SPRING 2019
LETTER FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN CAROL E. BONNER To the Salem State School of Social Work Community and Friends, Creating this spring newsletter is bitter/sweet, as I have recently announced my departure from Salem State University School of Social Work on June 21, 2019. I want to thank all of you for the wonderful six years that I have served as associate dean at the School of Social Work. Together, with the amazing faculty and staff here, we embarked on a strategic plan in 2015 that has served us well as a roadmap to some new programs and initiatives. I will become the Founding Associate Dean at Bridgewater State University, continuing my passion for social work in public higher education. Leaving a place that I have loved, fills me with many different feelings—sadness being one of them. But, at the same time, I feel such pride in this School of Social Work, ranked this spring as #96 by US News & World Report, and its faculty, students and staff. I leave offering my deepest thanks to the administration of the University—President, Provost and our Deans, for their continued awareness of our needs. The Provost, Dr. David Silva, has named Dr. Lisa Johnson as Interim Director of the School of Social Work. Dr. Johnson will be leading the School through the coming year with hopes of searching for the next leader in the next year or two. Dr. Johnson has been a member of the SSW faculty since 2009 and she has, most recently, been Program Coordinator for the BSW Program. I know the school will be in great hands! In other comings and goings, we will be recognizing the retirement of Dr. Christopher Hudson at the end of this year, thanking him for his years of service to Salem State and his education of our students. We completed a search for an MSW faculty member this year and hired Dr. Katherine Walbam who has been a full-time temporary faculty member with us this year. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Walbam to the faculty. Molly Hogan-Fowler was named Director of Field Education this past January. Molly is well known to Salem State, as she was a graduate of the MSW program and she has been a member of our field education staff. We look forward to Molly’s leadership of the field education department and are excited that she accepted our offer! Our Council on Social Work Education reaccreditation site visitors arrived in January, 2019. We should receive a final answer on reaccreditation of both programs in June, 2019. Now that we completed major preparation by the faculty and staff, we can move on to new adventures. Your gifts to the School throughout the years have been greatly appreciated and have helped us pursue goals for the future. Please consider the School of Social Work in your giving this year at: https://participate.salemstate.edu/socialwork
Transformative Learning for Social Work Practice
SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
One of the great joys of this position is connecting with all the members of our wonderful community. Alumni, students, faculty, administrators and those in our great agency partners have given so much to us and our students. I am truly grateful to each and every one of you. Please know that your support and partnership is critical to the success of our students and the reputation of Salem State University School of Social Work within and beyond the social work community. My very best to all, Carol E. Bonner, Associate Dean 1
FACULTY PUBLICATIONS
FACULTY PRESENTATIONS
Butler-Mokoro, S.A., Prince Doss, H., and Kohlmann, C. Churchplanting, Direct Service and Advocacy: The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Response to Welcoming the Sojourner. Social Work and Christianity 45(3) Fall 2018, 55-72
Simmons, L.D. (2018, October). The impact of trauma on children and families in urban communities. Friends of the School of Social Work, Salem State University, Salem, MA.
Hudson, C.G. (2018). Five-Year Follow-up of a State-wide Cohort of Persons with Schizophrenia. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology (January), 1-10. Hudson, C.G. (2019). Deinstitutionalization and Rates of Psychiatric Disability: An International Study, Health & Place 56 (March), 70-79. Hudson, C.G. (In press, 2019). Theory on systems, complexity and chaos. For Payne, M. & Reith-Hall, E. (Editors). Handbook on Social Work Theory, Routledge. Wladkowski, S. & Mirick, R.G. (in press). Mentorship in doctoral education for pregnant and newly parenting doctoral students. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, Mirick, R.G., Berkowitz, L., McCauley, J., & Bridger, J. (in press). Changes in practice following a training on suicide assessment and intervention: Training participants’ perspectives. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, Mirick, R.G. (in press). Understanding suicide: A generalist course on suicide for BSW students. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work Mirick, R.G. (in press). Online peer review: Students’ experiences in a writing-intensive BSW course. Journal of Social Work Education Wladkowski, S. & Mirick, R.G. (in press). Supports and recommendations for pregnant and newly parenting doctoral students in health professions. Journal of Social Work Education Mirick, R.G., Davis, A., & Wladkowski, S. (in press). Social work dissertation committee chairs’ perceptions of their role. Journal of Social Work Education Mirick, R.G., Berkowitz, L., Bridger, J., & McCauley, J. (2018). Lessons learned from ten years of experience using schoolbased screenings for suicide. School Social Work Journal, 43(1), 20-37.
Davis, A. & Mirick, R.G. (2018, November). BSW students’ perceptions of microaggressions in social work education. Paper presentation at the 64th Annual Council on Social Work Education Program Meeting, Orlando, FL. Wladkowsi, S. & Mirick, R. (2018, November). Supports, challenges, and impact of pursuing a social work doctorate and parenthood. Poster presentation at the 64th Annual Council on Social Work Education Program Meeting, Orlando, FL. Mirick, R.G. & Davis, A. (2018, November). Only liberal views welcome? Experiences of conservative students in BSW education. Poster presentation at the 64th Annual Council on Social Work Education Program Meeting, Orlando, FL. Simmons, L.D. (2018, December). Students of color building community across campus and ethnic-based student organizations in engendering persistence and academic success. Keynote speaker. 2018 Soul Food Dinner. Salem State University, Salem, MA. Delis, P. & Mirick. R.G. (March, 2019). Factors associated with self-perceived burden in lupus: Implications for intervention. Presentation given at MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA. Mirick, R.G., Berkowitz, L., Bridger, J., & McCauley, J. (2018). Lessons learned from ten years of experience using schoolbased screenings for suicide. School Social Work Journal, 43(1), 20-37. Simmons, L.D. (2019, March). Examining academic persistence among undergraduate Black male social work students. Paper presented at the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Jacksonville, FL. Mirick, R.G., Berkowitz, L., Bridger, J., & McCauley, J. (2019, April). School-based universal screening for depression and suicide: Student and community factors related to positive screens. Paper presentation at the 52nd Annual Conference of the American Association of Suicidology, Denver, CO. Mirick, R.G. & Delis, P. (2019, April). Perceived burden, functional limitation, depression, and anxiety: Implications for screening lupus patients for suicidal ideation. Paper presentation at the 52nd Annual Conference of the American Association of Suicidology, Denver, CO. Delis, P. & Mirick, R. G. (2019, April). Factors associated with self-perceived burden in lupus: Implications for intervention. Podium presentation at the Annual Eastern Nursing Research Society conference, Providence, RI.
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OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS SINCE FALL 2018 Professor Jeff Driskell has receives two recent awards Dr. Driskell received funding from The Marion and Jasper Whiting Grant Foundation to support travel to the United Kingdom to study their mental health system as well as explore how they prepare social workers for a career in the area of mental health. He also received an Open Educational Resources (OER) grant from Salem State University. The funding supports faculty efforts in locating and implementing open educational resources as a means to reduce the cost of textbooks for students. Salem State faculty member works on Curricular Guide on Substance Use Disorders with CSWE Dr. Shelley Steenrod has been selected by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) to participate in the development of a Curricular Guide on Substance Use Disorders for BSW and MSW Programs. Dr. Steenrod will work with a team of social work educators dedicated to developing competency in the engagement of practice-informed research and research-informed practice for individuals, families, groups and communities impacted by substance use disorders. SSW Supports the Center for Childhood and Youth Studies in Building Resilience Conference The School of Social Work, the Friends of the School of Social Work (FSSW), and Parent’s Helping Parents (PHP), joined the Center for Childhood and Youth studies to co-sponsor a symposium titled “Building Resilience.” Held on April 1st, 2019 at the Ellison Campus Center, the symposium was attended by over 200 people. The keynote address was given by Dr. Michael Ungar from the University of Dalhousie, in Nova Scotia. Dr. Unger is a worldrenowned expert on resilience. The symposium also showcased Drs. Johnson, Slayter, and Hudson from the School of Social Work. The School of Social Work LGBT Elders Conference On March 16th the Eighth Annual LGBT Elders in an Ever-Changing World Conference was held on SSU’s Central Campus. Once again, the conference was a huge success with the largest number of attendees in the conference’s eight-year history. Over 200 participants created an audience of consumers, practitioners, educators, researchers, and policy makers - it is truly an interdisciplinary experience. The day’s program started with a keynote presentation by Dr. Karen Fredriksen Goldsen who is Professor and Director of Healthy Generations at the Hartford Center of Excellence at the University of Washington. Breakout sessions included presenters from Scotland, India, and New England as well as topics that covered the full range LGBT elders’ strengths and needs. The conference’s primary sponsors are Salem State University School of Social Work, North Shore Elder Services, AARP, and the LBGT Aging Project of the Fenway.
Dr. Cheryl Springer from the SSU School of Social Work faculty facilitated a session entitled “Reflections form LGBT Allies” that included State Representative Paul Tucker, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, and Nancy Stager, Executive Vice President of Eastern Bank. Dr. Springer is on the Conference Planning Committee – contact her (cspringer@salemstate.edu) if you want to receive information on next year’s conference 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). A Note from Field Education Spring marks the time of year where beginnings and endings converge for the field office. We get to witness the confidence and maturity of students at the end of their time with us and also experience the excitement and anxiety of new students just about to begin the program. This is also a time of year when we reflect on the relationships with our wonderful agency partners. Field instructors provide our students with an invaluable opportunity for growth and learning, despite workload demands and pressures for time. We are incredibly grateful for our community agencies who support our students. At our 31st Annual Field Instructor Appreciation Breakfast on Tuesday, April 9th, we honored once such organization. The Amesbury Council on Aging has been a long-standing partner with the School of Social Work and has hosted numerous students over the years. They are truly dedicated to helping to shape the next generation of social workers. We have so much appreciation for the team at Amesbury COA. Congratulations and many thanks to Doreen Arnfield, Vanessa Kahrman, Courtney Hutchinson, Katrina Rioux, Doreen Corliss, and Karen Burns – recipients of this year’s Outstanding Field Instructor Award! We were honored to have Mary Crowe, Director of Professional and Community Education for Care Dimensions, present on Medical Ethics and Boundaries.
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OUTSTANDING SOCIAL WORK ALUMNI AWARD Outstanding Social Work Alumni Award The Friends of the School of Social Work have named Alison ScobieCarroll the Salem State Alumni Award recipient for 2019. Alison is a 1995 graduate of Salem State’s MSW program. She is currently the Senior Director of Social Work and Family Services at Boston Children’s Hospital. She has also the President of the MA Chapter of NASW for the past three years. Alison was honored at the School of Social Work Year End Honors and Awards Celebration on April 23, 2019. The School of Social Work LGBT Elders Conference On March 16th the Eighth Annual LGBT Elders in an Ever-Changing World Conference was held on SSU’s Central Campus. Once again, the conference was a huge success with the largest number of attendees in the conference’s eight-year history. Over 200 participants created an audience of consumers, practitioners, educators, researchers, and policy makers - it is truly an interdisciplinary experience. The day’s program started with a keynote presentation by Dr. Karen Fredriksen Goldsen who is Professor and Director of Healthy Generations at the Hartford Center of Excellence at the University of Washington. Breakout sessions included presenters from Scotland, India, and New England as well as topics that covered the full range LGBT elders’ strengths and needs. The conference’s primary sponsors are Salem State University School of Social Work, North Shore Elder Services, AARP, and the LBGT Aging Project of the Fenway. Dr. Cheryl Springer from the SSU School of Social Work faculty facilitated a session entitled “Reflections form LGBT Allies” that included State Representative Paul Tucker, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, and Nancy Stager, Executive Vice President of Eastern Bank. Dr. Springer is on the Conference Planning Committee – contact her (cspringer@salemstate.edu) if you want to receive information on next year’s conference 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).
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FACULTY NEWS Christopher Hudson, Ph.D Christopher G. Hudson, Ph.D., professor, is retiring in June, after 32 years at the School of Social Work. He joined the faculty in 1987 when the program became a school and admitted its first MSW students. In addition to teaching, Dr. Hudson has served as Department Chairperson, MSW Coordinator, and as Executive Director of the Center for Applied Social Research. This has been in addition to his extensive activities as a researcher in mental health policy and psychiatric epidemiology, which has resulted in three books and over fifty publications. Over the years he has received numerous awards, including two as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, and recently, he completed a term as the elected president of the NASW Massachusetts Chapter. His plans for retirement include not only continued writing and research, occasional consulting and teaching, as well as foreign travel. In addition, Dr. Hudson has just received notice that he has been accepted for the Fulbright specialist program, eligible for short-term foreign assignments. Katharine Walbam Katherine Walbam, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work. She received her doctorate in social work from Simmons College, an MSW from Boston University, and a BSW from Siena College. She has also received certification in Clinical Practice with Children and Adolescents through Boston University, and was a fellow in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program through the Institute for Community Inclusion at Children’s Hospital Boston. Katherine has almost 20 years of clinical practice experience, primarily with children and adolescents, and their families. As a licensed independent clinical social worker, she has worked within Head Start, public and alternative schools, and clinic settings to help children feel confident, safe, and successful. A core value in her practice is the belief that children are whole people, with their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions. We thank Chris for his service to Salem State, his education of our students, his service to NASW and contributions to the scholarship of the social work profession. Professor Jeff Driskell reviewed two research articles related to gender identity and sexual orientation: Reviewer: “Discourses of Gender Identity and Transition in Later Life,” for Journal of Research on Women and Gender Reviewer: “Disclosing lesbian and gay male sexual orientation in later life: Attitudes of younger and older generations in eight Latin American Countries.” Journal of Homosexuality.
SOCIAL WORK ANNOUNCEMENTS
STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Samaritans Support Student Scholarships
Yoscairy Raymond, a BSW student was selected as the Salem State University recipient of the 29 Who Shine Award. The award is given to 29 outstanding student graduates from the Commonwealth of MA’s public higher education system. Congratulations, Yoscairy!
Recently, the Samaritan Charitable Society of Salem, better known locally as the Samaritans, awarded five $1,000 scholarships to SSU social work students in honor of recent board members and supporters. Receiving these scholarships were Gianna Caprio, Nelsi Espanol-Mayi, Vanessa Hogu, Kayla Hulbert and Jocelyn Valentin. Never heard of the Samaritans? They comprise a small, allvolunteer group that is actually one of Salem’s oldest charitable organizations. Since its founding in 1832, the Samaritans’ mission has been to help Salem residents in temporary financial distress get back on their feet. The Samaritans receive requests for assistance from a variety of organizations—the Salem Council on Aging, Plummer Youth Promise, the House of the Seven Gables, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society, to name a few. These requests are usually related to a personal need that falls outside the organization’s funding restrictions, and often the need arises from the loss of a job or inability to work due to injury or illness. It is this connection with social workers that prompted the Samaritans to use recent donations honoring Abby Burns, Marcia Lambert and Deacon Harris for scholarships in SSU’s School of Social Work. The Samaritans welcome donations, referrals and opportunities to partner with other organizations. You can learn more at www. theSamaritanSociety.org or by contacting Shelby Hypes (978-7411390 or shelby@shelbyhypes.com).
MSW students Joanna Imbert Leon and Cheyenne Fox-Tree McGrath were named Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Minority Fellows. CSWE’s Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) began in 1974 offering fellowships to doctoral social work students committed to mental health and/or substance abuse services for underserved minority individuals and communities in the United States. In 2014, the MFP was awarded a 4-year grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for a new fellowship program targeting social work master’s level students. This 2018–2019 cycle, the Master’s Minority Fellowship Program has selected 41 MSW fellows in 30 social work programs across the country. Each fellow was tasked with scheduling meetings with the staff members for their Senators and Representatives who oversee health care policy, to have meetings at Capitol Hill. Joanna was tasked with scheduling the meeting with Senator Ed Markey’s office and Cheyenne with Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office. Latoya Ogunbona, who will graduate from the Master’s program at the School of Social Work this May has been selected the student speaker for the graduate ceremony. Phi Alpha Honor Society This spring, ninety-eight social work students accomplished academic honors making them eligible for the social work Phi Alpha Honor Society. Of these students, 42 were inducted into the society in April, 2019.
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