contemplative Education: Compassion, Intersectionality and Justice in Challenging Times, Oct. 26-29, 2017, in Scots Valley, California. Her workshop was titled, “The Contemplative Self: Exploring and Transforming Privilege and Oppression.”

Lisa Kiesel, assistant professor, along with co-authors Sharyn Dezela, MSW, and Elizabeth Lightfoot, PhD, have had their article “Challenges, Barriers, and Opportunities: Social Workers with Disabilities and Experiences in Field Education” accepted for publication in the Journal of Social Work Education. Also with these co-authors, Kiesel has been accepted to present “Equity in Social Work Employment: Opportunity and Challenge for Social Workers with Disabilities” at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research to be held in Washington, D.C.,. Jan. 10-14, 2018. Kiesel and co-authors Kristie Piescher, PhD, and Jeffrey Edleson, PhD, received a 2016 Article of the Year award from the Journal of Public Child Welfare for “The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment, Intimate Partner Violence Exposure and Academic Performance.”

Melissa Lundquist, assistant professor, participated in the Policy Boot Camp convened by the Society for Social Work Research and the Urban Institute, sponsored by the Fund for Social Policy Education and Practice. The goal of the workshop was to help researchers learn skills to effectively communicate and disseminate their work to a wide audience as part of a broader effort to improve the effectiveness of policy and service efforts designed to ameliorate persistent poverty and growing inequality.

Ande Nesmith, associate professor, shared her research in podcast #216, “Text-Based Crisis Intervention Counseling: A Promising Venue to Reach Underserved Young Clients,” for inSocialWork,® the podcast series of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. In it, she describes her program and what she is learning about the differences between in-person and text-based counseling formats.

Barbara Shank, professor, continues to serve as chair of the board of directors, Council on Social Work Education; secretary and membership chair for the International Association of Schools of Social Work; board member for the International Consortium for Social Development; and member of the international advisory board for the Global Institute of Social Work. In July 2017 she was inducted as a fellow in the GISW. In November, she was the fourth William “Bill” Culp Endowed Lecturer at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas, addressing “A Well-Kept Secret – The Rightful Place of Social Work in Faith-Based Higher Education.”

Jessica Toft, associate professor, and her research assistant Lacey Ducklow published “Citizenship Social Work: A Community Environmental Scan of Re-enfranchisement Social Work Supports After Felony Conviction” in the Journal of Policy Practice, volume 16, issue 2. This article furthers Toft’s research agenda regarding democratic citizenship analysis of marginalized populations.

Robin Whitebird, associate professor, is a consulting researcher to the newly funded grant: Optimizing the Value of PROMs in Improving Care Delivery through Health Information Technology. The grant, awarded to Dr. Leif Solberg at HealthPartners Institute, was funded through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The project will partner with operational leaders at HealthPartners to focus on evaluating the systematic collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and their use for the care of patients and in aggregate for quality improvement of care process. Additionally, she co-authored the article “Transformative Care for Chronic Pain and Addiction: Healing the Patient and the Health Care System,” which was published in the September 2017 issue of Practical Pain Management.


SNAPSHOTS

AREA OF EMPHASIS IN AGING SCHOLARS WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S MSW Area of Emphasis in Aging Scholars and friends met their fundraising goal and contributed to the $1.2+ million raised by over 5,800 participants in the Twin Cities’ Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Sept. 9. Learn more about the AEA Scholars: stthomas.edu/socialwork/gerosocialwork.

SCHOLARS SPOTLIGHT PRACTICE WITH IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEESIn September, the Area of Emphasis in Practice with Immigrants and Refugees Scholars hosted Nelly Torori from DHS and Bobbi-Jo Moujid from People’s Center Health Services, MSW alumnae who work with immigrants and refugees in their professional practices. The scholars will host an event for the community in the spring. Learn more about the AEIR Scholars: stthomas.edu/socialwork/immigrants-refugees.

OPEN BASKETS VOLUNTEER DAY The MSW Student Association, along with other students, faculty, staff and friends, once again volunteered with Open Baskets (openbaskets.org)in November, assembling holiday gift baskets for neighbors living with mental illness. Since 2005, Open Baskets has partnered with Mental Health Resources to provide baskets that are sometimes the only gift received during the holiday season. Open Baskets delivered over 1,800 baskets during the 2017 holiday season, many of which were assembled by St. Kate’s – St. Thomas volunteers. More photos on Facebook: UST/SCU MSW Student Association.


SNAPSHOTS

CHANGE FOR CHANGE BSW Social Work Club students marked Academic Success Week at St. Thomas on Monahan Plaza, sharing information about the BSW major and the accelerated path to a master’s degree. Additionally, they collected Change for Change, with all proceeds benefiting SafeZone Drop-in Center for Homeless Youth in St. Paul. Connect on Facebook: UST/SCU BSW Social Work Club.

MAPPING SOCIAL JUSTICE: TAKE 5 The Mapping Social Justice initiative is hosting “Take 5” pop-up advocacy booths throughout the academic year at various locations on the St. Kate’s and St. Thomas campuses. This fall, students were asked to “Take 5” minutes to learn about and engage in calls-to-action in support of the Affordable Care Act, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) and Voting as Social Work.

AREA OF EMPHASIS IN MILITARY PRACTICE SCHOLARS SCREEN ‘VISIONS OF WARRIORS’ In October, the MSW Area of Emphasis in Military Practice Scholars hosted a screening of the documentary “Visions of Warriors,” followed by discussion with the film’s producers and staff. The film follows four veterans who participated in the groundbreaking Veteran Photo Recovery Project at the VA Menlo Park, using innovative photography therapy to treat their mental illness. Learn more about the AEMP Scholars: stthomas.edu/socialwork/militarysocialwork.

PRENATAL TO THREE POLICY FORUMSThe St. Kate’s – St. Thomas School of Social Work is proud to co-host the Prenatal to Three Policy Forums with Elders for Infants, Rep. Dave Pinto (Democrat) and Sen. Jerry Relph (Republican). These quarterly meetings provide a space to advance state policies – sharing plans, establishing a common base of knowledge and building relationships – in support of early childhood, from prenatal care through age 3. All are invited to attend, and the forums are webcast to involve advocates statewide. The next forum is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2018. (Pictured here: Interim Dean Corrine Carvalho and Rep. Dave Pinto.)


SAVE THE DATE!MSW Clinical Research Presentation DayMay 14, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., McNeely Hall, University of St. Thomas. Join our MSW students as they present their clinical research papers throughout the day. Certificates of attendance provided.

Field Practice Institute Seventh Annual Summit on Emerging Issues in Social Work Practice. FOCUS: Health care policyAug. 7, Coeur de Catherine, Rauenhorst Ballroom, St. Catherine University. This year’s summit will be co-hosted by the Social Work HEALS Scholars. Certificates of attendance provided.

For more information on these and other upcoming events, visit: stthomas.edu/socialwork/events.

STAY CONNECTED!Update us: stthomas.edu/socialwork/alumni

Contact us: stthomas.edu/socialwork/about/contact

School of Social Work news: stthomas.edu/socialwork/news

FIND US ON FACEBOOK St. Kate’s – St. Thomas School of Social Work@stkatestthomassw

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FULL-TIME FACULTY 2017-18Corrine Carvalho, interim deanKatharine Hill, BSW program directorMari Ann Graham, interim MSW program director - fallKari Fletcher, MSW program director – as of spring 2018Catherine Marrs Fuchsel, DSW program directorCarey Winkler, BSW field education directorLisa Richardson, MSW field education directorTanya Rand, MSW field weekend cohort coordinatorGeorge Baboila, director, Social Work Services, IPC

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PERSPECTIVES - University of St. Thomas | University of St ......Sep 08, 2017 · The Mapping Social Justice Project 4 Summit Focuses on Diversity Gap in Workforce 8 School of Social