FALL 2017
E-NEWSLETTER
INDEX FACULTY PUBLICATIONS................ 2
FACULTY PRESENTATIONS......... 2-3
KEYNOTE ADDRESS........................ 3
FROM THE FIELD OFFICE................ 3
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS........ 4
FACULTY.......................................... 5
FACULTY/SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES....................................... 5
STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.... 6
ACCOLADES FOR OUR ALUMNI.... 6
UPCOMING EVENTS....................... 7
Happy fall to everyone, This fall, we welcomed a new faculty member, Lamont Simmons, EdD. Lamont joins us from the University of Memphis. He will work primarily with the BSW faculty, with future opportunities to teach in the MSW program. We are pleased that he has become a member of our community. Our reaccreditation process was postponed one year, so we will be working toward submitting our self studies in August 1, 2018. The site visit will take place in the following academic year. Several other exciting things happening this year. First, both the MSW and BSW programs are beginning the transition process to their new curricula. Faculty have worked diligently to revise curricula to better meet the needs of the workforce and contemporary practice. For example, the BSW program’s revisions include strengthening the practice curriculum for BSW students. The MSW program is shifting from Advanced Generalist Practice in the advanced year to Integrated Health and Behavioral Health Practice. As of the next academic year (AY 2018-2019), new course content, course design and new courses will be offered, completing the total curriculum transition for MSW students who entered the program this fall. Our MSW/School Adjustment Counselor study plan began this fall. Students who complete the requirements of this 68-credit study plan will graduate with an MSW and initial license as a School Social Work/School Adjustment Counselor. Cheryl Springer, PhD, will oversee students in this study plan. This study plan was created to enable three pathways for students
Continued
Transformative Learning for Social Work Practice
SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
to get their initial SSW/SAC license in a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approved program. The plan was a collaborative effort by the School of Social Work, School of Education, and the psychology department. We plan to have an inter-professional seminar where students from the three programs will be in class together. This year we plan to offer Professional Development Workshops throughout the academic year. We aim to have the roster of workshops available by early November. We hope you will consider taking a course with us this year. Our faculty are hard at work on teaching, scholarship, research and service to the University and the profession. This newsletter is always an opportunity for us to showcase and share their accomplishments for which we are very proud! We are always interested in hearing from our alumni. Please let us know what you are doing at ssw@ salemstate.edu. We are also very appreciative of your support of SSW. Without all of your support, we couldn’t continue to strengthen the academic excellence of our programs. Give a Gift to the School of Social Work. https://participate.salemstate.edu/socialwork Best, Carol
FACULTY PUBLICATIONS Byrne, M. (2017) Resilience: Separating truth from myth. Sextant: The Journal of Salem State University. 23:1, 46-47. Mirick, R.G., Bridger, J., McCauley, J., & Berkowitz, L. (2017) Continuing education on suicide assessment and crisis intervention for social workers and other mental health professionals: A follow-up study. Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning in Social Work. Volume and Issue to be determined. Davis, A., Wladkowski, S., & Mirick, R.G. (2017). Lessons learned for successful dissertation completion from social work doctoral graduates. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 37(2), 107-120. Mirick, R.G. & Davis, A. (2017). Making meaning of MSW students’’ statistical abilities: The role of selfefficacy and knowledge-based assessment. Journal of Social Work Education, 53(2), 212-221. Simmons, L.D., Taylor, L.C., Anderson, K., & Neely-Barnes, S. (accepted, 2017). Comparative experiences of first and continuing-generation social work students. Journal of Social Work Education. Volume and Issue to be determined.
Simmons, L.D. (2017). Beyond matriculation: Examining factors that contribute to African American male persistence at a predominantly White institution. The Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. June 14, 2017, doi: 10.1177/1521025117714163 Slayter, E., Lightfoot, E., and Leisey, M. (2017In press). Intimate partner violence among transitional-aged young women with and without disabilities. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. Volume and issue to be determined. Slayter, E. (2017). Suicidality among transitionalaged youth with disabilities: Implications for social work practice. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie [Psychological Science and Education], 2016. 21(4), 75–82. Steenrod, S. & Mirick, R.G. (2017). Substance use disorders and referral to treatment in substantiated cases of child maltreatment. Child & Family Social Work, 22(3), 1141-1150.
FACULTY PRESENTATIONS Byrne, M. (2017, June) Supervising in times of trauma. Youth at Risk Conference. Salem State University. Salem, MA. Byrne, M. (2017, October) Care for the Elder Care Workforce. Massachusetts Homecare 2017 Network Conference. Mass Home Care. Boxborough, MA. Johnson, L., Slayter, E. and Livingstone, A. (2017). Locating the intersections of disability, race and ethnicity: An exploration of foster care outcomes. Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Dallas, Texas. (Accepted presentation). Mirick, R.G., Berkowitz, L., Bridger, J., & McCauley, J. (April 2017). Screening for depression & suicide: Our 8 years of experience using screening in a Suicide Postvention Plan following adolescent suicide deaths, paper presentation at the 50thAnnual Conference of the American Association of Suicidology, Phoenix, AZ. Mirick, R. & McCauley, J. (2017, June). Suicide assessment and intervention training for mental health professional, full-day continuing education workshop, Cambridge Guidance Center, Cambridge, MA.
Saltikoff, N. & Isenberg, K. (2017, July). The Influence of Public Investment on Resident Engagement Within Low-Income Neighborhoods. National Organization of Forensic Social Worker Conference. Boston, MA. Saltikoff, N. & Hall, Eric. (2017, June). The Positive Implications of Internships on Early Career Outcomes. NACE Conference and Expo. Las Vegas, NV. Saltikoff, N. & Rhoades, A. (2017, June). Creating an Academic Community Engagement Experience. New England Faculty Development Consortium Conference. Fitchburg, MA. Saltikoff, N. (2017, May). The Positive Implications of Internships on Early Career Outcomes. Journal of the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Slayter, E. (2017). Parents with intellectual disabilities in the U.S. child welfare system: Evidence of disparities. Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Dallas, Texas. (Accepted presentation). Slayter, E., (2017). Evidence of disparities: Youth with disabilities in the American child welfare system. International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (IPSCAN) European Regional Meeting 2017: The Hague, Netherlands. (Accepted presentation). Slayter, E., Telitsyna, A. and Semya, G. (2017). A cross-national comparison of private-public collaboration for supporting child welfare-involved youth with disabilities. International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) European Regional Meeting 2017: The Hague, Netherlands. (Accepted presentation). Steenrod, S. (June 16, 2017). Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). Substance Abuse and Addictive Disorders: Energizing the Community to Fight Back. Salem State University, Salem, MA. Steenrod, S. & Wason, K. (June 17, 2017). Evidence based practices for substance use disorders. Substance Abuse and Addictive Disorders: Energizing the Community to Fight Back. Salem State University, Salem, MA. Steenrod, S. & Mirick, R. (May 10, 2017). The Epidemic of opioid addiction: Implications for social workers' work with opiate addicted parents. Wayside Family Services, Framingham, MA.
Steenrod, S. (April 4, 2017). Panelist following screening of If Only. Salem Opioid Overdose Prevention Taskforce. Salem Historical Society, Salem, MA.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS Slayter, E., Nothing about me without me: Supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with substance use disorders, (2017). Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire. (Streamed to 48 national and international Centers for University Excellence in Developmental Disabilities).
FROM THE FIELD OFFICE The Coordinator of Field Education, Susan Goldman, has been involved for the past five years in a community collaboration involving social work field directors from Boston University, Boston College, Bridgewater State, Simmons, and Wheelock, and social workers from Mass General, Brigham & Women’s, Beth Israel, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana Farber and the Boston and Bedford VA hospitals. The collaboration has produced a Healthcare Orientation to assist MSW students who will intern at these hospitals understand the professional role of social worker’s in health settings. Some of the topics covered are developing a professional presence, the complexity of working on an interdisciplinary team, the importance of empathy, mental health in a medical setting, end-of-life, and cultural awareness. The photo displays SSU MSW students Danielle Comeau, Julianne Fisher, Brittany Howe, Elyse McCue, Madeline Gaughan, and Rachel Yarid who attended this years’ August 17, 2017 orientation at Simmons College with Ms. Goldman.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS Effective September 1, 2017, Shelley Steenrod, PhD, LICSW was promoted to full professor by the Salem State University Board of Trustees based on her record of scholarship, teaching and service to the university and social work communities. We welcome Yomeiska Rivera, MSW program administrative assistant to the associate dean and MSW program coordinator for the School of Social Work. Yomi has been part of the Salem State University community since May 2008. Formerly administrative assistant for the criminal justice and healthcare studies departments and enrollment services representative in the registrar’s office, Yomi has provided high level administrative support to students, faculty and staff throughout the years.
Michael Melendez, PhD On Monday September 25, 2017 Rev. Michael Paul Melendez, MSW, PhD presented at the annual Friends of the School of Social Work professional workshop held at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem. At this workshop Michael assessed a client’s spirituality/religious behavior as it gained salience in many forms of social work practice, assessment, and treatment. Recovery from addiction as well as trauma-focused work have led the field in considering and integrating this area in clinical work. This workshop examined definitions of spirituality and religious behavior—as they are often confounded—including the appreciation of one’s views about religion and spirituality. To learn more about the Friends of the School of Social Work please visit salemstate.edu/alumni. Keisha Kenny-Doyle, LICSW, adjunct faculty presented the following in-service trainings at Lahey Health Behavioral Services: • Opioid Overdose Prevention and Narcan Administration • Suicide Assessment and Management • Vicarious Trauma and Burnout Prevention • Boundaries and Ethics
Mary Byrne, PhD, was elected to the Executive Committee and Board Secretary, National Association of Social Work, Massachusetts Chapter, having served as Interim Secretary for the past year. In her role as Chair of the Swampscott Board of Selectmen, Naomi Dreeben, LICSW, Senior MSW Field Specialist, joined Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karen Polito in the signing of Swampscott’s Community Compact. Her opening remarks included a thanks to the Governor and Lt. Governor for their stance on not accepting intolerance and hate in the Commonwealth. Link to photo and full article: itemlive.com/2017/09/13/baker-celebrates-signinglatest-community-compact-hometown-swampscott
Matt Doyle, a continuing adjunct instructor in the MSW Program and Director of Castle Hill Counseling & Consulting in Salem was recently featured in a front page Boston Globe article on the under-reported and often misunderstood phenomenon of school refusal (Boston Globe, 9/15/17). The article, “When anxiety keeps kids from school” focused on Matt’s successful work with a clients and their families who experience this challenge. Carol E. Bonner, Associate Dean, has been invited as a Faculty-In-Residence for the HERS Leadership Training for Women in Higher Education. She will be working with the 2017-2018 Cohort during their four sessions this year at Wellesley College. Bonner’s role has been as a facilitator and presenter around issues important to higher education, including inclusive excellence. This is her second year in this role with HERS.
FACULTY Lamont Simmons, EdD
FACULTY/SOCIAL WORK
ACTIVITIES
Lamont Simmons, MSW, EdD received his MSW from Aurora University and his EdD from the University of Memphis. He joined the BSW faculty in 2017. He previously taught in the Department of Social Work at the University of Memphis, and has practiced in the fields of mental health, school settings and child welfare.
Cheryl Springer, PhD, and Shelley Steenrod, PhD Professors Cheryl Springer and Shelley Steenrod were awarded Behavioral Health Training Fellowships from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which is funding the Alcohol and Other Drug Education Program (ADEP). In June 2017, Springer and Steenrod joined other Behavioral Health Fellows from across the nation for an intensive, five-day training on substance use disorders, held at Boston University School of Social Work. All fellows have made a commitment to infuse social work curricula with evidence-based methods of preventing, identifying and treating substance use disorders.
Rebecca Mirick, PhD Rebecca Mirick, PhD, received an award from the Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work for the Best Teaching Note of the Year for an article titled Reflections on a Collaborative Group Approach with Evening Students. This article was published in the Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work in 2016. Mirick was presented with this award at the award dinner of Baccalaureate Program Directors annual conference on March 4, 2017.
Professional Development Workshops - June 2017 Alison Rhodes, PhD, LICSW, presented her second “Yoga for Post-traumatic stress: Applications for Clinical Practice” workshop at the second annual professional development program in June 2017. The workshop included discussion of trauma theory and the role of yoga in healing after trauma. Participants had the opportunity to experience a group yoga practice, and they learned and practiced yoga techniques that they can use with their clients. The trauma-sensitive yoga was a big hit not only in the classroom but online. Taylor Lawrence, a representative from Salem State University marketing and creative services team photographed and covered the event on social. The post performed exceptionally well on Salem State University’s Facebook reaching nearly 4,700 people in just over 12 hours and this number continues to grow. One commenter even asked how she can join a class in the future. Taylor is happy to continue to cover and promote upcoming events across the university’s well-visited social channels. Keep her in mind when planning your next event and feel free to email tlawrence@salemstate.edu to learn more.
STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS The 2016-2017 S.T.A.R.T fundraiser series spearheaded by the groups former President Sage Lucas in collaboration with Centerboards then clinical intern, and former S.T.A.R.T Vice President Dominique Grasso project developer and coordinator raised $565.00 dollars for the Centerboard 2017 Vision Space “Life” Event. The day was broken into three parts: education, employment, and wellness; with presentations from Dress for Success, Lynn Police, and a panel of motivational speakers on the topic of “Living with a Mental Health Condition”. In conclusion, all attendees parted from the “Life” event with a self-care bag in-hand containing reproductive health materials, day planners, a crisis hotline list, and a referral to dress for success. Thanks to the S.T.A.R.T 2016-2017 E-board and the SSU community, this project was 90 percent funded by donations.
ACCOLADES FOR OUR ALUMNI One of the final assignments in the Agency Practice class is a group grant writing assignment. For many, this is an academic exercise that must be completed as part of their MSW program. Some of our students, however, recognize the real-life applicability of this assignment. Last spring, Angela Taylor ’17, Carolyn Kaulbach ’17, Sheldon LeBlanc ’17, and Delilah Green ’17 wrote a proposal to purchase recliners for Day Rehabilitation. Not only did this satisfy the course requirement—they shared their work with the Charles River Center, the organization they had in mind when they wrote the grant assignment. As a result, a large part of their proposal was submitted by the Charles River Center to Bob’s Furniture and was awarded the $2500.00 requested! Kudos to Angela, Carolyn, Sheldon, and Delilah!
This past April, SSU SSW alumni and students volunteered at “Safety Day” for the North Shore Center for Hoarding and Cluttering at North Shore Elder Services. Per an article in Patch (follow link below for full article), “Safety Day” is a term to describe a modified clean-out of a hoarded home. It is deemed a more appropriate and less anxietyprovoking term for the client than the term “cleanout”.This Safety Day was organized by Melissa Moore as her MSW macro project. patch.com/massachusetts/ danvers/safety-day-successfully-tackles-hoarding Included in the photo are: Melissa Moore ’17, Julie Parks ’18, Fabia Faria ‘16, Karen Sullivan ’16, Michele Martindale ’12, Miriam Greenburg ’13, and Marnie Matthews ’13. On September 11, 2017, a group of Salem State School of Social Work students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered for an open forum entitled “How colorblindness hurts: Having conversations with clients and colleagues about racial justice after Charlottesville.” The group reflected on how the notion of being “colorblind,” and “not seeing race” can be hurtful to people, and actually harmful in the client-provider relationship. The forum was organized by MSW alumni Kate Rozenkranz ’15, Brittany Orlandi ’16, and associate professor Elspeth Slayter. Look out for future conversations on this topic! Since graduating from SSU in 2016 with his BSW, Shane Nardi-Williams, MSW, LCSW entered the MSW advanced standing program at BC. He received the Matthew L. Pispia award for his contribution to the field of social work, specifically in the Children, Youth, and Families concentration. Shane interned at Riverside Lifeskills, a day treatment group therapy program for high risk adolescent youth. He was also an intern at Beacon High School, a coeducational therapeutic high school for students with mental health, social, and emotional challenges. Shane was offered and accepted a full-time position as one of the School Clinicians at Beacon High School. In June, he sat for and passed his LCSW exam. Shane recently reached out to the School of Social Work to thank them for them for the opportunities and training that he was able to receive and for being a part of his journey.
UPCOMING EVENTS Outstanding Social Work Award Nomination The Friends of the School of Social Work’s Outstanding Social Worker Alumni Award honors School of Social Work alumni who have shown dedication to the field of social work by: • making outstanding contributions to the social work profession • performing outstanding service in their chosen area • nurturing professional development of social workers To nominate an individual please visit surveymonkey. com/r/FSSWAW. Nominations are due by January 15, 2018.
The School of Social Work Looks Forward to the Seventh LGBT Elders Conference Save the date! The Annual LGBT Elders in an Ever-Changing World Conference will be held at Salem State University on Friday, March 16, 2018 from 8:30 am to 4 pm. The conference’s primary sponsors are Salem State University School of Social Work, North Shore Elder Services, and the LBGT Aging Project of the Fenway. This is the seventh year in a row for a conference that has attracted an international as well as national audience and presenters. The conference is designed for and represents consumers, practitioners, educators, researchers, and policy makers. CEUs are offered for social workers and nurses. Contact Cheryl Springer (cspringer@salemstate.edu) for additional information and especially if you would like to submit a workshop presentation for review or want to serve as a volunteer for the conference (registration fee is waived for presenters and volunteers).
Second Annual Menstrual Products Drive While people who are homeless often know where to find a safe place to sleep or a meal to eat, taking care of menstrual hygiene needs is often a much more difficult challenge for those who were assigned a female gender at birth. Although tampons and sanitary pads are often at the top the list at shelters, donors do not often provide these items. But the need for menstrual products does not only exist among people who are homeless—it also exists among people with low incomes—including many students at Salem State University. Did you know that Salem State’s student ombudsman runs its own food pantry? In order to address the menstrual needs of people studying at Salem State, Karen Traversy, Yomi Rivera and Elspeth Slayter are holding the second annual menstrual products drive in November and December 2017. Donations will be given to the university’s food pantry just before the holiday break. People utilizing the food pantry will be able to choose the products that they need in privacy. We look forward to your support of this important effort!
Third Annual Professional Development Workshops currently planned for spring 2018: • Trauma Informed Animal Assisted Therapy • Intermediate Motivational Interviewing: Curbing the Righting Reflex and Using Reflections • Assessment and Treatment of Co-occurring Disorders: An Introduction • Trauma-Informed Care • Photography as a Path to Healing • Self Help Groups: An Integral Treatment Component for Long Term Recovery • Trauma, Attachment, Loss and Narrative Therapy • Introduction to Mental Health Neuroscience • Trauma 101: Definition, Effects and the Impact of Trauma on Children and Families • Yoga for posttraumatic stress: Applications for clinical practice • Multisystemic Equity in Social Work Practice: Inquiry and Change able to choose the products that they need in privacy. We look forward to your support of this important effort!