FALL 2018
LETTER FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN CAROL E. BONNER Dear Alumni, Colleagues and Friends of Salem State University School of Social Work: Fall is fast approaching, and it is time for our newsletter. We have entered fall with great anticipation of our new curriculum changes which will be fully implemented this year. This is also the year of our Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) site visit for reaccreditation. We are preparing for the site visit which will occur between December 2018 and February 2019. Last spring, the Friends of the School of Social Work (our social work alumni group) planned an outstanding professional development program that was focused on “Children of War” with Hugo Kamya, PhD of Simmons College. This fall, the Friends held an event in October 2018 at Stonewood Tavern in Peabody, MA. Salem State’s faculty member, Lamont Simmons, PhD spoke on “The Impact of Trauma on Children and Families in Urban Communities.” The workshop discussed the role social workers have in identifying trauma in urban families. We are joined this year by two new full-time temporary BSW faculty members Julie DeFilippo and Katherine Walbam-Churchill. Both are tremendous additions to our faculty. Julie began with us last spring and Katherine started this fall. In addition, we are now in a search for a full-time tenure-track faculty member to join us in the fall 2019. The search committee has started to review applications and the position is posted on the Salem State website. We have also experienced some staff changes in our field education department. Susan Goldman, our field education coordinator, retired this summer. Sue’s dedication to “everything field education” and her leadership of the department is a loss for us all. Molly Hogan-Fowler is our interim field director. In addition, we were joined by two part-time field specialists Alison Schroeder and Rebecca Levine. On a sad note, Helen Glikman, PhD, passed away on September 26, 2018, after a courageous battle with cancer. Helen was a longstanding member of our BSW faculty, a devoted teacher with a deep commitment to her students. She retired from Salem State in January of 2018. She will be deeply missed as both a colleague and friend. For the past year, the School of Social Work has been developing a post-masters curriculum on substance use and addictions, led by Shelley Steenrod, PhD. The catalyst for the development of this program has been the concerns we have heard from the community that employers are finding it difficult to hire people with a deep level of knowledge and skill in this area. It is our hope that this curriculum can be offered in different formats after we take the necessary steps for University and external review and approval. We hope to teach at least one of the courses in our professional education program this year. These will be structured as 15-week, three-hour classes.
Transformative Learning for Social Work Practice
SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
We thank those of you have given to the Salem State University School of Social Work. If you are interested in giving a gift, please go to participate.salemstate.edu/socialwork. Please feel free to be in touch with me at cbonner@salemstate.edu. I’m always happy to hear from you! Carol
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INDEX
UPCOMING EVENTS
Upcoming Events 2
The 2019 Youth at Risk(YAR) Conference will be Friday, May 31, 2019, from 8 am-4 pm at Salem State University, O’Keefe Complex. Registration will be open in April. If you are interested in presenting at the 2019 Youth at Risk Conference please complete the YAR 2019 Workshop Presentation Form to be considered by the committee. To apply for a YAR Conference Exhibition table fill out the YAR 2019 Exhibition Hall Application.
Save the Date!
Presentations Since Spring 2018
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Publications Since Spring 2018
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Noteworthy Items 4 Welcome! 5 Spotlight on Field Eductions
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Faculty/Social Work Activities
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Student Accomplishments 8
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PRESENTATIONS SINCE SPRING 2018 Byrne, Mary (April 2018). Supervising in Times of Trauma: Hidden Roots. NASW Symposium. Framingham MA. Byrne, Mary (October 2018). Supervising in Times of Trauma. Boston University School of Social Work. Berkowitz, L. & Mirick, R.G. (2018, August). Suicide assessment and intervention training for mental health professional, a full-day continuing education workshop, Annual American Psychological Association Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Saltikoff, N., Rhoades, A. & Modell, D. (June 2018). Facilitating Deeper Reflection in Social Science Courses. New England Faculty Development Consortium Spring Conference. Newton, MA. Johnson, L., Slayter, E. and Livingstone, A. (2018). Exploring the intersections ofdisability, race, and ethnicity in family reunification outcomes. Council on Social WorkEducation Annual Program Meeting. Orlando, FL. (See CS-24, abstract and acceptance letter).
Hudson, C.G. Decision-making Strategies in Mental Health Reform: The Czech Experience. DARE: Decision, Assessment, Risk, and Evidence, Belfast, Northern Ireland, July 2018. Hudson, C.G., Garcia, M., & Murphy, R. Symposium on Psychiatric Deinstitutionalization: Current Developments and Strategies for Reform, SWSD 2018: Social Work, Education, and Social Development, Dublin, Ireland, July 2018. Hudson, C.G. Benchmarking Deinstitutionalization. A test of a Nonlinear Model. International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership, Stockholm, Sweden, May 2018
PUBLICATIONS SINCE SPRING 2018
Hudson, C.G. A Career as a Social Work Professor and Researcher, Department of Social Work, Charles University, Prague, CZ, December 2017.
Almeida, J., Bécares, L., Erbetta, K., Bettegowda, V. R., & Ahluwalia, I. B. (2018). Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth: The Role of Multiple Forms of Stress. Maternal and child health journal, 22(3), 1-10.
Hudson, C.G. Spiritual Dimensions of Social Work Engagement and Assessment, Department of Social Work, University of South Bohemia, Cesko Botovoice, CZ,November 2017.
Mirick, R.G. & Wladkowski, S. (2018). Pregnancy, motherhood, and academic career goals: Doctoral students’ perspectives. Affilia, 33(2), 253-269.
Hudson, C.G. Psychiatric Deinstitutionalization: Challenges and Opportunities, Department of Social Work, Charles University, Prague, CZ, November 2017.
Lindley, L.C., & Slayter, E. (2018c). Serious illness and quality of end-of-life for children in US foster care: A national study. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, Epub. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1049909118782986
Mirick, R.G., Bridger, J., McCauley, J., & Berkowitz, L. (April 2018). Continuing education on suicide assessment for clinicians: Does training change behavior? Paper presentation at the 51st Annual Conference of the American Association of Suicidology, Washington, DC.
Lindley, L. and Slayter, E. (2018b). Prior trauma exposure and serious illness at end of life: A national study of children in the U.S. foster care system from 2005-2015. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 56(3): 309-317.
Mirick, R.G., McCauley, J., & Berkowitz, L. (April 2018). Understanding Adolescent Suicide. NASW Massachusetts Symposium, Framingham, MA.
Simmons, L.D., Taylor, L.C., Anderson, K., & Neely-Barnes, S. (2018). Comparativeexperiences of first- and continuinggeneration social work students. Journal of Social Work Education. doi: 10.1080/10437797.2018.1434436
Mirick, R. G. (April 2018). Current best practices for engaging involuntary clients. NASW Massachusetts Symposium, Framingham, MA. Mitchell, M. & Mirick, R.G. (April 2018). “We do need to go there:” An evaluation of practice changes following a continuing education workshop on suicide assessment and intervention. Student Poster Presentation, NASW Massachusetts Symposium, Framingham, MA.
Howard, H., LeCloux, M., Prescott, D., & Walbam, K. (in press). Reflexivity, ethics, and divergent perspectives: A transformational journey of social work educators. Urban Social Work. Walbam, K. (in press). Integrating connection: A mixed methods exploration of sensoryprocessing and attachment. Infants and Young Children. 3
NOTEWORTHY ITEMS Monica Leisey, PhD became board cochair of Voices Against Injustice (formerly the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice). Grounded in the lessons learned during the Salem Witch Trials, Voices Against Injustice celebrates today’s champions of human rights and inspire people to confront fear and social injustice with courage.
Jonathan Lukens, PhD, has been tenured and promoted to associate professor.
Lamont Simmons, EdD, Assistant Professor, was nominated for the 2018 Outstanding First-Year Advocate Award. The Outstanding First-Year Advocate Award recognizes faculty, administrators, staff, and student staff/leaders who have had a positive impact on the academic and personal lives of first-year students. “Professor Simmons has been very attentive to every student who needs/ wants help. He also is a good professor who helps us absorb and understand all the information given in class. He’s also sensitive to student’s feelings and eases them into talking about difficult subjects.”
Michael Melendez, PhD, Professor at the School of Social Work has received tenure.
Felix “Phil” Amato, PhD. In September 2018 Phil Amato was interviewed by a reporter from Vice.com, an online newspaper located in Toronto, Canada. Phil was asked to comment on a criminal case where a man was convicted of manslaughter in Edmonton, Alberta and specifically about the effects of “involuntary celibacy” and “toxic masculinity” in the case and if that was a viable justification for his actions. The article can be found at vice.com/en_ca/ article/ev8ekp/edmonton-man-usesinvoluntary-celibacy-as-excuse-instomping-death. Mary Byrne, Associate Professor Emeritus, has been active on several boards such as the Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alums. One of their upcoming events is the Alumni Thanksgiving. If you would like to volunteer or attend one of their events, please visit NFCAs website at http://www.massnfca. org/Event. Lamont Simmons, EdD, has been appointed to the Council on Social Work Education’s Council on Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity for a three-year term.
Elspeth Slayter, PhD, has been promoted to professor.
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Felix “Phil” Amato, PhD, Associate Professor, received the Special Recognition of Faculty, Staff, and Administration by the Class of 2018 at the Senior Awards Banquet in May 2018.
Monica Leisey, PhD, has been named associate editor of the online open access journal: Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping is a double-blind peer-reviewed open-access interdisciplinary journal which has been published since 1995.
MSW Program Launches MSW/SAC Study Plan
A History of Helping in Salem
The MSW Program’s collaboration with faculty and staff at the Salem State University School of Education has resulted in the fall 2018 launching of the MSW/School Adjustment Counselor (SAC) Study Plan. MSW students who complete this plan will be endorsed by the SSU School of Education for initial licensure as school adjustment counselors. The collaboration with the School of Education was initiated by associate dean Carol Bonner and MSW faculty over two years ago. Cheryl Springer, PhD, is the MSW/SAC Study Plan Academic Advisor and Coordinator. In addition to the MSW/SAC Study Plan, the MSW Program launched an elective entitled “School Social Work Practice and Policy” (SWK 847) in fall 2018. While this course is required for students in the MSW/SAC, it is also open to all MSW students and should be of special interest to any MSW student hoping to work in school systems.
On September 27, 2018, Salem Historian Jim McAllister hosted A History of Helping in Salem, a lecture in support of the Samaritan Charitable Society of Salem. Proceeds of the lecture will go towards a scholarship for social work students at Salem State University’s School of Social Work being created by The Samaritan Charitable Society. (For more information about the Samaritan Charitable Society of Salem, please see thesamaritansociety.org/.)
WELCOME!
We welcome Katherine Walbam, PhD who comes to Salem State University as an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. She received her PhD 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; her role is to provide a platform for their voices to be heard. Katherine is eager to share this perspective with students to inform their own practice. 5
SPOTLIGHT ON FIELD EDUCATION
We are also thrilled to introduce two new part-time field specialists who joined our team in September: Rebecca Levine, MSW, SAC received her MSW degree from Boston College with a focus on macro social work. Rebecca worked for 18 years as the Youth Director for the Town of Winchester and more recently was the Program Manager for Our Salem Our Kids. She has a strong interest in community development, child and family issues, advocacy, and networking. Alison Schroeder, MSW, LICSW received her MSW degree from Boston College with a focus on clinical social work. Her work history includes community mental health at Somerville Mental Health, medical social work at Spaulding Outpatient Center, and more recently, private practice psychotherapy. Alison has a strong interest in maternal mental health and perinatal emotional complications. We look forward to the year ahead with our new and very strong team of field office staff and are already working with students to plan for this summer’s and next academic year’s field placements.
Top row left to right: Leslie Hazlett, Molly Hogan-Fowler, Rebecca Levine Bottom row left to right: Jennifer Traficanti, Alison Schroeder, Lisa Morency
A message from interim field education coordinator, Molly HoganFowler Summer and fall 2018 has meant a lot of changes in our field education department. In July our beloved field coordinator, Susan Goldman, retired from her position. Susan served for many years as a faculty field liaison and field placement specialist before taking on the role of coordinator of BSW and MSW field education in 2011. During her time as coordinator, she helped to increase consistency between the BSW and MSW Field programs, increased and strengthened partnerships with community agencies, upheld very high standards for student achievement, and mentored and supported many students on their paths to becoming competent, professional social workers. We will miss her in the role of Coordinator but are thrilled that she will continue to teach field seminars for students, our Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI) for supervisors and dabble in teaching some other social work courses whilst having more time to spend with her very handsome grandsons. Upon Susan’s retirement, I have stepped into the role of interim coordinator of field education. We also said farewell to two of our other field placement specialists: Kathleen Englehardt who retired and Karen Seif who moved out of state. Jennifer Traficanti, full-time Saturday cohort field specialist, Leslie Hazlett, part-time field specialist, and Lisa Morency, field education administrative assistant, continue in their roles. 6
DO YOU OR YOUR AGENCY HAVE OPENINGS FOR INTERNSHIPS? We continue to explore options for expanding our field placements in many areas. Some specifics include organizations with social work supervision and opportunities in health/behavioral health, trauma, schools, children and families, BSW and MSW internships, and others. If you or your agency have internship opportunities please contact Lisa Morency at lmorency@salemstate.edu for the form to apply.
FACULTY/SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES Christopher G. Hudson, Faculty Member, completes Fulbright Research in the Czech Republic and Sabbatical Work in Cyprus and France.
One of the school’s senior faculty, Christopher Hudson, recently returned from Europe where he spent his last academic year on sabbatical in the Czech Republic, Cyprus and France. Last year he was awarded a William J. Fulbright Senior Faculty Fellowship, his second such award, for work in Prague, CZ, for research at Charles University, one of the oldest universities in Europe dating back to 1348. His primary project there involved a study of decisionmaking under that nation’s recent psychiatric reform initiative which has focused on deinstitutionalizing its psychiatric hospitals and developing a community mental health system. This research involved a policy case study that entailed interviewing various governmental and mental health officials, as well as providers, consumers, and family members in the community. In addition to this research, he consulted with department faculty on several projects, such as the implementation of their new social work doctoral program. He also gave several presentations at Charles University and the University of South Bohemia.
not only in the Czech Republic but also in Stockholm, Sweden; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Dublin, Ireland (see Conference Presentations). Chris, and his wife Barbara who accompanied him on the sabbatical, also took several side trips, most notably to Berlin, Germany; Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa, Israel; and Provence, France. The third edition of Strategies for Work with Involuntary Clients, co-edited by Ronald H. Rooney and Rebecca G. Mirick, was published in May 2018. This edited volume focused on strategies and approaches for working with clients who are coerced, pressured, or legally required to attend treatment services. These clients may be unwilling or disinterested in engaging in the work, requiring a different approach to engage effectively. This book provides a theoretical framework for working with involuntary clients, as well as effective strategies, approaches, and treatment models. The second half of the book focuses on working with different populations of mandated clients, such as parents involved with child welfare services, older adults affected by dementia and their caregivers, students in schools, adults in corrections, men in domestic violence treatment, and clients in substance abuse treatment programs.
Since completing the Fulbright assignment in Prague in midJanuary, Hudson, PhD, has devoted time, in the second half of the year, to several new research projects while in Paphos, Cyprus, and Paris, France. These projects have in part arisen from questions that have come up because of his work in Prague. These include an international investigation of the impact of psychiatric deinstitutionalization on levels of mental disability; research on the rehospitalization experience of persons with schizophrenia; a study that tests a nonlinear model for establishing benchmarks for estimating needed psychiatric beds on a national level; and another one on the impact of geographic isolation on levels of mental disability throughout the U.S., all of which have now been submitted to various journals. Also, during the sabbatical, Hudson, PhD, had the opportunity to meet with and share his research and reflections with social work and mental health colleagues, 7
STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Graduate Research Day Awards Each year, the School of Social Work’s MSW students design and conduct live research and evaluation projects as part of their coursework and culminating academic experience. This experience allows students to gain an understanding of how research and evaluation can augment and inform social work practice—and there are many “a-ha” moments as the projects are completed each year! This past spring, several awards were given out to our MSW students, as follows: Most methodologically sound research project: First place: Barriers to house sharing and renting vacant units for resident homeowners aged 65 and older in Somerville, MA Sarah Thompson and Shawn Mahoney Most creative research project: (Tie for first place)
Kristin Ruggiero and Phil Amato Phil Amato and Kristin Ruggiero co-authored an article which addresses toxic masculinity and the negative effects that can result in the form of domestic violence against women. Several resources are available for people who may be experiencing domestic violence. For more information: salemnews.com/opinion/ columns/column-the-price-we-pay-for-toxic-masculinity/article_ a3e62000-3f8f-5981-856c-b5f0c9d45cdc.html Salem State University Social of Social Work was proud to graduate six DCF staff with their MSW degree as part of the Child Welfare Institutes Fellowship program. This highly competitive program supports DCF staff who show exceptional leadership skills and a strong commitment to advancing practice in child welfare. Left to Right: Daniel Polonsky, Elise Levine, Llanira Ruiz, Cesar Arriaza, and Kelsey Ninteau. Missing: Christine Sciacca.
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First place A: Undergraduate university student mindfulness: Motivation and impact Pat Aker, Ana Figueroa, Melissa Greenberg, and Laura Stotz First place B: Evaluation of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center training program Ashley Bouchard, Barb Eager, Professor Elspeth Slayter, Sydney Venuti, and Beth Haydock
Most practice-relevant research project: (Tie for first place) First place A:
Right Turn program evaluation
Karen Barnshaw, Michele Hagan, Justin Hall, and Rachel Wesley First place B: The impact of childhood attachment and placement stability on executive functioning in early adulthood for former foster youth Lauren Hayes, Joshua Metcalfe, Julie Parks, Heather Pert, and Naomi Sheridan Top three research projects on the overall score: Third place: Don’t leave me yet: Experiences of transitional age youth in independent living programs Jennifer Santiago, Julian Lind, Nanci Lytes, and Kate Mun Second place: The effectiveness of a therapeutic school program in lessening the occurrence of disruptions, negative peer relations, and the occurrence of unsafe behavior in the classroom
Collectively, 62 students (32 undergraduate and 30 graduate) were formally inducted into the Phi Alpha Tau Phi Chapter of the National Social Work Honor Society. Induction for Phi Alpha took place on April 24, 2018, at the School of Social Work Year-End Celebration and Honors Event. Social Work awards and scholarships Awards issued to Bachelor of Social Work students: Daniel Aaron Collins Memorial Scholarship - Cali Dane Linda J. Ettinger Scholarship Award - Lilianna Cruz Patricia Roderick Award - Anita Machiavello Pharnal Longus Family Community Service Scholarship - Jonathan Joaquin Awards issued to Master of Social Work students: The Elaine S. Marks Scholarship Prize - Abigail Griffiths Christine Nicolo Hallice ’65 Award - Elizabeth Abbott Dr. Marguerite Rosenthal Social Policy Paper Award - Sophia Padnos
Kayla Butt, Jessica Hanlon, and Samantha White First place: Youth with visual and/or hearing impairments in foster care: A secondary analysis Kate Collins and Dara Goldberg Cheyenne Fox Tree Mcgrath and Joanna Imbert Leon, two of Salem State University’s MSW students, have been chosen as two of the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Minority Fellows. The Minority Fellowship Program enhances the training of full-time direct practice-focused social work students in their final year of study in the service of reducing health disparities and improve behavioral health-care outcomes for racially and ethnically diverse populations. (For more information, please visit the CSWE website at cswe.org.) Congratulations to Cheyenne and Joanna! School of Social Work Year-End Celebration, Honors Event and Awards Ceremony Phi Alpha is designed to encourage and recognize scholastic and academic excellence. Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible. The primary benefit is the public recognition of achievement which is an honor to list on students resume and other career documents.
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