SSW-ID-2014

Page 1

InDepth Perspectives in Social Work

50th ANNIVERSARY of our doctoral program page 16

page 10

page 24

page 26

Meet Dean Marianne Yoshioka

Service members and SSW

Jo Comerford: teacher and leader

Smith College School for Social Work | 2014–2015 www.smith.edu/ssw


2014-2015 InDepth is published annually by the Smith College School for Social Work for alumni and friends of the school. Its purpose is to connect our school community, celebrate recent accomplishments, and capture the essence of life and learning at the School for Social Work.

Managing Editor Tynan Power

Design Lisa Carta

Contributors Tobias K. Davis Dawn Faucher Patricia Gilbert Eric Goldscheider Valerie Nguyen Hooper-Lindros Madelyn B. Neely Tynan Power Irene Rodriguez-Martin Megan Rubiner Zinn

Photography Frank Bayles Carol Lollis Madelyn B. Neely Yoosun Park Shana Sureck Michael Thomasson

Letters to the Editor Send questions, comments, and news items to: InDepth Managing Editor Smith College School for Social Work Lilly Hall Northampton, MA 01063 (413) 585-7950 indepth@smith.edu Š2015 Smith College School for Social Work. For the jubilant class of 2014, pictured on the steps of Helen Hills Hills Chapel, the evening of Baccalaureate was full of laughter and comaraderie. (August 10, 2014) Photos: Shana Sureck ii in depth | Fa ll 201 3


10

16

24

26

28

in this issue School news

2

Meet our new dean

10

Reaching for Excellence (REX)

15

50th anniversary of the doctoral program

16

Summer Lecture Series

18

Day-Garrett awards

22

Service, sacrifice, and finding support at SSW

24

Jo Comerford: Teaching and leading for transformative social work

26

Commencement 28 Alumni news

34

Alumni lives

36

In memoriam

43

Annual giving

46

School for Social Work Online SSW Buzz Online Newsletter smith.edu/ssw/bulletin/ssw_buzz.php

News of the School

smith.edu/ssw/about_news.php

InBrief Alumni Newsletter

smith.edu/ssw/inbrief.php

InDepth: Perspectives in Social Work smith.edu/ssw/indepth.php

Twitter

twitter.com/smithcollegessw

Facebook

facebook.com/smithcollegessw

36


School News Faculty Highlights Changes in the Dean’s Office This year has been full of changes for the Dean’s Office. At the end of March, we were pleased to announce that Dr. Marianne Yoshioka was selected to be the new dean for the School for Social Work, starting in July. Dr. Carolyn Jacobs stepped down as dean and began a year-long sabbatical in May, so we were fortunate to have Dr. Joshua Miller as acting dean in the interim period before Dean Yoshioka’s arrival. His experienced leadership lent a steady hand to a significant administrative change taking place in the middle of our busy summer session. During that period, Dr. Yoosun Park also stepped into a new role as acting associate dean, through the end of 2014. In January 2015, Dr. Peggy O’Neill (see box, page 9) became the new Associate Dean of Academic Affairs/ Dean of Students for 2015-2016. Shortly after Dean Yoshioka joined the School, we also welcomed Honora Sullivan-Chin as the executive assistant to the dean (see page 6 for more about Honora).

Faculty recognition In January, Dr. James Drisko was named an inaugural Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), social work’s main research organization. The SSWR Board recently instituted a Fellow status for members who have presented numerous juried conference papers over the years and who have provided considerable service to the society. Drisko has presented at the SSWR conference 16 times, on topics ranging from qualitative research methods, attachment disorders, empowerment, and a systematic review of the evidence base for psychodynamic psychotherapy. He also has led an interest group on qualitative research, been a reader for SSWR awards, and for conference abstracts. 2

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

This honor recognizes Dr. Drisko’s many contributions and identifies him as a role model for social workers. Dr. Hye-Kyung Kang was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure in March. Dr. Kang — whose research focuses on cultural citizenship, immigrant communities and communities of color, postcolonial social work practice, community organizing and mobilization, cultural citizenship, and race/racism — has been an active member of the School’s Anti-racism Task Force (ARTF) and represented the School at a local rally to read the ARTF’s statement, “Understanding Ferguson” (see page 12 for more about the ARTF’s work this year). In June, the School for Social Work held a reception for Dr. David Burton, who retired this year from a distinguished


school news career spanning clinical practice, teaching, and research. Shortly after his retirement, we learned that Dr. Burton was awarded the Lifetime Significant Achievement Award by the Association for the Treatment of Sex Offenders—the highest award in his field. The Council of Social Work Education’s Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work recognized Dr. Joyce Everett with an Outstanding Mentor Award in 2014. This recognition is bestowed on mentors who make a difference in the lives of women in social work education, through their contributions to feminist thought, practice, and scholarship; commitment to increasing the visibility of women in the field; and support for the efforts of the CSWE Women’s Council to further women in social work education.

Research & Collaborations Dr. Kathryn Basham and Dr. Jean LaTerz are collaborating on an Attachment-Based Couple Therapy Project for post-deployed military and Veteran couples, which offers free, confidential, couples therapy to veterans with PTSD. They are joined in this team research effort by three SSW alumni and local clinicians: Michelle Marchese, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.; Jennifer Harrison, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.; and Lindsay Davison, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. In a collaboration with the Institute for Training and Development (ITD), Dr. Joshua Miller will lead a trilateral exchange program on “Cross-Sectoral Development in the Fields of Tolerance and Conflict Resolution in Rwanda, Uganda, and the US.” The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau

for Educational and Cultural Affairs and aims to foster mutual understanding, collaboration, global networking, and leadership and professional skills development among Africans and Americans. The project will bring two groups from Africa to the U.S. for six-week professional fellowship programs, beginning in April 2015. Subsequently, a group of U.S. participants will travel to Rwanda in the summer of 2015 and another group will visit Uganda in the winter of 2015-2016. Dr. Joan Berzoff is a co-principal investigator in a two million dollar grant from the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI). The project puts social workers in the leadership position of initiating difficult end-of-life conversations for terminal dialysis patients (and their families). The research involves a multicenter study with fourteen dialysis clinics in Western Massachusetts and New Mexico. Dr. Berzoff also continues to work with David Byers and Efi Kokaliari on a study in Palestine, in anticipation of teaching there in 2015. In order to avoid importing cultural imperialism and assuming what Palestinian students need to know, the team has surveyed 65 students on the West Bank to learn about the psychosocial issues that they and their clients face. Dr. Berzoff and her colleagues have presented their findings at CSWE, SSWR, and other conferences. Dr. Berzoff also is looking forward to giving the keynote address at the first international social work conference in Palestine in 2015.

Presentations & Publications Dr. Joshua Miller always has a full calendar, but the past year has been a particularly busy one, as Dr. Miller balanced administration, presentations, and research projects. Dr. Miller gave the keynote address at the Northampton Human Rights Day celebration in December 2013. He presented at the NASW-MA conference in April 2014, spoke on a panel at the University of Connecticut for the 20th anniversary of International Year of the Family, and at the CSWE APM in October 2014. In November, Dr. Miller traveled across the globe to present on healing and recovering from intergroup conflict and terrorism at the University of Hong Kong. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

3


school news

In March, Dr. Marsha Pruett traveled to the United Arab Emirates with her husband, Dr. Kyle Pruett of Yale University, for a series of presentations on parenting. The first talk was so well-received it earned the Pruetts a spot on the front page of the U.A.E. newspaper, The Nation (available online at http:// www.thenational.ae/uae/health/ fathersneed-to-be-equal-partners-inparentingexperts-urge-uae-families). In addition to presentations for the Children’s Mental Health Policy Conference, NASW-MA, CSWE and

commissioned by the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs for the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in Washington, D. C. Dr. Basham’s report can be found online at http://www.iom.edu/ Reports/2014Treatment-for-PosttraumaticStress-Disorder-in-Military-and-VeteranPopulations-Final-Assessment.aspx.

Staff

and serves on its Steering, Personnel Policy, and Membership & Recruitment Committees. Sandra holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Salem State College (now Salem State University) and an M.A. in Theatre from the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). She has worked as an actress in New York City and all across the New England area. Most recently, she appeared on stage at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield and with New Century Theatre in Northampton.

Sandra Blaney, M.A. Registrar Specialist for Faculty Support and Systems Sandra Blaney became registrar specialist for faculty support and systems in the Office of Academic Support Services in January 2014. Prior to joining SSW, she held the position of assistant registrar for enrollment services in the Smith College

Berkshire Children & Families, Dr. Hannah Karpman presented a Liberal Arts Lunch lecture at Smith College, in which she discussed her research about children’s mental health in Massachusetts. The well-received presentation was attended by the Board of Trustees of Smith College. Dr. Kathryn Basham co-authored Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations: Final Assessment, a report

4

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Sharyn Zuffelato Registrar Specialist for Student Support and Systems

undergraduate Registrar’s Office, where she worked for over six years. She is the co-vice chair of Smith’s Staff Council

Sharyn Zuffelato is a familiar face at the School for Social Work, where she has served in the School’s Office of Academic Support Services for seven years. Sharyn took on a new role as registrar specialist for student support and systems in January 2014 and also serves on a new School-wide committee called the Society on Cohesion, Integration, and Lovingkindness, or S.O.C.I.A.L. Sharyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland, University College.


school news

Tynan Power, M.A. Communications Specialist Tynan Power’s first foray into working for the School began in the fall of 2013, when he assisted with the compilation of the 2013 issue of InDepth. In February 2014, he formally joined the administrative staff as the School’s communications specialist. Ty has more than 20 years of experience as a writer, editor, and

publishing, non-profit communications, and numerous journalistic publications in print and online. In addition to his professional communications work, Ty is involved with a number of social justice and human rights projects and organizations. He was one of the founding coordinators of the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD) and continues to serve on the organization’s steering committee. He also is a member of the national LGBT Faith Asylum Network and the U.S. Department of State Working Group on Religion and Foreign Policy.

Maria del Mar Farina de Parada, M.S.W. ’98, M.B.A., L.C.S.W., Ph.D. candidate Assistant Director of Field Work

communications strategist for print and online media. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Mass Communication (Journalism track) from the University of South Florida. Ty focused his graduate studies on media ethics and online media, including participation in a seminar on “new media values and ethics,” at the prestigious Poynter Institute for Media Studies. His academic research has focused on website usability and comprehension of online texts in a mass communications context. Over the course of his career, Ty has worked in a wide variety of settings. One of his formative early positions was with the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (U.S. Department of Labor), which provided invaluable lessons about the range—and importance—of accessibility standards. Ty went on to hone his communications skills in private sector

Maria del Mar Farina de Parada joined the field staff of the School for Social Work as the assistant director of field work on May 1, 2014. Her position with the field department includes a particular focus on helping SSW develop new supervisory training and student support modules. Maria del Mar has been a member of the SSW community since the 1990s, when she began her M.S.W. at the School. She brings 16 years of clinical experience as a therapist, program manager, teacher, and researcher.

Born in Madrid, Spain, Maria del Mar graduated from The Vienna International School (Austria), before immigrating to the United States. She attended Westfield State College, then completed her M.S.W. degree at Smith College School for Social Work, followed by an M.B.A. degree at Western New England College (now Western New England University). Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate at SSW. Maria del Mar has worked in community mental health settings, particularly with Latino families. She was the program manager for community wraparound programs at the Springfield Child Guidance Clinic, which served as pilot programs for the current Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative. She has also worked in hospital settings, for the Department of Mental Health, and for the Smith College Counseling Center, where she was employed for seven years. For the past nine years, Maria del Mar has taught within B.S.W. and M.S.W. social work programs at Westfield State University and Elms College, as well as at Smith College She is currently a tenure-track faculty member at Westfield State University and serves as an adjunct instructor at SSW. Her research experience and recent publication have focused on immigration and the psychological and cultural implications of current deportation policies on American-born children of Mexican immigrant parents. Additionally, Maria del Mar has assisted with research projects focused on retention of students of color in higher education. The field work team was thrilled to welcome Maria del Mar and her wealth of clinical practice, teaching, and supervisory experience. Maria Del Mar’s article, “Failure to Mourn ‘White Nativism’: Impact of Deportation on Hispanic American– Born Children and Mixed-Status Families,” can be found in Smith College Studies in Social Work (Volume 83, Issue 2-3, 2013) and online at http://bit.ly/ SCSSWFarina.

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

5


school news

Honora Sullivan-Chin, M.A. Executive Assistant to the Office of the Dean In October, the Smith College School for Social Work welcomed Honora Sullivan-Chin as the executive assistant to the Office of the Dean. Honora is originally from Syracuse, New York. She received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history from Syracuse University in 2010. While in Syracuse, she was the program assistant at the Syracuse University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center. Honora moved to the Pioneer Valley to pursue graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, from which she received a graduate certificate in African Diaspora Studies and a master’s degree in anthropology. Her research focused on archaeological study of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite, a National Historic Site in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Prior to joining the SSW team, Honora provided administrative support to the Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute at UMass Amherst. Soon after arriving, Honora said “I am delighted to join the Smith College School for Social Work and to support the important and innovative work of Dean Marianne Yoshioka and all the faculty and staff at SSW. Since joining the staff, I have felt warmly welcomed by the entire Smith community and I am excited to get started!”

Tobias Davis 2014 Spotlight Award Toby Davis was honored by Smith College with one of the 2014 Staff Spotlight Awards, which recognizes exceptional contributions of staff members. Toby was nominated by the director of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity for volunteering to prepare and conduct a workshop on social justice issues for student social justice and equity representatives. In addition, Toby facilitated an introduction to LGBT culture at Smith and in the United States for all incoming undergraduate Smith College international students and co-facilitated a workshop on transgender inclusion at Smith College for all

6

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

student residence life staff. Together with Rev. Matilda Cantwell, multifaith fellow in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Toby co-led an orientation session for new undergraduate first-year students called “Be The Change You Wish to See: Spirituality in Action 2014.” On Otelia Cromwell Day 2014, Toby also co-led a discussion for Smith College staff members. Outside of SSW, Toby also has had an eventful year and a half. In May 2013, he completed an M.Ed. in social justice education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In March 2014, Toby co-directed a production of “The Naked I: Beyond the Binary,” an award-winning play he wrote as a Smith College undergraduate student. In September 2014, our in-house playwright was in the news again as another of his plays, “Standards of Care,” was staged in Madison, Wisconsin. In November 2014, he led a trans* writing workshop for more than 20 people in Northampton, with hints of more such workshops to come. Information about Toby’s plays and writing workshops can be found on his website at: www.tobiaskdavis.com.

School News Social Work Month 2014 The School for Social Work partnered with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to promote Social Work Month 2014 in March. A highlight of the month was a proclamation of Social Work Month issued by Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz in a televised City Council meeting, during which Prof. Phebe Sessions offered remarks about the School and the field of social work. Subsequently, the proclamation was presented to former-Dean Jacobs and now resides in the display case on the ground floor of Lilly Hall. Social Work Month was a busy time for our faculty, as well. Dr. Marsha Pruett presented workshops in the United Arab Emirates (see Faculty Highlights for details). Dr. Peggy O’Neill presented on “Resilience in Clinical Practice: Expanding the Light Shining through the Cracks” at an event co-sponsored by the SSW Alumni Association and the Smith College Club of New York City. Dr. Hannah Karpman presented on “Wraparound Outcomes in Massachusetts: Real Phenomenon or Lessons for Outcome Measurement” to researchers and policy-makers gathered at the Children’s Mental Health Policy Conference in Tampa, Florida. Fred Newdom joined the SSW DC/Baltimore Alumni group in Washington, D.C. to discuss “The 20th Anniversary of the Smith College SSW Anti-racism Commitment: A Look Back at What We Have Done and a Look Forward to Where We Need to Go.”


school news

NASW-MA 13th Biennial Symposium In April, SSW was one of over 50 exhibitors at the annual symposium of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Dr. Joshua Miller, Dr. Hannah Karpman, and Dr. Peggy O’Neill presented at the two-day event. We were pleased to see a number of SSW alumni attending and presenting, as well.

Summer Student Guide The School launched a new Summer Student Guide—a web-based tool that made it easier for students to locate and access helpful information on our website. The Guide organizes the abundant content on our website into broad categories, such as what students need to know before arriving, information about non-academic aspects of life at SSW, and academic resources. Over the summer, we received a great deal of positive feedback about the new Guide. As we look forward to summer 2015, we already have plans to make the Guide even better. View the Summer Student Guide online at http://www. smith.edu/ssw/summerguide.php.

View the SSW Buzz at http://www.smith.edu/ssw/bulletin/ ssw_buzz.php.

SSW represented at the White House In June, the SSW Communications Specialist, Tynan Power, traveled to Washington, DC, to attend the White House Forum on Global LGBT Human Rights. At the forum, where Ambassador Susan Rice delivered keynote remarks, participants engaged with senior Obama Administration officials on the Administration’s ongoing efforts to protect and promote the human rights of LGBT individuals internationally. Ty also attended a reception at the home of Vice President and Dr. Biden in honor of the LGBT human rights community later that evening. He returned to Washington in July to attend the White House Iftar, an annual event hosted by the President for Muslim foreign dignitaries and community leaders.

SSW Buzz July brought another big change in our communication with the SSW community: a completely redesigned news bulletin. For years, the trusty SSW Bulletin served us well, but it was time for an update. The new colorful and engaging format already has demonstrated its value as we have seen a dramatic increase in readership. While the Buzz has the same timely information that was featured in the Bulletin, it includes more images, links for more information, and multiple ways to find the news readers need. Readers can scroll down the page to view important announcements and highlighted articles—or select different topic categories from the column on the right. Best of all, the SSW Buzz is updated with news as soon as it becomes available—so there is no need to wait for a new issue to be published each week.

CSWE APM 2014 Lilly Hall was nearly empty for several days in October, as many faculty and staff members headed to Tampa, Florida, for the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. We had a great spot in the exhibit hall and we

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

7


school news

were thrilled to see our alumni who stopped by to say hello. Our numerous faculty presentations allowed SSW to share our collective expertise with the social work community. The highlight of the conference for SSW was our festive reception hosted by Dean Marianne Yoshioka on Saturday evening. Many attendees were eager to learn more about Dean Yoshioka and the exciting new steps the School is taking under her leadership.

Otelia Cromwell Day 2014 The School for Social Work took part in a number of events at Smith College’s annual Otelia Cromwell Day celebration on November 6, 2014. Faculty and staff attended the keynote address, “Eavesdropping on America’s Conversation on Race,” by Michele Norris, and the premiere screening of “The Life and Legacy of Otelia Cromwell.” SSW Assistant Director of Continuing Education Tobias Davis co-facilitated a discussion on “Institutional Barriers, Staff Equity and Higher Education: A Dialogue for Smith College Staff.” Later in the day, SSW faculty members Hye-Kyung Kang and Peggy O’Neill presented on “Constructing Critical Conversations about Race and Racism for Effective Teaching and Learning.” View Smith College’s new video, “The Life and Legacy of Otelia Cromwell,” at http://www.smith.edu/video/ life-and-legacy-otelia-cromwell.

complete 9-month field placements in locations around the country. “Dispatches” provides an insider’s view into student life, showcasing the variety of experiences students have in the field and the growth those experiences inspire over the course of a year. The five student bloggers come from a variety of backgrounds and are currently in field placements in locations from Greenfield, Massachusetts, to Venice, California. · Camila de Onís is a first-year M.S.W. student, placed at Federation Employment and Guidance Service in the City Wide Health Home Care Coordination program in Brooklyn, New York. · Janae Peters is a second-year M.S.W. student, placed at Clinical and Support Options in the Outpatient Clinic in Greenfield, Massachusetts. · José Hernández is a first-year M.S.W. student, placed at the Venice Family Clinic in Venice, California. · Katie Green is a first-year M.S.W. student, placed at Polaris in the Client Services unit in Washington, D.C. · Maya Hochberger-Vigsittaboot is in her second year of the master’s program and is placed at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in the Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry unit in Baltimore, Maryland.

Faculty reading: Whistling Vivaldi The SSW faculty have joined Smith College in reading “Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do” by Claude M. Steele, an acclaimed social psychologist and provost of the University of California, Berkeley. In the book, which was required reading for all entering freshman at Smith College, Steele gives a first-person account of the research that led to his conclusions on stereotypes and identity, which have been heralded as groundbreaking. His insights shed new light on a range of social phenomena from racial and gender gaps in test scores to beliefs about the athletic abilities of Black men—and suggest approaches for mitigating these “stereotype threats.”

SSW launches “Dispatches” —an MSW student blog The School for Social Work launched a new student blog, which follows five students in the SSW master’s program as they

8

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Announcing the Bertha Capen Reynolds Pre-doctoral Fellowship In December, the School for Social Work announced that applications are sought for the Bertha Capen Reynolds (BCR) Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program. The BCR fellowship was created in 1987 by then-Dean Ann Hartman to honor Reynold’s legacy by supporting the development of scholars from underrepresented groups, whose work promotes both the underlying principles of Reynolds’ approach to clinical social work and the mission of the Smith College School for Social Work. The program offers a twelve-month residential fellowship for a doctoral student in the dissertation phase of a social work Ph.D. program. Application review begins in February 2015. Information about the BCR fellowship can be found at http:// www.smith.edu/ssw/acad_bcrfellowship.php


school news

Peggy O’Neill, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for 2015-2016​

“The level of engagement of faculty, staff, and students is energizing, inspired, and hopeful. I so appreciate the high level of academic expectations, the openness to critical dialogue, and longstanding commitment to educating and mentoring the best clinical social workers.” Dr. Peggy O’Neill

In January 2015, Dr. Peggy O’Neill began an appointment as Associate Dean for the 2015-2016 academic years. Dr. O’Neill joined the Smith College School for Social Work resident faculty in July 2012. She teaches in both the human behavior and social environment (HBSE) sequence and the social work practice sequence, which she previously co-chaired. Dr. O’Neill’s research on community capacity building is currently focused on a community-based support group intervention informed by feminist theory and cognitive behavioral tenets for postpartum depression. Her prior research and practice experience includes many years of working with diverse communities facing trauma after September 11th, co-developing, implementing, and evaluating resiliency-based, culturally- and linguistically-attuned psychoeducational groups. This work was preceded by many years of clinical and administrative social work practice in health/mental health care. Before coming to Smith, Peggy was a member of the faculty at Columbia University School of Social Work for eight years. In that position, she co-chaired the clinical practice area and taught across clinical and social enterprise administration methods. She led innovations in curriculum design, engaging diverse constituents. She is keenly interested in deepening authentic connections and relationships across differences, with attention to challenging oppression and finding resilience in the face of trauma. Peggy also previously spent seven years directing the employee assistance program (EAP) of a large urban teaching hospital. The EAP served hospital employees and their families, as well as multiple businesses and not-for-profit organizations in the community at large. She developed the organizational development and consulting component of the EAP to support and emphasize the human aspects of the workplace. Peggy continues to maintain a clinical practice and consultancy for individuals and organizations. “I was drawn to SCSSW for many reasons, including the strong legacy of the School’s commitment to improve the human condition and foster forward clinical social work education, as well as the School’s anti-racism commitment,” explained Dr. O’Neill. “The level of engagement of faculty, staff, and students is energizing, inspired, and hopeful. I so appreciate the high level of academic expectations, the openness to critical dialogue, and longstanding commitment to educating and mentoring the best clinical social workers to work with individuals, families, and communities—many of whom face immense forms of social and structural oppression, across a wide range of settings, locally, nationally and globally.” “I am excited to assume the role of Associate Dean during this pivotal moment at SCSSW under the leadership of Dean Yoshioka,” said Dr. O’Neill. “I look forward to bringing administrative acumen to enhance the structures that support the continuing advancement of our curriculum, our strong faculty, the field, our students—and, ultimately, the people and communities they serve.”

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

9


Meet Dean

Marianne Yoshioka “I am a bridge-builder . . . figuring out who has to be at the table in order to make something happen. Once everyone is at the table, it’s about trust. It’s about relationships. Everyone has a contribution to make.”

10

in depth | Fa ll 201 4


by Tynan Power

I

n t h e d ay s b e f o r e Dr. Marianne R. M. Yoshioka arrived to take the helm of the School for Social Work as its 13th dean, the excitement was palpable. Over the previous year, attention had turned to what the future would bring under a new dean. As with any change in leadership, questions swirled around what would stay the same and what might change under the new dean’s leadership: how would she honor tradition, chart new courses, and relate to the many constituencies that make up the SSW community? Yoshioka, with her dynamic energy and abundant enthusiasm, could have made a dramatic entrance on campus, but she chose a more subdued beginning to her deanship. Joining the School in the middle of the summer allowed her an opportunity to observe the life of the School during its busiest period, with students, staff, and faculty fully engaged with their responsibilities. While Yoshioka lost no time in building relationships within the School community and with the Smith College administration, she also spent a great deal of time watching, listening, and asking questions. “I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but I realize that I need to understand what has happened here, in order to build on those successes,” said Yoshioka. “That takes time and learning about what is going on now.” Yoshioka’s ability to listen to the story beneath the story and synthesize what she is perceiving into a plan of action has roots at the very start of her career in social work. “I didn’t consider a career in social work until I got my first job after graduating from college,” she said. “I served as an interviewer on a research project that looked at the impact of social support on obstetrical complications for pregnant teenagers. I met with each teenager twice. Through the interviews, which lasted several hours, I was really struck by how precarious some of their circumstances were.” Though tasked with learning about the support systems and medical complications of the teens, Yoshioka ended up learning just as much about the impacts of privilege and limited opportunity. “I wasn’t much older than them. I started to see that the main differences between my life and some of the young women were opportunity and what I later came to understand as social location. In some cases, I was struck by the thought that a couple of different twists and turns could have led our lives to be very similar,” said Yoshioka. “There were different opportunities I was given and there were some different circumstances that made our lives play out differently.” Yoshioka found the young women’s stories compelling: some girls were as young as 13, some were pregnant as a result of sexual assault, many were isolated without support. She saw that her support was valued by the women and truly mattered to them, despite how limited her interactions with them had been. “It was the first thing that really opened my eyes about what it would be like to have a job where you could work with people like pregnant teenagers and figure out how to provide support and make a difference,” Yoshioka said.

“The reputation of the School and its antiracism commitment was so compelling to me. It’s phenomenal to arrive at a place where that work is being done already and have an opportunity to take it to another level.”

Photos: Shana Sureck

Left: This photo was staged. An avid cyclist, Dean Yoshioka enjoys riding her bicycle to work whenever weather permits it—and she always wears a helmet.

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

11


Our anti-racism commitment in action 2014 brought a disheartening number of violent deaths of Black men and boys, followed by grand jury decisions that many feel represent a failure of our legal system. Administrators and faculty of the Smith College School for Social Work have been deeply concerned by evidence of how deeply entrenched structural racism and inequality remain in our society. As a School with a longstanding anti-racism commitment, we do not feel that we can or should remain silent. Under Dean Yoshioka’s timely and responsive leadership, the School’s Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF) made clear that, viewed through the lens of our anti-racism commitment, recent events represent a dismaying legalization of violence used by police toward people of color, particularly Black males. This fall, Dean Yoshioka and the ARTF faculty members— Hye-Kyung Kang, Fred Newdom, and Peggy O’Neill—issued two statements, facilitated several group conversations with students in field placements, and received numerous encouraging and thoughtful responses from SSW alumni and our colleagues in the field of social work. We anticipate that 2015 will bring continued dialogue around structural inequities and the work of anti-racism. We encourage all members of the SSW community to join us in vigorously exploring the role of social workers in responding to events such as those we have witnessed in 2014 and in addressing the collective—and uniquely individual—grief and trauma they provoke. The statements issued by the Anti-racism Task Force can be found at http://www.smith.edu/ssw/about_antiracism_ statements.php. She applied to graduate school in social work, expecting to work with a similar population. After completing her degree at the University of Michigan, however, she worked in the field of addiction before pursuing her interests in clinical research in the doctoral program at Florida State University. “During my years at FSU, I worked with women at risk for HIV infection and also completed training as a family therapist,” said Yoshioka. “The work in HIV kept my focus on the dyadic relationship, but I was impelled to integrate an antioppressive lens, as the women’s HIV risk was tied to other psychosocial problems that ultimately were rooted in larger structural issues.” This experience led Yoshioka into another of the primary focal points of her scholarship: the cultural context of domestic violence. She found that domestic violence was a factor for many of the women with whom she worked. These academic passions drove Yoshioka’s research—and teaching. In addition to foundational social work courses, she has taught advanced clinical practice, intervention design and 12

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

development, clinical evaluation research, and human behavior and social environment (HBSE). “It was never my ambition to be a dean,” said Yoshioka. “Administration can divert you from your research. I was worried about that.” Yoshioka’s strong leadership skills inevitably led to her being asked to take on roles in administration. At the Columbia University School of Social Work, she was asked to step in as academic dean because the dean felt she had the right skill set. “I imagined I’d do it for an interim period because there was a need at the school,” said Yoshioka. “I actually said yes a little hesitantly.” “Once I took the position, I found that I cared about it,” she said. “I worked hard to earn and keep the trust of my colleagues. I did that by striving continuously to bring principles of equity and accountability to my work. I have always worked very closely with students and felt that the student perspective should be more visible in the administration. I wanted to be a strong voice for both students and faculty.” After eight years as academic dean, Yoshioka began to think about her next step. She had been asked to apply for several other positions and declined; then she saw the opening at the School for Social Work. The timing was serendipitous, coming at a point in Yoshioka’s career when she felt both experienced enough to lead and ready to accept a challenge that promised great rewards. Yoshioka was drawn by the School’s strengths—especially its excellence in the field of training clinical social workers and its anti-racism commitment. “I knew about Smith’s longstanding clinical focus and the signature summer program,” said Yoshioka. “The reputation of the School and its anti-racism commitment was so compelling to me. It’s phenomenal to arrive at a place where that work is being done already and have an opportunity to take it to another level.” The scale of the school also appealed to her. “The School for Social Work is a good size,” said Yoshioka “I knew the dean could get to know all the students at both the master’s and doctorate levels. Issues of equity and inclusion are really important to me and, at a school this size, everyone can feel seen and heard. Each person has a voice and knows that their voice matters.” Yoshioka’s facility at creating a climate in which others feel heard has served her well and fueled her motivation as an administrator. She values the opportunity to ensure that everyone has a voice and she thrives on the collaborative energy of full-participation. “There’s so much potential and opportunity,” said Yoshioka. “There’s so much going on here. Under Dean Jacobs very able leadership, wonderful systems and connections were developed at the School. Carolyn Jacobs has left me with some very big shoes to fill. The good work she and the faculty did together is a strong foundation for our next phase.”


What will that next phase look like? Yoshioka sees the School adapting to meet the challenges of a changing field. “The whole social work environment is changing,” she said. “We have a rich tradition here at the School. The faculty and I remain committed to theoretically driven, relationally grounded clinical training across the multiple clinical practice models that social workers engage and in the settings in which we work. There are significant changes to the relationship between schools and agencies—and there are more changes on the horizon that will impact how services are delivered.” Some of the changes will be driven by demographics, Yoshioka believes. “We are going to see an increased need for services for aging” she said. “There will be a growing need for sophisticated clinical services for people returning from areas with armed conflict. We will be seeing a need for services for individuals and their families who are living with a disability, and a growth in awareness of the needs of those communities. Also, the Affordable Care Act and movement toward integrative health services are other important changes that will impact social work services.” Yoshioka plans to keep the School in step with changes in the field. Her goal is to ensure SSW is positioned to lead the field as a top clinical social work program with a powerful anti-racism commitment well into the future. To that end, she has already begun working with the faculty to identify the signature strengths of the School and to explore directions in which the School can expand.

Even as some things change, Yoshioka believes key aspects of the field will remain the same. “Social workers will continue to be the leading providers of mental health services in the country,” said Yoshioka. “Community agencies will continue to be sites of service delivery for many people.” “At the same time, I think agency based work is going to continue to struggle for funding—and therefore I believe that schools have a greater responsibility to do more to train students,” said Yoshioka. “A part of any school of social work is about preparing the labor force. At Smith, we have to prepare our students, not only to be excellent clinicians and to ensure that they get jobs, but also to be leaders in clinical social work practice.” Balancing existing ideas and strategies with new and everchanging needs in the field requires the kind of thoughtful adaptability that has characterized Yoshioka’s career. She sees the future of the School for Social Work as one that includes collaborative growth that honors and builds on existing strengths. “I am committed to creating a school and workplace that manifest the social work values that we’re trying to teach,” said Yoshioka. “I am a bridge-builder,” said Yoshioka. “There’s a part of administration that is very much about being a broker: figuring out who has to be at the table in order to make something happen. Once everyone is at the table, it’s about trust. It’s about relationships. Everyone has a contribution to make.”

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

13


A New Dean’s First Days Dean Yoshioka officially began her new position in July 2014—right in the middle of the busy SSW summer. She quickly jumped into the bustling activity with a series of events that allowed her opportunities to meet students, staff, faculty, fellow administrators, and others in the community. The highlight of these events was presiding over her first SSW Commencement.

Dean Yoshioka at Commencement in August 2014. Right: Associate Dean Irene Rodriguez Martin and Dean Yoshioka in light spirits at the Baccalaureate celebration on August 10, 2014. Dean Yoshioka with SSW faculty, students, and guests at the President’s Reception prior to Commencement 2014 Dean Yoshioka with SSW faculty, students, and guests at the President’s Reception prior to Commencement 2014. Photos: Shana Sureck

President Kathleen McCartney introducing Dean Yoshioka to her husband, William “Bill” Hagen, at the President’s Reception on August 14, 2015. Photo: Shana Sureck

Dean Yoshioka sharing a meal with Marco Posadas (Canada, D16), Heather Gregory (Canada, D16), Binlin Xia (China, A16), and Shihan Qin (China, A15), at the July 2014 International Scholars Dinner. Photo: Yoosun Park 14

in depth | Fa ll 201 4


Reaching for Excellence

Next REX nomination deadline: April 2015. Nominations are always open! To nominate a promising social work leader for REX, visit: https://www.smith. edu/ssw/geaa/admis_rex_nominate.php.

2014 REX weekend September 11-13 Reaching for Excellence (REX) offers Bachelor-level social workers or human service providers the opportunity to experience graduate social work education. Participants receive 18 CEUs, a grant to cover tuition, and support to attend the REX weekend on the Smith College campus. Thanks to the generous endowment of the Maconda Brown O’Connor Future Leadership Scholarship, we welcomed our 10th class of REX scholars this September. Each year, members of the SSW community nominate candidates to join us for this unique opportunity to explore graduate education. While at SSW, participants sample courses on topics such as, “Engaging Clients in Meaningful Conversation,” “Social Work Intervention in a Multi-Cultural World,” “Theories of Development of the Life Cycle,” and “Engaging the Child: the Use of Play.” They listen to presentations about the future of the profession and hear from the Dean and faculty currently working with some of today’s most pressing social work issues. Since 2004, we have maintained the original REX program goals: invest in the best, nurture commitment to the profession, develop professional leadership capacity, and encourage aspirations toward an M.S.W. degree.

REX by the numbers 12 REX participants in 2014 10 years of REX 130 REX participants over 10 years 45 REX alumni applicants to the SSW MSW program (first 9 years)

The 2014 Reaching for Excellence cohort spent three days on campus in September. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

15


Doctoral Program 50th Anniversary

T

“The program has blossomed and strengthened greatly. I am pleased that the program has endured and has been enriched. I am very proud of how the program has evolved. That is a function of some very hard work, by a lot of people.” —Roger Miller, D.S.W. Professor Emeritus SSW doctoral program director & co-director, 1964-1993 An interview conducted with Professor Emeritus Roger Miller will be published in the Smith College Studies in Social Work journal in 2015. For information about obtaining a copy of the journal, visit: http://www. smith.edu/ssw/acad_studies.php.

he 50th anniversary of the Smith College School for Social Work doctoral program was celebrated with a range of activities over 5 days in June 2014. The anniversary events paid tribute to the excellence of the SSW Ph.D. program and its commitment to educating distinguished practitioner-scholars in doctoral level clinical social work. Guests included 65 alumni, from classes of 1967 through 2013, current and former directors of the program, Deans Emeriti Carolyn Jacobs and Howard Parad, as well as current doctoral students, faculty, and administrators. The celebration offered a variety of workshops, discussions, and opportunities to connect across generations of alumni and faculty. Professor Emeritus Gerry Schamess offered a workshop on “The Role of Uncertainty in Clinical Social Work Practice.” Schamess posed clinical and ethical dilemmas related to intercultural practice with an adult client and a young child client, generating very lively comments and consultation from the diverse audience. This was followed by a panel discussion entitled “Perspectives from Smith College SSW Alumni: Reflections on Ph.D. Education and Professional Development,” which featured Cheryl Springer, Ph.D. ’91, Nina Heller, Ph.D. ’90, Vicki Winbush, Ph.D. ’09, and Joanne Leon, Ph.D. ‘12. The alumnae spoke about the doctoral program’s impact on their successful careers in clinical social work and academia. The weekend also included the annual Lydia Rappaport Lecture, offered by Dr. Faye Mishna, Ph.D. ’05. Mishna, dean and professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, presented “What’s App with Youth Online: Cyber Bullying and Clinical Implications” for the doctoral anniversary audience, as well as other members of the SSW community. Among the highlights of the weekend was the opportunity to honor the former directors and co-directors of the doctoral program at a reception held at the Smith College Conference Center. Dr. Joyce Everett and Dr. Kathryn Basham, the program’s co-directors at the time, recognized the major contributions of Dr. Roger Miller, who served as the program’s director and co-director for nearly three decades, from 1964 to 1993. Other honorees included Dr. Mary Hall, Dr. Gerry Schamess, Dr. Jeane Anastas, Dr. Joan Berzoff, and Dr. Jim Drisko. The anniversary celebration was organized by the doctoral program co-directors, along with SSW Alumni Affairs and Development Officer Dawn Faucher, Administrative Assistant for Alumni Affairs Pat Gilbert and Ph.D. Program Adminsitrative Assistant Anna Marie Russo. Doctoral students and alumni generously extended their support to facilitate the celebration. Together, this robust team designed, coordinated, and hosted a memorable series of events that provided an opportunity to Jeane Anastas served as co-director of reflect on our history and achievements. the SSW doctoral program.

16

in depth | Fa ll 201 4


Historical overview of the doctoral program An interview conducted previously by Dr. Joyce Everett and Dr. Kathryn Basham with Dr. Roger Miller yielded a wealth of information about the early history of the program, which lent deeper meaning to the program’s 50th anniversary gathering. The doctoral program grew out of a 3rd-year diploma program. The School’s dean, Howard Parad, and his wife, Libby, were initial champions of the program, securing substantial funds for student support from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The program aimed to prepare students to become practitioner-scholars—or scholars educated to engage in, critique, and evaluate the practice of social work. The first students were admitted in 1964; they completed one additional year of coursework and graduated in 1965. Initially, the program required students to complete all the coursework and their dissertations within a 27-month period, though this draining structure was quickly abandoned. In the 1990s, the curriculum was revamped, increasing content on policy, research, supervision, teaching, theory, and practice To date, approximately 300 individuals have graduated from the SSW Ph.D. program. Close to half of our doctoral graduates teach in social work programs on a full-time or adjunct basis. The doctoral program is currently under the leadership of Co-Directors Dr. Kathryn Basham and Dr. Joanne Corbin.

The anniversary reception led to a very distinguished gathering of past leaders of the doctoral program. Pictured (from left) Professors Jim Drisko, Gerry Schamess, Mary Hall, Roger Miller, and Jeane Anastas.

Dr. Joyce Everett

1

2

1. Dr. Kathryn Basham (right) presented Dr. Jim Drisko, former co-director of the doctoral program, with a certificate of appreciation. 2. Alumni Affairs & Development Officer, Dawn Faucher, was thrilled to witness the gathering of so many living legends of the doctoral program. 3. Witnessing affection between Dr. Howard Parad and his wife, Libby, was among the many heartwarming moments of the anniversary events.

3

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

17


Summer Lecture Series 2014

Summer Lecture Series

Each year, the Smith College School for Social Work offers a lively and informative summer lecture series to students, alumni, area professionals, and the general public. The lectures cover a wide range of topics, drawing on a wealth of expertise offered by top clinicians, educators, and other professionals. The series provides opportunities to learn about trends and breakthroughs from experts, to explore new cultural competencies, and to hear from SSW resident faculty about their latest research. All lectures in the series are free, although professionals who attend may obtain CEUs for a small fee.

The 2014 Summer Lecture Series began with a presentation by SSW professor James W. Drisko, Ph.D., L.I.C.S.W., entitled “What is Clinical Social Work in the 21st Century?” In the lecture, Drisko explored the common threads that define clinical social work and re-examined existing definitions, with the aim of offering a vision of clinical social work for 21st century education and practice. SSW alumna Elizabeth King Keenan, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., presented the Brown Clinical Research Institute Lecture, “The Common Factors Model: A Scaffolding of Research and Client Data for Clinical Practice.” This lecture discussed how the Common Factors model and method serve as a scaffold for clinical practice. Keenan used case examples to demonstrate key actions, including facilitation of client and organizational conditions, the routine use of client and relationship process data, and strategic thinking. Troy Harden, Ed.D., L.C.S.W., brought insights from his work with Black youth and adults in Chicago to the 2014 Anti-Racism Lecture, “Healing Trauma, Restoring Community: Trauma, Race and Social Work in the Urban Context.” Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in social service, education, and community settings, Harden led attendees through an exploration of race, class, and the current narrative surrounding trauma-informed practice. Harden discussed his work with the Truth n’ Trauma Project, a youth-led, trauma-informed, restorative justice centered program for urban youth. The lecture included ideas for social workers and other practitioners who wish to partner with communities to bring healing and social change.

18

in depth | Fa ll 201 4


Summer Lecture Series Faye Mishna, M.S.W, Ph.D., joined us from the University of Toronto, where she is dean and professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Dr. Mishna presented the annual Lydia Rappaport Lecture on “What’s App with Youth Online: Cyber Bullying & Clinical Implications.” In her lecture, she discussed the shift to information and communication technologies as a dominant medium through which youth communicate and explored risks, such as cyber bullying, that accompany that shift. We had the opportunity to hear from two experts from the Yale Child Study Center, Jean Adnopoz, M.P.H., and Steve Nagler, M.S.W. Adnopoz and Nagler presented “‘Take it to the Streets’: 30 Years of In-Home Clinical Services at the Yale Child Study Center.” The lecture gave an overview of the Center’s development of multiple models of home-based interventions for at-risk children and families, as well as service delivery methods used by clinicians and mental health counselors. The presentation focused on the Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service (IICAPS) and the data collected from the network. The School for Social Work began the second term of the summer with the arrival of our new dean and an alumni panel organized by the Students of Color group. In “The Powers of Smith (and Beyond): Smith Alumni Speak,” panelists Tomás Alvarez, M.S.W., Enroue Halfkenny, M.S.W., Keshia Williams, M.S.W., and moderator Kenta Asakura, M.S.W., shared their experiences and perspectives on the lasting impact of the School’s anti-racism commitment in their professional lives. (See the next page for a closer look at this panel presentation.) The annual E. Diane Davis Memorial Lecture was offered by SSW adjunct instructor, Mary Olson, Ph.D., L.I.C.S.W., as part of the SSW Annual Supervisors’ Conference. The lecture, “Open Dialogue: A New Approach to Post-Systemic Practice,” introduced attendees to the principles and practices of Open Dialogue, a language-based, network approach to severe psychiatric crises and conditions, which was developed in Finland. Olson explained the impressive outcomes of the approach for first-episode psychosis and the current initiative at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to adapt Open Dialogue to a U.S. emergency room setting. In “Caring for Muslim Clients: Culturally-Sensitive and Evidence-Based Approaches,” Muslim chaplain Ibrahim J. Long, M.A., G.C., Advanced StandingC.A.S.C., presented an overview of Muslim experiences in America and implications for social workers. Long explained that research on the counseling needs of Muslims is lagging behind the growth of the Muslim population in the U.S. and Canada and shared a number of approaches recommended by counseling professionals in working with Muslim clients. In our final lecture of the summer, William P. Nash, M.D., a retired captain of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, discussed “Pathways for Recovery from War-Related Psychological Injuries: Trauma, Loss, and Moral Injury.” Nash explored factors that impact the long-term biological, psychological, social, and spiritual consequences of exposure to the stress of war and the pathways for healing and recovery from different forms of injury to the self. Nash traced the evolution of conceptions of psychological trauma from Janet and Freud to the current ascendency of the fear-conditioning model reflected in the DSM-5, then provided data-based arguments that challenge long-held ideas that psychological trauma involves merely figurative, rather than literal, injuries. More information about the lectures and lecturers can be found on our website at: www.smith.edu/ssw/acad_cont_lectures_summer2014.php. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

19


Summer Lecture Series

The Powers of Smith (and Beyond): Smith Alumni Speak Panel Discussion, July 14, 2014 by Megan Rubiner Zinn

“No matter how we engaged the anti-racisim commitment when I was at Smith, at least there was a space to ask the question: What might race have to do with this?” —Keshia Williams In recognition of a new dean and celebration of the 20th anniversary of the School for Social Work’s anti-racism commitment, the Council for Students of Color presented an alumni panel discussion. Organizers invited Kenta Asakura ’04, Tomás Alvarez III ’06, Enroue Halfkenny ’08, and Keshia Williams ’08, to talk about the impact of the school’s anti-racism commitment on their careers beyond Smith College. Dean Marianne R. M. Yoshioka, on the first day of her tenure, offered opening remarks. She shared that she had been drawn to the deanship in part because of the School’s anti-racism commitment. “This has been a very significant part of my life personally and professionally,” Yoshioka said. “I’m looking forward to ways of deepening it.” The four panelists brought diverse experiences as clinicians and educators to the evening’s discussion. The moderator, Asakura, is a doctoral candidate and a therapist working primarily with LGBTQ

20 in depth | Fa ll 201 4

clients of color, as well as an SSW adjunct instructor. Alvarez pioneered one of the country’s first Hip Hop Therapy programs, Beats, Rhymes and Life, Inc. (BRL), which uses rap music to promote mental health among urban youth. Halfkenny works at a child and family community mental health clinic addressing issues of complex trauma and problematic sexual behaviors. Williams is a clinical social worker focusing on issues of diversity, racism, oppression, and privilege, as well as an SSW adjunct instructor. Asakura kicked off the discussion by asking the panelists to locate themselves within historical and societal contexts. Williams began, identifying herself as a black African woman, born and raised in Canada, by Caribbean and South American parents. Alvarez spoke of his identity as a Chicano, the first in his family to earn a master’s degree, and an Oakland, California native, who now lives and works in his hometown. Halfkenny identified himself as a Boston native, whose ancestry includes Swedish, Irish, African of unknown specific origin, Micmac, and Cherokee. The panelists then spoke about their clinical practices and how the school’s anti-racism commitment has informed their professional development. Although they spoke of their experiences as clinicians, the conversation frequently returned to the critical role that communities play in healing individuals and confronting oppression. Williams recalled that, even as a student, she was often called upon to be the teacher, to transfer knowledge of racism to white students. For that reason, she initially resisted becoming a social work educator. Eventually, Williams found that she was able to engage in questions of racism and oppression with clients, but encountered resistance among colleagues and administrators— unlike her experience at Smith. “No matter how we engaged the anti-racism commitment when I was at Smith, at least there was a space to ask the question: What might race have to do with this?” Williams said. Concerned that the gatekeepers of social work were not open to change, she became an educator to train new gatekeepers who would be open to dialogues about racism and its role in clinical practice. She sees the classroom as space for change that will ripple out from students to their clients and to their communities. Alvarez said SSW gave him the skills to put the anti-racism commitment into practice. “I felt proud to be at a school that prioritized that,” he said, “and


Summer Lecture Series

“If I’m going to do this work of fundamental change and liberation, if I’m going to have a part in that, it’s also about me being whole,” —Enroue Halfkenny

not just in the form of a mission statement, but [through] ongoing conversations at multiple levels about how you operationalize a mission statement.” With this education, Alvarez was able to take his passion and translate it into programs, policies, and procedures for supporting and training staff. Alvarez and his colleagues also made it a priority to decentralize the role of the clinician and create a program based on tools the community had already identified to help and heal themselves. BRL, the organization Alvarez founded, includes clinicians and teaching artists, but also young alumni. The alumni train to be helpers, healers, and changemakers in their neighborhoods, thereby helping to build communities of care. Halfkenny was drawn to the SSW mission statement because he saw that it reflected a program that would welcome all of who he was—someone who wanted to engage in social work with a bio-psycho-social model, as well as a priest in the Yoruba tradition. “If I’m going to do this work of fundamental change and liberation, if I’m going to have a part in that, it’s also about me being whole,” he said. Halfkenny also spoke of his commitment to changing the paradigm of anti-racism work—calling it “love and liberation practice.” He described it as physical and spiritual healing, for the practitioner, as well as for the clients and communities with whom he or she works. The conversation among the panelists was relaxed, congenial, and supportive, and they drew from each other as they spoke. An audience member called the interplay “absolutely mesmerizing.” Christopher Hamann, the outgoing vice-president of the Council for Students of Color and one of the panel organizers, was thrilled with the response to the event and noted that students were talking about it for weeks. “It was exciting to see these individuals, listen to them speak with each other and provide knowledge to students, to see what the anti-racism commitment means outside of Smith once we’re putting it into practice in the field,” said Hamann.

The SSW alumni panel spoke about the impact of the School’s anti-racism commitment. Back row from left: Enroue Halfkenny ’08, moderator Kenta Asakura ’04. Tomás Alvarez III ‘06, and Front: Keshia Williams ’08. Photos: Shana Sureck

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

21


Summer Lecture Series

Day-Garrett Awards 2014 For distinguished service to the School for Social Work and the social work profession Chester “Chet” Vill alba , M.S.W. ’68 2014 Day-Garrett Award recipient Chester “Chet” Villalba is a graduate of the Smith College School for Social Work and a distinguished social work professional with 40-plus years of experience as a clinician, scholar, educator, and leader in the field of clinical social work. Villalba has a master’s degree from Smith College School for Social Work and an honorary doctoral degree from the Sanville Institute. He is a member emeritus of the National Academies of Practice in Washington D.C. For more than 30 years, he has participated as a peer reviewer for the Council on Accreditation for social service and mental health centers and has served as commissioner to the National Council of Accreditation of Children and Family Services. Villalba has distinguished himself through dedicated service to children and families in the San Francisco Bay Area, working for two decades as the CEO of Family Service Mid-Peninsula

The Day-Garrett Award was established in 1978 to honor Florence Day and Annette Garrett, exceptional educators who personified, in their personal lives and their service to their communities, the high purpose of professional service for which the Smith College School for Social Work is renowned. The award is presented annually to one or more individuals who have been outstanding contributors to professional social work and significant members of the SSW educational community. Their contributions may include publication, teaching, administration, direct service, innovative programming, or creation of policy. Recipients are chosen by a president-appointed award committee, consisting of a member of the Smith College board of trustees, the dean of the School for Social Work, alumni, faculty, and a field faculty representative. This year, the School for Social Work has chosen to bestow its most prestigious Day-Garrett Award upon Josephine Merritt Tervalon, M.S.W., class of 1963, and to Chester “Chet” Villalba, M.S.W., class of 1968. The awards were presented in July during SSW’s 2014 Annual Conference.

22

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

(now Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley). Over those 20 years, he expanded Family Service’s programs to include group therapy, counseling for older adults, crisis hotlines for parents and teens, and public education workshops, while maintaining a private practice in Los Altos. Villalba is a longstanding and honored member of the board of trustees of the Sanville Institute, as well as chairman of the board of directors of Acknowledge Alliance ( formerly Cleo Eulau Center). At Acknowledge Alliance, he has promoted the wellbeing and education of children by helping to promote, support, and provide validation for teachers and their good work. His work with the agency has helped to build more resilient and connected youth, educators, and school communities. Villalba co-founded Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) in Palo Alto, California. ACS provides three main counseling programs in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties: the On-Campus Counseling program, which offers bilingual on-site individual


Summer Lecture Series and family counseling programs at eight public middle and high schools; the Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment program; and the affordable After-School Counseling program, which offers assessment, treatment, and education for the entire community. In addition, Villalba has served Smith College School for Social Work as a faculty field advisor, providing sophisticated social work supervision to many SSW students. Through his direct service and leadership, Villalba has touched the lives of tens of thousands of teens and their families, helping them find their way through—and beyond—the challenging adolescent years. We are pleased to recognize Chet Villalba’s exceptional contributions to the field of social work practice and to the high purpose of professional service for which SSW is renowned. He is a blessing to this school and to our profession. It is with great pleasure that we bestow upon Chet Villalba the 2014 Day-Garrett Award.

Josephine Merritt Tervalon M.S.W. ’63 2014 Day-Garrett Award recipient Josephine Tervalon is an M.S.W. graduate of Smith College School for Social Work and an esteemed clinical social work professional. She is a gifted clinician, teacher, and consultant. In a career that spans fifty years, she has made significant contributions to the fields of social work practice and clinical social work education. Tervalon graduated with honors from Tuskegee University in 1961 and headed north to continue her education at Smith College School for Social Work, earning her M.S.W. in 1963. In the years that followed, she worked in private practice overseas, both in Italy and in Texas, providing clinical services to individuals, families, and groups. A consummate teacher and mentor, Tervalon has provided astute social work supervision to generations of M.S.W. students and has served as a member of the clinical or adjunct faculties at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, the University of Texas School of Social Work in Austin, Texas, the Washington School of Psychiatry in Washington, D.C., and at her alma mater, the Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, Massachusetts. Smith College is particularly grateful to Tervalon for her work as a faculty field advisor for students in the Texas area from 1985 to 2007. Over the course of those 22 years, she provided students with an outstanding level of educational support that advisees have described as “a gift.” She is known, respected, and loved for her clear, concise feedback, her guidance around complex clinical issues, and her unwavering support of the educational and professional development of her students and advisees. In addition, she has provided skilled consultation to agency-based supervisors and has been a valued member of the field faculty, providing wise (and often witty) counsel to her fellow FFAs around the joys and challenges of clinical social work education. She is a role model, mentor, teacher, supervisor, and leader,

who has inspired the development of many colleagues, particularly women, in the practice of group psychotherapy. She has contributed to the social work profession in many ways including, but not limited to, her contributions as a long-standing member and leader in the National Association of Social Workers, Texas Society for Clinical Social Work, American Group Psychotherapy Association, and Houston Group Psychotherapy Society. She was nominated by the YMCA of Houston, Texas, as one of the Outstanding Women in the Mental Health Field. In addition to her clinical practice, teaching, and supervisory work, she has conducted research, written papers, and presented extensively on mothers and daughters and on women in professions. Throughout the course of her extraordinary career, Josephine Tervalon has contributed deeply to the lives of many. Just as Smith College has become—in the words of Sophia Smith—a “perennial blessing to the world,” so, too, have Tervalon’s good works become a perennial blessing to Smith College School for Social Work and to the profession. It is with great pride that we present to Josephine Tervalon the 2014 Day-Garrett Award. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

23


Service, Sacrifice… and Finding Support at SSW By Eric Goldscheider

S

upp orting servic e me mber s has been part of the Smith College School for Social Work’s mission since it was founded in 1918. The School was born out of the need to prepare social workers to provide mental health services to traumatized World War I soldiers. For nearly a century, the School has continued to address the needs of returning service members and their families—whether as clients or students. That commitment has fueled scholarship in trauma treatment, specialized courses, and field placements working with service members, Veterans, and their families—as well as new methods of recognizing and supporting students with military backgrounds. In 2014, nearly a dozen military-connected students were enrolled in the School’s graduate programs. These students bring life experiences that inherently prepare them to serve other Veterans. At the same time, their perspectives enrich the education of all students at SSW. The Community in Support of those who Serve and Sacrifice (CSSS) student group is one way that Veterans have found a place at SSW. The group was formed several years ago by military-connected students in the M.S.W. program. CSSS provides support to current students with military backgrounds, including military family members, and offers opportunities for education and dialogue far beyond the Veteran population. The group is now under the leadership of Zachary Wigham, A16, a Veteran who held the rank of staff sergeant in the Air Force Reserve. In the Reserve, Wigham trained other soldiers how to respond to nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. He sees CSSS as an important bridge between SSW students who have very different ideas about what it means to be a service member or Veteran. “Our function is to provide support for service-connected students and do outreach and educational programming on campus about what military life and culture is like,” said Wigham. That programming has included movie nights with discussions around films like Poster Girl, a short documentary that contains searing observations on the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and on relationships between combat Veterans and civilians. Frank Bayles, M.S.W. ’14, led CSSS for three years before handing it off to Wigham. He instituted the movie nights and he brought new traditions like the “missing man table” and “challenge coins” to the School for Social Work, as a way of further validating the special place military-connected people have at Smith. Bayles, 45, joined the Army National Guard right out of high school in 1992, serving on active duty and in the Individual Ready Reserve for 9 years. After September 11, 2001, he reenlisted, this time

24

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Dean Yoshioka presents an SSW challenge coin to Frank Bayles, M.S.W. ’14, at Commencement. Above: SSW challenge coins. Photos: Shana Sureck

in the Air Force, where he was retrained as a military police officer and deployed to Iraq. The “missing man table” Bayles explained, is a symbolic display to honor missing or fallen service members. The practice originated when troops patrolled the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and set a place in the mess hall for comrades who had been killed. At Smith College, this small, white-covered table, set for one, stands in the dining hall all summer as a visible reminder of the supreme sacrifice inherent in military service. The table setting includes a red rose to symbolize blood that has been shed, spilled salt representing the tears of families, an overturned cup to show that the missing cannot take part in the meal, and other symbols of absence, determination, and hope. Bayles also designed and procured military-style challenge coins specific to the School for Social Work. He thinks of his time at Smith as an “educational deployment.” These small medallions, common to military culture, often bear a unit’s insignia and are bestowed in recognition of a particular achievement. Bayles explained that coins can be “packed in a handshake.” He remembers a moment in Iraq when a visiting high-ranking officer asked what he was doing. “Then he shook my hand and slipped me a coin,” said Bayles. The coins Bayles produced show the branches of the military on one side and the SSW seal on the other. He gave one personally to Professors Joshua Miller and Kathryn Basham for their support of military-connected students on campus. He also presented 100


“We often look at how the code of ethics for social work is very similar to some of the values held in the military, such as duty, honor, social justice, and service.” — Dr. Kathryn Basham SERVICE MEMBERS & SSW BY THE NUMBERS 4

Veterans awarded the SSW M.S.W. in 2014

8

students received service member scholarships since 2006

12 VA/military field affiliates in 2014 13 students placed in VA/military field placements in 2014 22 Veterans have attend SSW since 2006 44 SSW students who took Beyond Combat course in 2014 220 SSW students have taken Beyond Combat course since 2009

injury, intimate partner violence, and depression/loss), as well as issues facing Veterans from other eras. Resilience, post-traumatic growth, and self-care for providers are central themes of the course. It also addresses military sexual assault, family attachment issues caused by multiple deployments, PTSD, and a fairly new concept in understanding relational trauma called “moral injury.” Basham explained that moral injury is caused by witnessing or participating in morally conflictual action or by failing to meet one’s own internal expectations. Left unaddressed, these issues may lead to continuing shame, guilt, and depression. Bayles knows about moral injury, first hand. As a soldier in Iraq, he witnessed treatment of prisoners of war that haunted him long continued on page 49

Photo: Frank Bayles

coins to the School as a gift from CSSS, so that future militaryconnected students can receive them upon graduation. The existence of CSSS is not only emblematic of SSW’s longstanding commitment to military personnel and their families, it is also one of the ways the school embraces a responsibility to a larger society that must confront the consequences of war on a daily basis. “It is important to have people who come from the groups that are being served to do the serving,” says Miller. “They know from the inside what it’s like. The more we can empower people who come from a particular group to help members of their own group, the more effective that is.” The School for Social Work’s commitment to healing the wounds of war in our society is also reflected in the curriculum and the work of faculty. “I think there is a lot of denial in our country right now and we need a wake-up call,” says Professor Kathryn Basham, a nationally recognized expert in the psychosocial needs of service members, Veterans, and their families. “We are at war,” Basham said. “Not only do we have active service members who are in harm’s way as we speak, but we have waves of Veterans returning home, who need for us to recognize their resilience and facilitate their reintegration.” Seven years ago, Basham designed a course called, “Beyond Combat: Clinical Social Work Theory and Practice Models.” “[The course] synthesizes contemporary psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and social theories that provide a scaffolding for practice approaches with service members, Veterans, and their families,” said Basham. It is a required course for any SSW student placed in a field internship at more than a dozen sites with the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs medical centers, and Vet Centers around the country. The number of such placements has grown in recent years. Carolyn du Bois, director of field work for SSW, has overseen an expansion of field assignments with agencies serving military members, Veterans and their families. These include the VA in San Francisco, where students can work with top experts in suicide prevention, and the VA in Bedford, Massachusetts, where there is an emphasis on end-of-life care, as well as the VA in White River Junction, Vermont, which houses the National Center for PTSD. “We place up to 20 students at VA hospitals, which is pretty substantial when you consider that we have 125 students in a range of settings,” said du Bois. The Beyond Combat course has been taught by both Basham and Lt. Col. Camille Hall, an alumna of the SSW Ph.D. program and an Army reservist. The course is perpetually popular with students. Although it is a requirement for students who hope to work with Veterans, it also attracts students who do not. Even with an annual combined enrollment of 44 students, there is usually a waiting list. The course covers topics like centrality of a thorough biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment, focusing on strengths and vulnerabilities, which shapes the crafting of complex treatment plans that include evidence-based models. The plan addresses the signature injuries presented by many Veterans of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq (e.g. PTSD, substance abuse, traumatic brain

The “missing man table” set up by CSSS in the SSW dining hall at Smith College. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

25


by Megan Rubiner Zinn

Jo Comerford:

Teaching and leading for transformative social work

J

“Organizing and good social work community practice are about setting a goal, figuring out a strategy, figuring out the tactics to make the strategy work, and then figuring out a timeline, where we put one foot in front of the other, informed by community, led by community, toward the transformation we seek.”

26

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

o Comerford’s Aunt Joan literally shoved her into community organizing—and began a career that would include leading an organization to a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and sharing her knowledge as an adjunct assistant professor for Smith College School for Social Work. Comerford’s aunt, Joan Shanley, was a New York City nun, a school social worker, and a tireless community advocate. She and Comerford were attending a neighborhood meeting about the potential closing of a homeless shelter. “My aunt said ‘Are you going to sit there while a women’s shelter closes in your neighborhood?’” recalled Comerford. “I said, ‘What can I do?’ and she said ‘You’re powerful’ and nudged me really hard in the ribs. I jumped, and the guy running the meeting said ‘Oh, thank you for coming forward!’” The next thing Comerford knew, she was running the shelter. It wasn’t an unlikely leap for Comerford. She came from a family of social workers and educators. Comerford also volunteered and taught for community organizations, while working as an actress. “Aunt Joan was always in my ear saying, ‘You can do more, you can give back,’” Comerford said. Finally, she realized that while she loved theater, her passion was social work. Comerford earned her M.S.W. at Hunter College, known for its community organizing program. After moving to Massachusetts, she ran crisis intervention programs in Holyoke, but found she was drawn to work that was, in her words, “further upstream.” “I thought the work on the ground was very important, but I wanted to figure out why women were diagnosed so much with borderline personality disorders, or why there isn’t enough food, or why the schools are underfunded, or why there’s rampant domestic violence. I wanted to work there,” Comerford said. Comerford spent seven years as the Western Massachusetts regional organizer for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), then went to the Food Bank of Western Mass. This gave her an opportunity to experience a classic non-profit in action, to sharpen her skills as an administrator, and to address the immediate problem of hunger. Two years later, Comerford was recruited to lead the National Priorities Project (NPP). NPP is a Northampton-based organization that works to make the federal budget transparent and accessible, helping individuals and organizations understand and influence how tax dollars are spent. Comerford jumped at the chance to lead the organization. Near the end of Comerford’s tenure in 2014, the International Peace Bureau (IPB) nominated NPP for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was unusual for IPB to announce the nomination, as these are usually kept secret. In doing so, they took the opportunity to publicly praise NPP’s work scrutinizing the U.S. budget. “Few have brought to the task such a clear and steadfast commitment to re-allocating the enormous sums devoted to the military, in order to instead address vital issues such as inequality, unemployment, education, health and the need to build a green economy,” said an IPB statement about the nomination. Comerford left NPP to work as a campaign director for MoveOn, a collection of organizations that uses innovative technology to undertake campaigns for progressive change. On-line campaign work gives her another opportunity to add to her “skills basket,” as she calls it. “I’m responsible, along with my teammates, for some of the high visibility tactics that MoveOn uses to call attention to oppression and transform it,” Comerford said. She has been affiliated with Smith College since the late 1990s. In her AFSC position, she partnered with undergraduates in community practice work, hosting a placement for students and serving as an advisor. This work connected her to Professor Fred Newdom at the School for Social Work. Their conversations—and Newdom’s inspiration—led to Comerford’s current teaching appointment at SSW, in the Social Welfare Policy and Services Sequence.


“I think Fred’s an unbelievable light and force at Smith. He carries this community practice sequence with a lot of grace and love,” Comerford said of Newdom’s guidance. Teaching in the School for Social Work allows Comerford to share her enthusiasm for community organizing with new generations. It also gives her an opportunity to pass on the knowledge and inspiration she received at Hunter, especially from instructors like Irma Rodriguez, Mimi Abromovitz, and Michael Fabricant. Yet even more so, teaching in the Smith College School for Social Work feeds her own organizational work. “When I am at Smith in the summers, I learn just as much as I teach,” Comerford said. “It forces me to go deeper in my own reflection about why it is I do the things I do as an organizer. It makes me a better organizer, because I’ve been with brilliant students, they’ve asked really hard questions, and we’ve wrestled with big issues.” Comerford’s goal in the Agency and Community Practice course is to demystify the work of community organizing and make it everybody’s work. “We crack open some good tools and some good theories and allow social work students to see the practice on a continuum,” she said. Comerford’s intention is to teach students how they can incorporate different aspects of macro work or community practice work into a clinical practice, whether it is to become more involved in the fabric of their community, to make their workplace more just, or to understand the stressors a client may face. Comerford has been awed by her students at Smith. “[They are] passionate, thoughtful, smart, and dogged in their own integration of what they are learning in the community practice sequence and in their own work,” she said. Comerford observed that Smith students demonstrate a beautiful intersection of conscience and consciousness: They are awake and they have a deep yearning to make the world better. “It’s the perfect definition of practice: reflection and action,” she said. “The world is going to be better with these students going out into it.” Comerford gives students the message that her Aunt Joan gave her decades ago: “You’re powerful.” She teaches the students how to foster change undeterred by the vast problems that face social workers. The roadmap for change that Comerford offers is clear: “Organizing and good social work community practice are about setting a goal, figuring out a strategy, figuring out the tactics to make the strategy work, and then figuring out a timeline, where we put one foot in front of the other, informed by community, led by community, toward the transformation we seek.”

“When I am at Smith in the summers, I learn just as much as I teach. It forces me to go deeper in my own reflection about why it is I do the things I do as an organizer. It makes me a better organizer, because I’ve been with brilliant students, they’ve asked really hard questions, and we’ve wrestled with big issues.” — Jo Comerford

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

27


Commencement 2014 commencement

O

Tynann Power August 15, 2014, the Smith College School for Social Work held its 96th Commencement. It was an unusually cool day for August in Northampton, which made for a pleasant gathering in John M. Greene Hall. The building was filled with 127 M.S.W. and Ph.D. students participating in Commencement—along with their classmates, spouses and partners, parents and grandparents, toddlers and adult children, as well as faculty and staff of the School and the College. Dean Marianne Yoshioka took the stage to welcome all those gathered for the ceremony and to give her first commencement address as the dean of the School for Social Work. She was joined on stage by SSW faculty members and Smith College President Kathleen McCartney, who welcomed the students. The audience heard from M.S.W. and Ph.D. class speakers Kaitlin Smith, M.S.W., representing the master’s program graduates, and Dr. Tracye A. Polson, representing the doctoral graduates. An inspiring commencement address was offered by Dr. AndreAs Neumann-Mascis, a clinical psychologist whose 2013 lecture on ableism and disability had been a highlight of that year’s Summer Lecture Series.

President Kathleen McCartney, Provost Katherine Rowe, Dean of Religious Life Jennifer Walters, Dr. AndreAs Neumann-Mascis, members of the faculty, members of the graduating classes, families, and friends: I have the privilege of calling to order these commencement exercises, which mark the completion of the 96th academic year of the Smith College School for Social Work. The founding of our school in 1918 was the result of the need to provide clinical services to a traumatized war population. Over the years, our commitment to working with those experiencing traumas—as a result of oppression based on race, age, gender, sexuality, or violence in homes, in communities, or in areas of global conflict—has greatly influenced our curriculum and guided our thinking about how best to prepare emerging clinical social workers. This moment in history—and the most recent current events—give unfortunate testimony to how important this preparation continues to be. Five weeks ago, I arrived for my first day as dean of this great School. It is an honor to be standing here on this great day. As our graduates, faculty, field advisors, research advisors, community project practice advisor, thesis advisors, administrators, and instructors can attest, so much has preceded this moment of celebration. I have been well acquainted with the superb reputation of Smith College School for Social Work. What I have experienced over the past month has been even better than I expected. I am so pleased that I had the pleasure of meeting so many of you in the final months of your program. I had left a long term position to come to Smith. We packed up a home, moved the family, and took up residence in Northampton. Moving to take a job, to start a program, starting a field placement, 28

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

On those days, when it feels daunting to bring change into the world, remember you can always bring change to this moment. graduation—life—is filled with these beginnings and endings, new challenges, new horizons. Some are welcome, some we seek after, some we could do with less of—but all of them transport us to new places—literally, emotionally, mentally, and sometimes for our soul. None of us makes these journeys alone. We are surrounded by family: those we are born into, those who came to us through marriage, or those special people we have chosen. We are surrounded by parents, partners, children, friends, grandparents, neighbors, and co-workers. These folks cheer us on, provide an ear or a shoulder when we need it, are sounding boards for our


COMMENCEMENT BY THE NUMBERS 127 Participants in Commencement 2014 127 M.S.W. graduates of SSW in 2014 6 Ph.D. graduates of SSW in 2014

ideas, buy us dinner, and sometimes help with fees and rent. Many of these folks are in this room today for you; they have also gone on a journey. Remember the first time you explained how you would be spending your summers, or finer points of your dissertation topic or—even better—your methodology, or explaining the complexities of counter-transference, or the time you pointed out the privilege that was inherent in the comment they just made, or described how the summer meal plan works. They have gone with you as you shared successes, doubts, and excitement. Graduates, I invite you now to stand, turn, and with your applause, acknowledge those in the room and those who could not be here today—for the support and love you have received on this extraordinary journey. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I want to say to you as my first graduation address and in this last ceremony that stands been you and your degree. There is a lot that could be said: about social work, social justice, the importance of clinical research or an anti-racism commitment, or of your call to action. They are all important things, but if I only have a few minutes, what should be said? I decided that the most important thing I could do is speak from my heart a lesson that I have learned and that I try to live by every day—and that is that as we all move forward from this moment into new professional roles and personal lives, it is important to find and hold a generosity of spirit. It is one of the greatest gifts that each of us has to give. By generosity of spirit, I am talking about acceptance—to open hearts, eyes, and ears to difference and to what John Legend calls “our perfect imperfections.” It is something that each of us has within. We live it when we can see those opportunities when someone does not need to be wrong in order for somone else to be right. Can we find moments when we can expend at least as much effort in seeing the humanity in another person as finding their shortcomings? You are at this special moment of ending and beginning, poised to create the next chapter. Remember, it’s easy to give praise and show appreciation and be generous with your acknowledgements. The hardest part isn’t actually doing it. It’s remembering to notice: to notice the intentions, the work, the effort, the care that so many put into every day. Maya Angelou has said that to be generous requires courage. I believe it’s courage to forgive others and ourselves for not always being able to be exactly everything we wanted, accepting what any of us have to offer another. I once worked in a transitional housing facility for women of extraordinary courage. Each of them was trying to leave a

violent relationship. Despite popular belief that all that is involved is walking out the door, it is extraordinarily difficult. One must accomplish a litany of tasks while one is scared, often at jeopardy for further violence, emotionally depleted, sometimes recovering from physical injuries, uncertain of one’s own agency. For many it will involve doing all of this while caring for children, finding strength to help everyone move forward. It requires profound personal resources to be able to leave. I worked with a woman named Lina, a young mother with a small son. Lina was completely on her own. Her family was in the Dominican Republic, but they were estranged. She was brought to the States by her partner eight years prior and all opportunities for her to engage with the world had been controlled by that person. Like many people in the shelter, Lina was working with a host of social services to get assistance with housing, food, health care, and clothing. She had an open case with child protective services because her child had been in a home where there was serious violence. She was trying to find a job. She needed to find child care. Her days were long and exhausting, filled with worry. But it was Lina who taught me about the importance of generosity of spirit. She wasn’t a saint. She got frustrated and angry. She did some things that probably would have been better not to do. Yet she had the ability to find moments of grace in her day and, more importantly, she was able to help others find them, too. She was a keen observer of what others did well. She told me “Too many people never hear a ‘you did good,’ but sometimes it’s the best thing we can give. All you have to do is be willing to do it.” Sometimes it’s the best thing we can hear—particularly at a moment of struggle. This isn’t about just praise. It’s about seeing, holding, and acknowledging the humanity around us. Do I always do this, every day? No, but I strive to. For me, it’s a way to bring to life our professional commitment to respect the inherent worth and dignity of others. On those days when it feels daunting to bring change into the world, remember you can always bring change to this moment. Graduates, as your time as a student at Smith is drawing to a close, we know that you will draw upon the depth of skills, theory, and perspective you have developed here. We encourage you to draw upon the important relationships you have made here and stay connected. At the core of all of these things is you—and your daily choice of how you put your social work values into action. We are here as faculty, family, and friends, to recognize this important stage of your professional and personal development. We are proud of you, the graduating class of 2014. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk 2 9


commencement

2014 Commencement Speaker AndreAs Neumann-Mascis, M.A., Ph.D. Founder of The Meeting Point: Multidimensional Healing and Growth (Jamaica Plain, MA)

You did it. You really did. I bet there were times when you thought you wouldn’t, when it seemed like it would all fall apart. But it didn’t, and you made it, and I get to be here to celebrate with you. I am so honored to be here. Those of you whom I got to meet last year remember that I have a terrible case of “Smith envy,” so celebrating with you today is incredibly exciting. Thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to be here. But I am really excited for you, because—in what you just survived and what you have accomplished—there are superpowers that you built, together. Today, I want to talk about how to use them. The super-powers you are emerging into exist in two interconnected realms. The first realm is found in our flourishing understanding of the brain. The second realm is in our understanding of the irrefutable force (oh, Smithies) of social justice, and the systems of privilege and oppression that define health and determine well-being. Lets talk about the brain—oh boi. You have come into the field at a magical time. You have come into the field at a time when we understand more about the brain than ever before— and we can see it, for real! We can see what happens to your brain when it is focused, when it is afraid, when it is excited, and when it is heavily medicated. We can see it. Patterns of activation and connection, patterns of inhibition and restructuring…we can see it and it is beautiful, like looking at the expanse of the universe, at once terrifying and enthralling. We can see it and the possibilities exceed the bounds of our imagination. But there’s more. There are mirror neurons—are you as excited about them as I am? Just in case you haven’t found them yet—they work like this: Mirror neurons are activated when we witness the experience of another and our brain responds in the same way it would if we were having that experience. Mirror neurons were discovered in watching the brain activities of monkeys. It turns out that if you have two monkeys and you give one of them a banana, the brain of the 3 0 in depth | Fa ll 201 4

monkey eating the banana will look exactly like the brain of the monkey witnessing the banana being eaten. Wild, huh? Now after we have had a moment for the hungry monkey, I want to invite you to think about all of what that means. Think about what you have learned about attachment, about trauma, about change. Think about what you have witnessed, what you have impacted, and what you have been a part of, in the communities that you have served. Our brains activate relationally and structure (and restructure) based entirely on what we feed them. I am changing your brain right now. And you—and this novel and terrifying experience—are changing mine. But it gets better! What we know about the brain is that it likes patterns. It doesn’t make big distinctions between good pattern and bad pattern, it just likes patterns and balance. What we also know is that the brain makes new patterns, right up until the moment of death. In other words, we know we can change and we can heal, throughout our whole lives. But we have to want to—no kidding. Insight is not enough. We need each other to do it. We need relationship and connection. We need the novel and then the repeatable experience. For the friends of Kohut and self psychology in the room, that is what is happening with self objects, right? The ability to internalize a relationship in which you feel seen and valued and safe and a sense of belonging constructs your self. But now we know we don’t just mean that conceptually. We mean it physiologically. For the Peter Levine fans in the room, we know that connection and its shadow, threat, become wired into a complex survival response that engages brain and body. And for the lovers of Ainsworth, it is the patterns of attachment and patterns of affect regulation that shape our capacity to manage the world around us. The connections that we have and the experiences that we witness, are a part of, become our brain, our physiology, become who we are. And if that’s true, then defining health, or defining psychopathology, as though it is located in the individual, is kind of a distortion—no?


Don’t panic. I am not abandoning psychodynamic theory. I am endorsing it. Everything we know about the construction and well-being of the self is right—not just metaphorically right, neurophysiologically right. The complex systems of brain and body reorganize themselves in response to the relational world. So, if the brain and the body and the self are shaped by how we connect and what we experience, then illness or pathology as we understand it must be a product of that relational context—no? Which brings us into the second realm of your super-powers: social justice, the other force in this magical time in which you are entering this sacred career. What we know more vividly than ever before is that the systems of privilege and oppression that we have created— and actively sustain—affects every breath, every action, every context, every connection. Any action toward health has to be informed by social justice. For our purposes, social justice is the belief that all people have the right to have access to the resources that they need to make a life, and we recognize in current society that that access is stratified by identity membership. We are in a time when the toxic impact of hundreds of years of the systematic privileging of race and gender and identity and ability and class are undeniable and worsening. We can no longer inhabit a conceptual space where diversity is good or understanding difference is the right thing to do. We are in an oppression crisis. We are in a crisis where race and cultural identity affect your lifespan, and your health, and your proximity to trauma and imprisonment. Where sexual orientation and gender identity impacts your proximity to violence, and substance use, suicide, and homelessness. Where your level of ability impact your proximity to institutionalized controls of personal freedom, consent, and basic body autonomy. In a time of an abundance of resources, the disparities inherent in the stratification of human beings is greater than ever before. And it is sickening. And it is making all of us sick. This is not new in our history and it’s certainly not new in mental health. We know only a fraction of the painful history of women lobotomized for contradicting their husbands and fathers, or the countless numbers of African American men deemed psychotic and removed from society for seeking personal freedom. It is a wincing history that we have not changed as much as transformed into a level of sociocultural determinism that we cloak in the language of equality, autonomy, and health. But fear not: This is where you come in, where we all come in. The super-powers you have built are real and powerful and will only grow from here. Where brain and body and social justice come together is in connection. In watching the activation patterns of the brain, what we find is also what we have known: It is the foundation

of the field. We are created and recreated and recreated in connection. In witnessing the impact of social justice and social change, we have seen the fundamental restructuring that emerges from connection, and we have seen, again and again, that real change happens in empathy and resonance. When I was slightly less trained then you are now, I worked at a psych. hospital on a dual-diagnosis ward. I was white and queer and wheelchair-using, and I wore a piece of plastic around my neck that gave me the privilege to come and go as I pleased. One day while doing that group, I, lacking the skills to manage the affect in the room, allowed a situation to escalate to the point that someone threw a chair against the window. Immediately, men in white coats came and dragged my client away, and there I sat with the rest of the group. It didn’t make sense to me to lie so I said to the group “Well, that scared me a lot. How bout y’all?” An older African American woman who rarely spoke looked at me and said “That’s the most comfortable I have ever been in here. All this talk about your feelings stuff…throwing a chair, that I understand!” In that moment, I understood something I hadn’t before. She had a brain and a nervous system and a life of clustering traumas that made what I had to offer make absolutely no sense. She was appropriately wired for a flying chair, not a clever visualization. She changed my brain and in doing that she oriented me toward meeting people where they are, not so that I can make them ultimately more like me, but so that I can stand next to them and together we can find what it means to feel seen, and valued, and safe, and understood. I know you know what I mean. I know you have had experiences throughout this time of having your brain changed by the people that you serve. Think about them, they are a part of you now. Connection. It is the only thing we do as humans that doesn’t waste planetary resources and is truly transcendent. We connect, we create limbic resonance, we feel seen heard and understood, we taste the banana. Bathed in serotonin, bathed in the light of the soul, I heal and you heal. We are changed and can begin again. It’s true. You did it. You connected and created and changed and built super-powers that are yours for the rest of your life. Go forth. Use your powers for good. smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

31


commencement

Ph.D. Class of 2014 Speaker Tracye A. Polson, Ph.D. ’14 “I want you to know how profoundly grateful I am for the moments when I feel and believe we truly see and appreciate the most fundamental part of our humanity and connection in one another—and begin, again and again, to keep open those spaces for authenticity, trust, vulnerability, laughter, and above all forgiveness.” Tracye A. Polson, Ph.D., has worked for more than 18 years as a clinician and administrator providing therapeutic services to children and families in public and private settings using psychodynamic, attachment, and trauma frameworks. A supervising and clinical faculty member and researcher, her teaching experience includes Smith College School for Social Work, the National Catholic School of Social Service and the George Washington University School for Professional Psychology. Her post-graduate training includes a psychoanalytic research fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center and completion of the Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at the Baltimore Washington Institute for Psychoanalysis. Currently, Dr. Polson is a member of the advisory council for the University of North Florida’s new Bachelor of Social Work program. She serves on the advisory board for Teens Stand Together, a new local non-profit aimed at eliminating teen bullying. Dr. Polson’s dissertation was a qualitative study on the experiences of high-conflict parents with parenting coordination. She was co-president of the doctoral student organization when in residence at Smith College. Dr. Polson’s future plans include teaching and growing her private practice in Jacksonville, Florida.

32

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Dissertation Titles Babushkin, Anton (2014). Therapeutic Alliance: Measuring education outcomes as students progress through an M.S.W. program. Cole, Shawneladee C. (2014). An Examination of Inner-City AfricanAmerican Adolescents’ Help-Seeking Behaviors, Ways of Coping with Stressful Situations, and Attitudes Towards Mental Health Services. Darrell, Linda P. (2014). The Use of Spirituality by African-Americans with End-Stage Renal Disease. Kelly, Amber R. (2014). Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Based on Stress Reduction: Development of model and an application with sample of women who have survived interpersonal trauma. Linnman, Jennifer (2014). Social Workers’ Views on Reproductive Cycle. Polson, Tracye A. (2014). Parenting Coordination: An intervention for highconflict separating/divorcing families.


commencement

M.S.W. Class of 2014 Speaker Kaitlin Smith, M.S.W. ’14 “Though we’ve been trained to fill positions that may exist today on August 15, 2014, the truth is that we are in no way certain of the challenges that will face our communities in the coming decades and the ways that we will be called upon to serve. As the waters rise, for example, we do not yet know what latent struggles will bubble to the surface, what new solidarities will emerge, and how the form and even the concept of social services may need to be radically reconfigured.” Before coming to Smith, Kaitlin Smith graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology. During her time at the School for Social Work, she completed clinical field placements at the University of California San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Johnson and Wales University Counseling Services. Kaitlin also served on the Anti-Racism Consultation Committee and participated in student organizations including the Spirituality in Action and Holistic Healing groups. Kaitlin’s master’s thesis questioned the contemporary relevance of a black identity development model widely utilized within social work to conceptualize black client experiences and lend support. The thesis explored the ideas of a group of African-American New Thought ministers, identifying their work as one manifestation of a broader post-Civil Rights phenomenon in which the meanings of race, racism, and racial identity are under constant revision. Kaitlin is pursuing doctoral study in Political Science at the University of Chicago, focusing on political theory.

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

33


Alumni News

News from the Alumni Association Executive Committee In July 2014, we held our annual summer Alumni Association Executive Committee meeting on campus. We are thrilled to report lots of wonderful news. All of us were eager to meet and spend time getting to know the new dean, Dr. Marianne Yoshioka, who was two weeks into her position and already commanding her role with great warmth, intellect, and soul. She is an incredible asset to the school and we are enthusiastic about the possibilities of future collaborations with her. We welcomed new members to the Executive Committee, including Carol Fizer, M.S.W. ’72, in the Region I Representative position, Keshia Williams, M.S.W. ’08, in the Region II Representative position, Tierra Watkins, M.S.W. ’07, in the Region III Representative position, Erin Matthews, M.S.W. ’05, in the Region IV Representative position, and Gabrielle Holder, M.S.W. ’03, in the President-elect position. We were especially delighted to honor Pat Gilbert, Administrative Coordinator for the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at the School for Social Work, with the 2014 Honorary Alumna Award. Pat continues to be the heart of our work on the Alumni Association Executive Committee and keeps everyone around the country moving forward. Yvette Colón, M.S.W. ’90, Ph.D., our Chair of Development, and Dawn Faucher, SSW Annual Giving Officer, reported that the Annual Fund revenue is up 11% over last year and 98% over 2012. These numbers are simply incredible and relate to the incredible and spirited efforts of Dawn and the Development Office as well as the incredible support of you, our generous alumni. We also heard good news from Irene Rodriguez Martin, Associate Dean of Administration and Graduate Enrollment/Continuing Education, that admissions continue to remain steady and, this year, with the arrival of the class of 2017, we have the largest percentage of students of color: 27%! We also were excited to hear from many students representing different student bodies on campus. We continue to work toward greater connections between the current student body and alumni across the country. We hope to see many of you at the events across the regions and please feel free to reach out and share your needs, hopes, and vision for ways the Alumni Association Executive Committee can work for you to strengthen our connections. 34

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

SSW Alumni Association Executive Committee President Christopher C. Vaughan, Ph.D.’06 President Elect Gabrielle Holder, Ed.M.’95, M.S.W.’03 Vice President Cole Hooley, M.S.W.’09 Treasurer Renee Lindquist, M.S.W.’03 Chair of Development Yvette Colón, M.S.W.’90, Ph.D. Chair, Alumni of Color Standing Committee Emely D. Velez, M.S.W.’10 Chair, Nomination Committee Phoebe Harris Millman, A.B.’92, M.S.W.’03 Region I Representative (New England) vacant Region II Representative (Mid-Atlantic) Keshia Williams, M.S.W.’08 Region III Representative (South) Tierra Watkins, M.S.W.’07 Region IV Representative (Midwest) Erin Matthews, M.S.W.’05 Region V Representative (West) vacant


alumni news New Executive Committee member bios President-elect Gabrielle Holder, Ed.M.’95, M.S.W.’03 Gabrielle is the school counselor at The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California. She previously served as a school social worker at Horace Mann School in New York, New York, and King Low Heywood Thomas School in Stamford, Connecticut. She has extensive experience working with a multitude of age groups from young children through adolescents and young adults. She has developed a range of workshops that bridge school and family life through parenting partnerships in independent schools. Gabrielle remains keenly interested in issues concerning ethnic and racial identity development, maternal mental health, and mindfulness training. She is certified to teach children’s yoga and has utilized mind/body awareness practices with clients. She is an avid runner and an enthusiastic culinary creator.

Region II (Mid-Atlantic) representative Keshia Williams, M.S.W. ’08 Keshia is a clinical social worker and passionate social work educator. Her focus on issues of diversity, racism, oppression and privilege as they manifest in family and community violence and school-based practice. She continues to develop her interest in relational psychodynamic frameworks, as well as post-modern modalities, such as narrative therapy, the use of reflecting teams, and open dialogue. Her vocation has led her across the globe and granted her many opportunities to work with diverse ethnic, racial, sexual, and religious communities around the world. She strives to provide services and social work education that is attentive, collaborative, and driven by forward movement towards all forms of liberation.

Region III (South) representative Tierra Watkins, M.S.W.’07 Tierra currently works in the Washington metropolitan area as an independent contractor. Since graduating from the School for Social Work in 2007, she has worked in schools, hospitals, and residential treatment centers, providing mental health services to children, teens, and families. Additionally, she is an associate within a group private practice, with a focus on individual, group, and family therapy with children, teens, and young adults.

2014 Alumni Award Recipients The SSW Alumni Association is pleased to announce the 2014 Alumni Association Thesis Awards and Roger Miller Dissertation Grant recipients. Alumni Association Thesis Award Patrick Hagan, M.S.W.’14 “Impact of LGBTQ School Climate Policy on Rates of Suicidal Planning and Attempt among High School Populations” Alumni Association Thesis Award for Students of Color Jennifer Kung, M.S.W.’14 “Impact of LGBTQ School Climate Policy on Rates of Suicidal Planning and Attempt among High School Populations” Roger Miller Dissertation Grant Carolyn Mak, Ph.D. post-resident student “Experiences of Reunification between Older Chinese Immigrant Youth and their Biological Parents”

2014 Honorary Alumna: Patricia Gilbert “The Honorary Alumna/us Award is bestowed upon individuals who have rendered distinguished service to the Alumni Association and/or the School for Social Work. The Executive Committee takes this award very seriously and considers both the body of work and a lifetime of contribution. As such, we awarded the 2014 Honorary Alumna Award to Pat Gilbert, Administrative Coordinator, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development. Pat’s unfailing dedication to the Association and her knowledge of the history of the School, our Alumni, and our mission have been an invaluable contribution to the School for Social Work. In addition, she is literally the foundation upon which the Executive Committee is built. Her attention to details—from regional events to minutes and agendas of our meetings—allows us to focus on the business of governing the Association. In her 12 years at SSW, she has also incorporated the values of the School and social work into her work life. Development and maintenance of relationships, assessment, meeting people where they are, and targeted interventions are all principles that govern her work. For these contributions and the many more that space will not allow us to list, we are proud to bestow our 2014 Honorary Alumna Award to Pat Gilbert. Thank you for all that you do!”

Region IV (Midwest) representative Erin Matthews, M.S.W.’05 Erin currently works as a school social worker for Chicago Public Schools. Since graduating in 2005, she has worked in schools in Napa, California, and Chicago, Illinois, focusing on youth with PTSD and setting up mental health

systems to ensure that services are available to impoverished children and families in public schools. Additionally, she takes on a few private practice clients each year. In her free time, you can see Erin and her daughter around Chicago eating sushi, coaching volleyball, or taking a much needed girls’ trip.

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

35


alumni lives

Alumni Lives Class of 1946

Class of 1957

Ruth Frankenstein writes, “I am still hanging in at 89, but with it I cannot hear so well; I do not see so well, and I do not walk very fast. However, I still see a few patients, workout in a gym, am very active trying to improve services and standards in the Department of Persons with Disabilities, and spend time with my son—I guess those are the things that keep me alive! So many decades have passed. I do keep in touch periodically with Betty Cohen Brophy and Doris Rothseid Dresdale. Memories of the Smith days, Miss Day, Miss Clemens, Dr. Felix Deutsch, etc.—all I recall with fondness and appreciation. My best.” Jean McLellan Pardo writes, “My husband, Alan, and I moved last year from Nyack, New York, to Valhalla, New York, into what is known as a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). It includes independent living (where we have an apartment), assisted living, and skilled nursing, to which we may graduate as needed. We enjoy the friendliness of the residents and staff—and having the cooking and cleaning done for us. Bliss!”

Ann Overbeck writes, “The MSS Class of 1957 is living all over the country: Ann Overbeck in Waynesville, North Carolina; Esther Marks Schiefer in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; Janet Morehead Dotson in Evanston, Illinois; Marie Coles Baker in Charlottesville, Virginia; Arlene Wolf Blumenthal in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; Eleanor DiAngelo in Chicago, Illinois; Mary Boufis Filou in Islip, New York; Elizabeth Fleming in Cleveland Heights, Ohio; Ernestine Banker Gerhard in Cincinnati, Ohio; Dorothy Harper Jones in East Lansing, Michigan; Marilyn Fettig Herndon in Silver Spring, Maryland; Gertrude Itzkoff in New York, New York; Dorothy McKay in Saint Clair Shore, Michigan; Nora Butnik Rado in Chicago, Illinois; Maureen Napier Rosenfield in Woburn, Massachusetts; Doris Scalise in Utica, New York; Anne Schlussman in New York, New York; Patricia Guffey Thibaudeau in Seattle, Washington; Ruth Cameron Uchtman in Evanston, Illinois; Barbara Alfie Underwood-Given in South Setauket, New York; and Betty Okamoto Wakiji in Camarillo, California. Keep in touch with your old friends!”

Class of 1954

Class of 1960

Dottie Brier writes, “The Class of 1954 is looking forward to our 60th class reunion in October 2014, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Eight or nine classmates and four family members are expected to attend.”

Janet Brighton Cleghorn writes, “I am still working part-time, although I do not advertise my age! I have tried twice to retire and failed. I find great pleasure in working. Following supervision and teaching in the ’80s and ’90s on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University Medical School, I was trained in emotionally-focused couple therapy by my friend, Sue Johnson, in Ottawa, and am now a certified supervisor. Falling into EFT has been a natural fit for me—in-depth in vivo bonding transformations. After the 1992 premature death of my psychiatrist/ schizophreniaresearcher husband, Jock, I have been so fortunate being with [my] British engineer

Class of 1955 Barbara Belson Pescow writes, “My husband, Murray, and I are retired and have been living in Morris County, New Jersey, for the last 19 years. We met at the Wiltwyck School, a residential treatment center in Esopus, New York. In addition to residential treatment, I’ve worked for the New York City Board of Education. We have two daughters and four grandchildren. I’m grateful to be well and have combined volunteer work—CASA, Literacy Volunteers, and Roxbury Historic Trust (a Morris Canal historic site)—with yoga and duplicate bridge. I’d love to hear from anyone who remembers me.” 36

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Photo by Gloria Fraser ‘65

partner, Eric, who lost his wife the same time. I have six grandchildren, he has five, so we keep our own places (although I do spend more time at his home)—it is called having your cake and eating it too!”

Class of 1963 Swaran Dhawan writes, “I retired from my job in clinical social work and [as] director of a social work department. My daughter lives in town and her son goes to Tufts University—and is currently in Argentina. I provide pro bono counseling and serve on the Board of Chai Inc.: Counselors Helping (South) Asian/Indians regarding mental health concerns. I have travelled to India and will be visiting friends in Amsterdam soon. I stay active! Susan Parker Proietti writes, “I have read with interest the events at the School. I am retired now, with community and non-profit board activities, which supplement my past employment in social work. I have five grandsons whom I love to spend time with and, thus, I engage in an active life.”

Class of 1964 Dori Nelson Schmauss writes, “I am still active in our Friends of the Library, etc., and enjoying life at 92.”

Class of 1965 Gloria Fraser writes, “I continue to work very part-time out of my home. I have struggled with terrible health problems the past five years, including three major surgeries. As a result, I cannot manage working in San Francisco, which is essential for referrals, so I will be forced to retire if I don’t return. I have downsized to a lovely


alumni lives home on a lagoon that is a wildlife preserve for shorebirds. I can pursue my photography hobby right out my door and I enjoy playing my piano, though no singing. I am eager to hear news from my colleagues.” Sharon Cox Ward writes, “I’m still retired and still traveling—hit Carnival in Rio this year—great! Just moved off our hill to the relative flat lands of Altadena, California, but still have great views of our wonderful mountains. Volunteering for the Audubon Center at Debs Park in the heart of northeast Los Angeles and for the California State Theater—The Pasadena Playhouse. I am enjoying these experiences immensely. We have two granddaughters who are a delight and we round out our lives with family and friends. How about an M.S.W. ’65 class get together?”

Class of 1971 Ulla Pettersson writes, “After my M.S.W. in 1971 (yes, I am very old), I continued my work at Stockholm University where I also got a Ph.D. degree in 1978. After that, I worked as a researcher and conducted many large projects, mainly about the social services. I also functioned as a teacher and a research adviser for doctoral students. I had seven successful doctoral students, three of them now professors like myself. After retirement in 1991, I continued for many years my work at the University. I have written several books on the Swedish social services and one on the history of casework in the US and Sweden. My last book is an anthology analyzing the last three decades of social services in Sweden. It will be released any day now. I am a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother of three wonderful children. What more can you wish for?” Page Shields writes, “I retired in 2008 from a rewarding career of 40 years, working in both public and private, inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as enjoying teaching and private practice. The M.S.W. allowed me to never be bored! Since graduation, I have lived in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia, and am currently living in Harrisonburg, Virginia, with my husband. I have a daughter and two stepchildren, but no grandchildren yet. I have been enjoying volunteering with first-graders in a local elementary school, along with enjoying the free time offered by retirement.” Deborah Kent Stein writes, “Since my last note to InDepth, I’m still living and writing

in Chicago—most recently a book on Ukraine for Scholastic and an essay in the online magazine Persimmon Tree (www. persimmontree.org). I also edit the quarterly magazine Future Reflections, which is directed to parents and teachers of blind children. Though I haven’t formally practiced as a social worker since the Gerald Ford administration, I do lots of volunteer work with kids and teens through the National Federation of the Blind, and everything I learned back at Smith gets put to good use. Visits to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico continue to be an important part of life for our family. The biggest family news is that our daughter, Janna, will be getting married on May 16. Who knows where the time goes?”

Class of 1972 Michael Lieberman writes, “I graduated in 1972. For the next 16 years, I practiced in a variety of settings and, in the 1980s, was an adjunct at the School for Social Work. In 1988, I went to law school at the University of Pennsylvania and practiced law until last year, when I quit and opened an art gallery, Hooloon Art, in Philadelphia.”

Class of 1973 Lucille Spira writes, “Along with continuing my private practice and co-chairing a discussion group on loneliness at APsaA, I am working with Dr. Arlene Kramer Richards, former Smith faculty member, to coordinate a New York City event in October 2014, sponsored by the International Psychoanalytical Association. The program illuminates and discusses particular myths that have influenced women’s identity. Hope to see you there. Also, my book Encounters with Loneliness: Only the Lonely (2nd edition), edited by Arlene Kramer Richards, Lucille Spira, and Arthur A. Lynch, has been nominated for a Gradiva Prize.”

Class of 1974 Lisa Aronson writes, “I have recently moved to Ojai, California—a lovely valley south of Santa Barbara and north of Ventura. I enjoy walking, biking, making new friends—and keeping up with the old. I am currently a clinician working at the Southwest Key shelter for unaccompanied minors in Oxnard and finding it so worthwhile. In addition, I am developing a private practice in Santa Barbara and Ventura and will teach continuing education for the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic

Studies and a course for the new Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program (New Center for Psychoanalysis, L.A.) in the spring of 2015. Come visit!” Emily De La Rosa writes, “Life goes on pretty smoothly for us in San Francisco, California. I continue with my private practice and half-time position at Kaiser Permanente. My wife, Anette, and I have been discussing retirement and we will probably begin cutting back next year. (It is hard to believe I am 63 years old.) We can’t wait to travel more! Our daughter, Maya, is 25 years old. She is a writer and teacher at the elementary school she attended in San Francisco. I would love to hear about my fellow classmates and hope more of them will send in notes about what’s going on in their lives.” Bill Hayes writes, “I am now working part-time on the way to full retirement at the end of October, from the same job I began upon graduation 39 years ago, at Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown, New York! Betsy and I have renovated two houses on our street in our spare time, and are in progress with a third. We have traveled to the Amazon and to Scotland in recent years, bought an older cabin sailboat, and are watching five grandkids grow and blossom forth.”

Class of 1980 Michael Hubner writes, “Last year I left Dana-Farber Cancer Institute after 12 years as Director of Social Work and Care Coordination. A Michael K. Hubner Annual Lecture in Oncology Social Work was established in my honor. This year, I have taken on consulting at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. My husband and life companion, David, retired from the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2007. Our son, Ben, received a Master’s in Public Administration at Cornell and works in D.C. in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. After over thirty years of practice and clinical administration, I hold our profession in high esteem. I am an ardent believer in social work’s unique capacity for effective boundary-spanning across biopsychosocial space. Given resource constraints, I worry about the profession’s ability to sustain the intellectual rigor that derives from investment in meaningful evidence-based practice

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

37


alumni lives research. At the core, my inspiration comes from the sacredness of the clinical encounter and the remarkable professionals with whom I have worked.” Pam Raab writes, “I have given a talk at the recent (June 2014) PsyArt conference in Madrid, Spain, entitled ‘Melanie Klein at the Theatre: Love, Guilt and Reparation in Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.”’ The paper grew out of her participation in a reading group in New York City called Shakespeare for Psychoanalysts. I continue to practice in Greenwich Village and am on the faculty of three psychoanalytic institutes in New York.”

Class of 1981 Benjamin Thompson writes, “I continue to reside in western Massachusetts, about ten miles west of Northampton. I am now working full-time as the Director of Psychological Counseling Services at the Williston Northampton School. As a result, I have had to reduce my Northampton-based private practice to just five hours or so a week. I love the Williston work because of the community, the never-dull experience of working with adolescents, the great vacations, and the fact that I don’t have to deal with any insurance companies. I’m also putting some energy into my work as vice-president of the Independent School Health Association (ISHA). Charlotte Meryman and I celebrated our 28th anniversary in June. Our daughter, Madeline, recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and our son, Sawyer, is a junior at Brown University. We’re basically empty-nesters these days, which, as many of you know, has its pros and cons. We have been able to travel more than ever—this summer through the Pacific coast, Yosemite, Zion, Death Valley, and northern Utah. I’m still playing lots of sports (tennis, softball, golf, running, platform tennis, ultimate, and ice hockey), but clearly at a slower pace than in 1980 or so. I also get a chance to watch fellow alum, Tom Kovar, playing music with a host of characters in a variety of Valley settings.”

solid foundation to base my work. I have been living on Cape Ann for over 20 years, loving the seaside life. It is quiet here but beautiful. I have had the great privilege and joy to be the mother of my now 12-year-old daughter, adopted from China when I was 47. Being a mother (and wife) has informed my practice, taking my understanding of my clients’ experiences in their family lives. Better late than never! I have been homeschooling my daughter and navigating the challenges of balancing being soccer mom, gardener, meditator, social worker, and family executive. A full life! Being a social worker and independent practitioner has, in many ways, made it all possible. I send thanks to my Smith instructors, agency supervisor, and fellow B students for getting me started on my life path, as long and winding as it has been! Feel free to be in touch at beareardon@mindspring.com”

Class of 1985 Janet Milewski Esposito writes, “Hello to all of my ’85 classmates! It is hard to believe it is almost 30 years since we graduated from Smith. I continue to enjoy my private practice in Danbury, Connecticut, and my In the Spotlight business, helping people who have a fear of public speaking or performing through my coaching, workshops, books, and CD. My husband, Rich, and I just celebrated our 25th

38

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Class of 1988 Jennifer Bella writes, “I worked in Rincón, Puerto Rico, helping design and run a life coaching program for gap year young adults from January 13th to May 14th. My husband, John, and I just bought our first house in Denmark, Maine, which is near my private practice in North Conway, New Hampshire. My daughter, Veronica, was accepted to Simmons College and will be attending there in the fall of 2015, after completing a Semester at Sea this coming spring. I just returned from visiting Clay Van Batenburg (class of ’89) and he is doing great in California!” Sherry Fine writes, “I have been in private practice for many years. I produced a documentary, Forever Families: Stories of Seven Adults Adopted by Single Parents, in 2006, co-authored a book entitled Single Adoptive Parents: Our Stories in 2013, and am presently the president of a growing NGO, Living Water Children’s Centre Fund, supporting orphans and disadvantaged children globally. Presently, we have programs in Haiti, Kenya, and Tanzania. You can obtain videos upon request and books from Amazon. I am available to present to groups regarding the many projects we support. If you would like more information, I am available by cell phone at (617) 840-1017.” Linda Plaut writes, “I received the Community Service Award for 2014 from the Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work.”

Class of 1989

Class of 1984 Bea Reardon writes, “I am in private practice in Gloucester, Massachusetts (previously in Cambridge), seeing children and families, couples and individual adults. Coming up on 30 years of clinical social work, I am so grateful for the depth of education, training, and supervision I got in the Smith B program, giving me a

wedding anniversary this year and we are enjoying time with our two-year-old grandson. We adore our golden retriever, April, who is a regular presence in my office doing her job of providing comfort and joy to my clients.”

Class of 1985 — Janet Milewski Esposito

Michael Loughran writes, “I graduated with a Ph.D. in 1989 from Smith College SSW, and practice in Palo Alto, California, as a psychoanalyst. I am on the faculty in child psychiatry at Stanford and at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. I am very happy and proud to report that I am attending the graduation this coming week of both my daughter, Casey Zandona, and her husband, Andre Zandona, from the Smith M.S.W. program. They are apparently the first couple to attend Smith in the same class, and have both absolutely loved the quality of the coursework and the experience at


alumni lives Smith. Their time at Smith has reminded me very fondly of my own summers of such rich learning and friendship.” Rachel Michaelsen writes, “I was excited to host Becca Smith (M.S.W. ’89) and her 14-yearold daughter, Alma, for a short visit in mid-July. I continue to enjoy my private practice in Oakland, California, as well as teaching continuing education classes and consulting.”

Class of 1989 — Rachel Michaelsen

Class of 1990 Yvette Colón writes, “I continue to serve on the School’s Alumni Association Executive Committee (this is my 12th year of service since 1998); I was just reappointed as chair of development 2014-2017. I strongly encourage all of you to be involved in the School’s alumni networks available around the country. I live in southeast Michigan and am an Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan University School of Social Work, where I teach practice and theory courses for both B.S.W. and M.S.W. students. Currently, I’m in the process of earning a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. For the last several years at the School, I’ve taught the Social Work Practice in American Health Care elective in Term 1. Recently, I co-published the following article: Colón, Y., & Avnet, M.S. (2014). Medical hypnotherapy for pain management. Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, 28(2), 174-176. I sure do miss playing the ukulele with Shawna Reeves, M.S.W. ’03.”

Class of 1993 Rick Bern writes, “First major update in 20 years! I got married eight years ago to Jaimie Hammerling Bern. We have two beautiful little boys, Zachary and Ari, and two of the best Labradoodles on the planet. We are moving from Needham to Westwood, Massachusetts, in a few weeks. Professionally speaking, I left social work to run various businesses over the years, but have settled into photography. I currently run a portrait studio in the Boston

area, plus head a team of a dozen shooters who provide wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, and corporate photography. I miss my time at SSW, but I use my degree everyday with families in my studio.” Lee Cobert writes, “After graduation, we moved to Puget Sound, where I worked in community mental health for eighteen years. In January 2013, I transitioned into part-time private practice and moved fulltime into our home in the North Cascade foothills, an area called the Methow Valley. This very area is where some of the most intense wildfire activity in Washington state recently occurred and, on July 16th, 2014, we had to evacuate our home and property—an experience, emotionally and physically, which I’ll not soon forget. Returning several days later to move out another load of belongings, flames were visible through the trees. Our home survived by a fifty yard margin. Some of the woodlands burned, yet I am feeling grateful, for hundreds of others did not fare as well. Post-firestorm, I now volunteer for a local social services organization in our rural community, primarily performing outreach, for support, care planning, and triage.” Nancy Reder writes, “Hello to my class of ’93 classmates from the D.C. area, where I am in private practice and teach at the Washington School of Psychiatry in the Intensive Shortterm Dynamic Psychotherapy Program. My daughter, whom you sometimes saw toddling around campus while I was at Smith, is now a second-year student at the Smith College School for Social Work. My husband, Peter, whom some of you knew, just retired from union work and is very involved in the planning of our daughter’s wedding this September. If you’re ever in the area, please let me know.” Mary Scollan writes, “In 2011, Barbara and I chose to marry in Northampton, Massachusetts! New York passed the right to marry three months later, but we are quite happy to have chosen Northampton to share the occasion and celebrate with family. Regarding employment, I worked in various hospital outpatient mental health programs for ten years. These included working directly in primary care doctors’ offices doing psychotherapy. Now, I am doing full-time private practice work and, due to the work in primary care offices, I am fortunate to have a solid referral source for

my private practice. Barb and I are trying to slow down, four days per week plus time off for some long-planned traveling. All is well. Still grateful for having had the opportunity of sharing experiences with my classmates those 20+ years ago.”

Class of 1995 — Daniel Beck

Class of 1995 Dan Beck writes, “I created and taught an online M.S.W. course on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Boston University School of Social Work for summer 2013 and again for summer 2014. I enjoyed playing with my two-year-old son Ezra this summer.”

Class of 1996 J. David Bassett writes, “A lot can happen in almost twenty years. In 1996, upon graduation, I began teaching at University of South Florida School of Social Work located in Tampa, Florida. In 1998, my wonderful husband, James, entered my life. In 2002, California State University, in Chico, offered me a teaching position as Associate Professor and I accepted. In 2005, I was awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of Professor. In 2008, James and I were able to take advantage of the short legal window in California to get married. In 2013, I was elected Director of the School of Social Work. In the interim, there have been births and deaths in our extended families and assorted health problems. That’s life and life is good!”

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk 39


alumni lives

Shreya Mandal writes, “After almost 11 years as a mitigation specialist with The Legal Aid Society of New York, I am moving on to a new position at Brooklyn Defender Services in September 2014. I also have been accepted to a post-graduate program at the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma for this fall and will be studying Global Mental Health, Trauma & Recovery with international experts in Orvieto, Italy. I am very excited about these new pursuits as I continue my work in the fields of criminal law, immigration law, and human rights.”

fed up with winter, I moved to Oviedo, Florida, with husband Chris, daughter Madeline (age 7) and son Logan (age 4). While moving to Florida in July may have been poor timing temperature-wise, we are excited about this new adventure and making the most out of this opportunity. Once the kids are settled in school, I will start looking for work. Having left a very intense position doing psychiatric assessments in the Emergency Room in Hartford, Connecticut, it’s been a treat to spend the summer with my kids, mostly swimming in the pool, so we don’t melt down here.”

Class of 1998 Geoffrey Locke writes, “I continue to live in Northampton, Massachusetts, and have a private practice in Amherst. I have been teaching at Smith College SSW for the past 10 summers, mostly in the practice sequence, and, for the past four years, have taught “Knowing, Not Knowing, and Muddling Through.” In 2011, I completed a Ph.D. at Smith College SSW and have since published two papers from my doctoral dissertation entitled “Interpersonal Guilt and Pathological Gambling among College Students.” Lisa Moore writes, “I am happy to report that I was selected to the Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Teachers Academy, sponsored by the American Psychoanalytic Association, for 2014. This has been a very good experience and I am receiving excellent mentoring and resources. In addition to professional news, I am also happy to report on the more family side that on April 13, 2014, I delivered a healthy baby boy, five weeks early, whom we named August Rustin Willis.”

Class of 2001 Mara Acel-Green writes, “I have a general practice in Belmont, Massachusetts, but also a specialty in pregnancy and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. In addition to my private practice and adjunct faculty position at Northeastern University, I just completed my term in 2014 as President of the Board of Directors of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies of Massachusetts. I had two pieces this past spring published on the Huffington Post and was also interviewed on Fox news about issues related to maternal mental health.”

Class of 2003 Anisa Baczek writes, “After spending my whole life in New England and finally getting 40 in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Gabrielle Holder writes, “I am honored to continue to serve on the Alumni Association Executive Committee as the president-elect for the next term. It has been such a pleasure to work alongside the many talented and insightful alumni we have on the Executive Committee and in our network of volunteers. I cannot say enough about enjoying the experience and encourage you all to get more involved, even in small ways. I am now entering into my fourth year in the Bay area and work full-time as a counselor at The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California, a small independent high school of about 365 students. I also have a small private practice in Orinda, in addition to holding down the fort of my household with three children, Pilar (age 10), Sloane (age 7), and Apollo (age 4). We have a busy life, but I keep my sanity by continuing to dabble in art, sewing, cooking, and exercise—SUP in the summers, running and boot camp during the school year, and I am about to do another mini-triathlon in late September (the last one I did was with some Smithies when I graduated in 2003). I keep in touch with several of our ’03 clan, but am always open to hearing from other folks. If you are ever in the area, please reach out, as it would be great to connect!” Renee Lindquist writes, “I currently live in Oakland, California, with my partner and two dogs. I work at a nonprofit in San Francisco as a clinical supervisor and have had a small private practice in Oakland since 2008. In 2013, I decided to pursue my Ph.D.— where else but Smith— and just finished my second summer in the Ph.D. program. To round out my Smith connections, I am in my second year as treasurer of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. I have really enjoyed being an active part of bringing alumni and students together.”

Class of 2004 Jacqueline Humphreys writes, “My wife and I just bought a wonderful home in Montague, Massachusetts. and we are loving the country living. Since moving, I opened a new private practice in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, where I see children, adolescents, and adults. I am also providing clinical supervision and consultation.” Jenn Reed writes, “My husband, Dave, and I are excited to announce that Leo Michael Reed was born on July 14th. He weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces and measured 21 inches. We are happy to report that Leo is healthy and adored by his big sister, Ella, who started first grade this fall.” Sarah Rosenthal Sherwood writes, “I live and work in Cincinnati, Ohio. I work at Jewish Family Service with nearly homeless and other financially vulnerable populations, and clients with mental health issues. I recently completed my supervision hours for my LISW. My husband, Adam, and I added twin daughters to the mix in September 2012, who joined their big brothers, now ages 7 and 5, in our full and often wild family journey. We celebrated 10 years of marriage in May of this year.”

Class of 2005 Marina Kovarsky writes, “I am in private practice in Boston, Massachussets, a third-year candidate at the Massachusetts


alumni lives Institute for Psychoanalysis, and supervisor and faculty at the Boston Institute for Psychotherapy. This year at Division 39, I presented a paper entitled ‘Can the talking cure heal the body: psychodynamic treatment of somatic symptoms.’ ”

Class of 2006 Karla Sanborn writes, “My husband, Jason, and I are living in Lexington, Kentucky. I have been employed with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for five years now and continue to enjoy working with this population. Currently, I am in my dissertation phase, and hopefully, someday, I will actually finish my doctorate in social work. This has been an amazing year for us as we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Sadie, to our family.

Class of 2007 Linda Chupkowski writes, “I graduated with my M.S.W. in ’07. I am working at UNC’s counseling center and married my partner, Chloe, on June 7, 2014. Here is a picture from our wedding!”

future of the School’s anti-racism commitment. I’d like to give a special thanks to all of my friends and colleagues in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, who have helped me coordinate wonderful events for both alumni and students. I live in the Washington metropolitan area and currently work with elementary school students in the D.C. Public School system. I am also an associate within a group private practice, with a focus on individual, group, and family therapy with children, teens, and young adults.”

Class of 2008 Keshia Williams writes, “I have relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to Oakland, California, with my family to explore diverse professional opportunities. I have maintained my ties to the Smith College School for Social Work during the coastal transition as adjunct faculty, faculty field advisor, community practice project advisor, and have recently been elected as the Region II representative for the Alumni Association Executive Committee.”

Class of 2009 Cole Hooley writes, “I am enjoying life in New York City with my wife and two daughters. I continue to work as the director of Social Work and Counseling Services for a district of schools here, as well as working a few evenings a week in an outpatient clinic. It has been fun reconnecting with Smith by supervising interns and participating on the Alumni Association Executive Committee.”

provided therapy services for homeless individuals experiencing opiate addiction and have become a consultant for a specialized primary care team at BHCHP focusing on individuals at highest risk for overdose death. I am an avid runner and participated in the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2014 as part of BHCHP’s fundraising team, raising $11,700. I recently established the formal partnership between BHCHP and Back on My Feet, a 501(c)3 organization that provides support for running teams comprised of homeless individuals. Under my leadership, the BHCHP running team will launch on August 13th, and will meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 6:30 a.m., with the goal of building community, promoting wellness, sobriety, and support towards independent living.”

Class of 2010 Emely Velez writes, “I’m working as a clinician for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the Bronx, New York. I also serve as the chair of the Alumni of Color Standing Committee which is part of the Alumni Association Executive Committee for Smith College SSW. Also, I’m getting married in the fall of 2015!”

Class of 2011

Billie Starks writes, “Five years after graduating from the School for Social Work, I feel like I have hit my stride. For the last two years, I have served as a member of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s behavioral health team. I have

Tierra Watkins writes, “I joined the School’s Alumni Association Executive Committee in July 2014, as the Region III representative and had an amazing time reconnecting with fellow alumni during the Executive Committee’s summer meeting. I strongly encourage everyone to be involved in the School’s alumni networks, which are available nationwide. In the spring, I hosted an event in D.C. and welcomed special guest, Fred Newdom. Both alumni and students gathered to discuss the history, present, and

Ana Echevarria DelCorazón writes, “Gina Russell DelCorazón (Smith ’04) and I have been married for two years and currently reside in Iowa. I just gave birth to our son, Toño Daniel Del Corazón, on March 28, 2014, with a full head hair and an adorable smile.” smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk

41


alumni lives Desiree Lowit writes, “My Smith M.S.W. thesis titled, ‘Fathers reflect on their experiences of the receipt of a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or trisomy 21’ was published in the spring 2014 edition of the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health. [Lowit, D., & Averill, M. B. (2014). Fathers reflect on their experiences of the receipt of a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome or trisomy 21. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 28(3), 174-197.]” Charlotte Ames Parker writes, “I married Nathan Carroll on May 31, 2014, in Lyme, Connecticut. Our wedding reception was held at the Loch Lyme Lodge. We honeymooned in Quebec, Canada, and have made our home in Salem, Massachusetts.” Jennifer Simon writes, “I wanted to announce that I am currently on maternity leave from my individual and group therapy work in Adult Outpatient Psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California. My husband and my daughter, Livia Imogen, was born one month early on July 6, 2014. She’s happy and healthy, and we’re settling into being first-time parents! Meanwhile, I have submitted my hours to California’s Board of Behavioral Sciences and am awaiting the go-ahead to take California’s licensing exams.” Amanda Slatus writes, “I obtained my L.I.C.S.W.! I am looking for new clinical opportunities and would love to connect with any D.C. Smithies.”

Class of 2012 Felicia Marohn writes, “I hold an L.M.S.W. and have three news events to report: 1) Cedar R. Koons, L.I.S.W., and I co-presented a workshop entitled ‘Mindfulness for All’ at the NASW conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February of 2014. 2) I co-wrote a book chapter as the first author. The title of the book is Mindfulness and Acceptance in Social Work: Evidence-Based Interventions and Emerging Applications, by Matthew S. Boone. The book was published in May of this year. 3) In the fall of 2014, I will complete my two-year fellowship at Santa Fe Dialectical Behavior Therapy (SFDBT), and I have been offered a position as a team member starting on October 1, 2014. Also starting this fall, SFDBT and I have been able to offer the second two-year fellowship for a clinical social 42

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Class of 2013 — Emily Lusenhop Bolton

worker of color to be trained in evidencebased treatments.” Rob Sehi writes, “I am currently entering the second year of the One Spirit Seminary and next June hope to be ordained as a minister. This, in part, was initiated by the advanced training in spiritual work that is taught at Smith. It is a great course and I recommend that any social worker who is serious about including the spiritual aspect in their work should take this course.”

Class of 2013 Alexandra “Ali” Jost writes, “I am still working as a behavioral health therapist within a great Washington, D.C., anti-poverty organization. I work in the primary care clinic in an integrated care model, where doctors refer me clients in need of a broad-range of mental health intervention and supports. It’s a great model. Also, I am giving birth to my first child in November 2014!” Emily Lusenhop Bolton writes, “I married Gabrielle Joy Lipman (not pictured) on August 9, 2014, in Huntington, Vermont. Many close friends and family from the Smith College School for Social Work community attended the afternoon ceremony and reception. I was previously employed as a School Services Clinician at a large public high school in Vermont and I continue to have a strong clinical interest in family-centered practice. I am now settling into a new routine after recently relocating to Portland, Maine, with my

wife, who just began the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at the University of New England.” Sarah Pulver writes, “I graduated from SSW in August 2013 and moved back to my beloved Philadelphia, where I live with my partner, Chris, and our two cats, Sam and Audrey. In December, I got my social work license in the state of Pennsylvania and began working at Hahnemann Hospital in the Psychiatric Medical Care Unit—my first year clinical placement! This April, I also began working at Pennsylvania Hospital as an outpatient psychotherapist, where I have been enjoying my work and life fully, especially my office with a window! Bronwyn Shiffer writes, “I have been working at Oaklawn Psychiatric Center, a community mental health agency, in Goshen, Indiana, since September 2013. I enjoy meeting with adults for individual therapy in an outpatient setting. In my spare time, I have been learning to play the mandolin.” Alicia Simoni writes, “I am excited to share that I was recently named one of the 2014-2015 American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) Fellows. In addition, in March, I will be presenting a paper at the 2015 American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work (AAPCSW) conference in Durham, NC. The paper is entitled “Connecting after Killing: The Intersubjective Space between Therapist and Client When Combat Rests between Them” and is based on my M.S.W. thesis.


In Memoriam Evelyn Belle Sigel Baer, Class of 1931 Evelyn Belle Sigel Baer, 104, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, died Saturday, April 5, 2014, at her home at Westview Meadows in Montpelier, Vermont. Evelyn was born July 17, 1909, in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Samuel Sigel and Bessie Rich. Her mother died in the influenza epidemic of 1918, and Etta Rich later became Evelyn’s stepmother. Evelyn had four brothers and one sister, all of whom predeceased her. Evelyn attended public school and Girls’ Latin School in Boston. She graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Radcliffe College, then earned a Master of Social Work degree from Smith College School for Social Work and a postgraduate degree at Pennsylvania School of Social Work. She was a lifelong member of the National Association of Social Workers and enjoyed a long career as a psychiatric social worker. Evelyn was an active tennis player and swimmer, thriving at these activities into her 80s. She was a voracious reader and active theater-goer. She took particular joy in the English language, which was evident in any conversation, in spelling bees, and especially on the Scrabble board. Evelyn lived good portions of her life in Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut. She traveled a great deal throughout the United States and Canada, and also enjoyed a trip to Scotland, England, and France. In 2004, she moved to Westview Meadows in Montpelier, Vermont, to be near family, where she enjoyed good friends and an active life. Evelyn was predeceased by her husband, Harry Baer, to whom she was married for 42 years before his death in 1975. Later in life, Everett Wilson was her companion for 16 years and a grandfather to Evelyn’s grandchildren until his death in 2003. She is survived by her daughter Ellen Ruth Baer, of Rutledge, Tennessee; her daughter Jane Emily Youngbaer and son-in-law, Peter Youngbaer, of Plainfield, Vermont; four grandchildren Richard Seaman and wife Karol Seaman, Thomas Seaman and wife Colleen Seaman, Emily Youngbaer Smith and husband Neil Smith, and Benjamin Youngbaer; and three great-grandchildren, Charles Seaman, Brianna Leggett, and Iris Evelyn Smith. She was also much loved by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Marie Marsh Calvin, Class of 1951

Marie Marsh Calvin died May 28, 2014, due to complications from heart surgery. She was 89. Marie was a lifelong social worker who embraced the social change she witnessed over nearly nine decades. She particularly appreciated the change in attitudes toward the LGBT community, people living with HIV, and individuals of other faiths and national origins. Marie earned her bachelor’s degree at Elmira College and her master’s degree in clinical social work at Smith College School for Social Work. During her SSW field placement in Chicago, Marie met her future husband Robert Calvin. The couple married in 1954. Five years later, they moved to Connecticut, where Marie worked for many years as a therapist with Child and Family Services (now The Village for Families and Children) in Manchester. Marie’s commitment to inclusiveness led to hosting inner-city children at her home

during the summer, volunteering for a federal program that promoted people-to-people democracy, and advocating for the LGBT community. In the early 1990s, Marie was a co-president of the Hartford chapter of PFLAG—an organization that provides support and advocacy for families and friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. She participated in LGBT pride marches, counseled families struggling to come to terms with their children’s sexual identities, and staffed a suicide hotline. Marie also worked with adults and children living with AIDS and served as part of a Christian ministry at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic, Connecticut. Her family recalls Marie as a woman with tremendous energy and eagerness to experience life, who embraced adventure and never shied away from challenging society’s expectations of older women. She was a walker and avid tennis player, but also began

New Fund Established in Honor of Clara Genetos, M.S.S. Class of 1954. This summer Irmgard Wessel, M.S.S. ’52, contacted the Office of Alumni Affairs to tell us that she was terminally ill and she wanted to do two things before she died. She wanted to establish a scholarship fund and she wanted to honor her long-time friend and colleague, Clara Genetos, M.S.S. ’54. Irm, as she was known to friends, wrote: “This fund honors Clara Genetos, who has been a faithful friend, loyal colleague, committed volunteer, and outstanding social worker. Throughout her illustrious career, Clara has demonstrated high integrity and ethics, strong leadership and administration, excellence in patient care, a strong commitment to teaching, advising and promoting the profession of social work. In 1961, Clara became the first social worker in child psychiatry at Montefiore Hospital of Bronx, NY. Under her leadership, the department became one of the most highly respected clinical social work settings in the country. As a result of her leadership, generations of social work students have benefitted from the opportunities that she developed and sustained. She has promoted Smith College School for Social Work as a supervisor, faculty field advisor, officer in the Alumni Council, 1918 Fellowship Society Chair, and contributing member. In 1996, she was awarded the Day-Garrett Award—the highest honor of Smith College School for Social Work. Clara Genetos is an exemplar for students in the field of clinical social work, so it is fitting that future students who benefit from this scholarship will be inspired by her good works.” smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk 43


in memoriam

Class of 1919

Class of 1941

Class of 1955

Class of 1974

Amy Luce Tooker

Marion Johnson Curtis

John M. Lynch

Class of 1956

Class of 1980

Elizabeth Knight Kasanin

Betty Rosenbaum Bloom Dorothy Coddington Kouri Harriet Gates Oman

Ann M. Pappi

Carol P. Lohman

Class of 1928

Class of 1942

Class of 1957

Class of 1983

Maurine Meis Withers

Edith Lewis Caron Jean Bovard Sanville

Eleanor Anglin Price Granville

David M. Katz

Class of 1943

Class of 1961

Ruth Eastman Hassett Lucille E. Rich

Kathleen A. Novak

Mary E. Richards

Class of 1948

Greta M. Cina

Class of 1924

Class of 1929 M. Louise Thompson

Class of 1931 Evelyn Sigel Baer

Class of 1933 Elaine Rappaport Barkin

Class of 1936 Natalie Isaacs

Class of 1938

Frances A. Williams

Class of 1950 Mary Elizabeth Mead

Class of 1951

Harriet Albert Bookheim Else Weber Goldman

Marie Marsh Calvin Mary Jameson Rusnak Carol Sheldon

Class of 1940

Class of 1952

Sylvia Polsky Davis

Margaret Kunishige Ushijima Irmgard Rosenzweig Wessel

Class of 1988 Class of 1989

Class of 1962

Elaine Krepela

Class of 1990

Class of 1963

Morag A. Teek

Nancy Fowlkes

Class of 1992

Class of 1965

Kerry Leavitt

Amy Talley Ferguson Evelyn M. Stinchcomb

Class of 1969

Class of 1999 Michele Campion

Barbara A. Blum

Friends

Class of 1971

Ruth Cramer Roy Freed

Lucia P. Ewing

InDepth runs obituaries that are submitted by family, friends, or classmates. Please submit obituaries to indepth@smith.edu or to InDepth, Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, MA 01063. InDepth obituaries are notices for the alumni community and not intended to repeat all of the information contained in newspaper obituaries. Newspaper obituaries cannot be reprinted.

tap dancing when she was 80 and went bungee jumping on a trampoline. At age 85, Marie and her daughter, Kate, got matching tattoos of the phrase “Compassionate Laughter.” In addition to her husband, Robert, Marie leaves her daughters, Kate Calvin and Linda Kern, her son, Steven Calvin, and three grandchildren.

Irmgard Rosenzweig Wessel, Class of 1952

Irmgard Rosenzweig Wessel died on Saturday, September 20, 2014, at her home in New Haven, CT. She was 88 years old, and had lung cancer. Irm, as she was widely known, was born in 44 in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Kassel, Germany, on November 12, 1925. After Kristallnacht in November 1938, her parents, Louis and Grete Kaufmann Rosenzweig, sent her to England on the Kindertransport, which brought nearly 10,000 children, predominantly Jews, from Germany and neighboring countries to safety. When her boat docked in England at 6:30 AM on a cold morning, a group of ladies handed all the children metal cups of English tea and dry biscuits. In Irm’s words, “I don’t remember much, but it hit me at that moment that there must be a better way to help kids who were used to hot cocoa and freshly baked hard rolls. I think this was the start of my becoming a social worker.”

It was a calling that lasted for more than 75 years, and a life that touched uncounted numbers of clients at Family Counseling of Greater New Haven (CT), scores of friends for whom she was a constant confidante and counselor, a community that she sought tirelessly to change for the better, and her loving family. After a 19-month separation, Irm was reunited with her parents in 1940 in New York, sheltered by the American Friends Service Committee in Scattergood, Iowa, and eventually resettled in Eureka, Illinois. She attended Eureka College on a full scholarship and graduated in 1947. In 1952, Irm earned a Master of Social


in memorium Ann M. Pappi, Class of 1956

Work degree at Smith College School for Social Work. After a 10-year break from the workforce to be at home with her four children, she returned to the practice of clinical social work in 1964, at Family Counseling of Greater New Haven, where she was on the staff for nearly 40 years. During that time, she served as president of the AFSCME Local 39 and was a trustee of the New Haven Central Labor Council. She also was active in several professional organizations, including the Connecticut Society for Clinical Social Work and the Council on Social Work Education, and in various local community organizations, including Aging at Home, the New Haven Community Soup Kitchen, the New Haven/Leon Sister City Project, and the Greater New Haven Labor History Association. Irm is survived by her husband, Morris Wessel, a retired pediatrician, whom she first encountered when he was riding a bicycle down the corridors of the Mayo Clinic, where they were both working. She also leaves their children, David of Washington, D.C., Bruce of Santa Monica, California, Paul of New Haven, Connecticut, and Lois of Takoma Park, Maryland; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Her brother, Ernst Rosenzweig, died in 2011. Irm was a proud and loyal alumna. In 2004, Smith recognized her with the Day-Garrett Award for distinguished service to the School and the profession. This July, upon learning that she was terminally ill, Irm established a scholarship fund (see box on page 43) in honor of her friend, Clara M. Genetos, M.S.S. ’54, to provide annual scholarship support for an outstanding M.S.W. student.

Ann M. Pappi, 79, of Wareham, Massachusetts, died Oct. 3, 2013, in Tobey Hospital, Wareham, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of the late Alfred and Inez (Guidaboni) Pappi. She was born in New Bedford, and lived in Wareham and New York City for many years. She graduated from Wareham High School and Smith College. She went on to earn a Master of Social Work degree from Smith College School for Social Work. Ann was a gifted clinical social worker who became a supervisor, mentor, and administrator in various settings, including the Payne-Whitney Psychiatric Clinic of Cornell Medical College in New York, and most recently the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. She always remembered her time at Smith—both undergraduate and at the School for Social Work—with deep affection and gratitude. Her social work training was a transformative experience for her, filled with learning, great classmates, and mentors. She remained active in Smith alumnae activities over the years. Ann’s caring spirit, lively intellect, sense of humor, and appreciation of life enriched the lives of her family, friends, colleagues, and clients. She was always ready to lend a hand, share a laugh, or anything in between. In recent years, Ann was active in local community organizations. She was a member of the Wareham Historical Society and the Wamsutta Club in New Bedford, and was a supporter of the Wareham Free Library. Survivors include her sister, Jane MacNeil of Boston; a niece, Elizabeth L. Merrick, and her husband, Brian, of Somerville; a nephew, David MacNeil, and his wife, Patricia, of Alexandria, VA. Ann will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.

Kerry Leavitt, Class of 1992

Kerry Leavitt, M.S.W. ’92, died on Friday, August 22, 2014, in her home in Ivy, Virginia, in Albemarle County. The cause of death was suicide. A native of California, Kerry received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1983 and a Master of Social Work from the Smith College School for Social Work in 1992. She later taught treatment of trauma courses as an adjunct faculty member at SSW. A licensed clinical social worker (L.C.S.W.), she began practicing as a psychotherapist and trauma consultant in Charlottesville (VA) in 1999. A gifted therapist, she helped hundreds of local residents. Drawing from her expertise in the treatment of complex trauma, she served as a consultant and mentor to other therapists,

and as a clinical consultant to The Women’s Initiative in its first year. Known for her highly developed intuitive skills and her grounded compassion, she was constantly learning and developing new skills. Kerry’s professional articles appeared in a variety of mental health journals, and she lectured about traumarelated topics nationally and internationally. As adjunct faculty for University of Virginia Medical School’s Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction, she traveled with a delegation to the Republic of Georgia to provide training to trauma therapists for torture victims. A long-time practitioner of meditation, she taught mindfulness practices to female inmates at the maximum security facility in Fluvanna (VA). She recently taught classes through UVA’s Department of Continuing and Professional Studies, including “Understanding Self: A User’s Guide.” Prior to her career as a therapist, Kerry worked in United States presidential politics and as a staff member in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. An animal lover, she enjoyed walking in nature with her friends and her beloved border collie, Sukha, who was known to many as Kerry’s “co-therapist.” She was an active member of the local “conscious dance” community and was often seen sharing her light on the dance floor. She leaves behind her geographical family, Susan Greene, Larry Stopper, Robin Bernhard, Sandy Rakowitz, and Penny Chang, as well as many dear friends and colleagues, her beloved clients, and her dearest Sukha. If you have questions about this tragic loss of our valued alumna, please contact Dawn Faucher in the Office of Alumni Affairs at dfaucher@smith.edu.

Roy Freed, SSW friend and husband of the late Anne O. Freed, Class of 1941 Roy Freed—who helped local Bulgarian immigrants build a community, lectured throughout Greater Boston on the challenges of aging and the workings of the mind, and mentored young adults as they pursued their careers—died June 26, 2014, at Orchard Cove in Canton, Massachusetts. He was 97. Roy remained active until about a month ago, when his health took a sudden downturn. A profile about him appeared in the Boston Globe on the same day he died. During his 40-year career as a lawyer, Roy pioneered the field of computer law and helped found what became the International Technology Law Association. A sculptor who worked with found objects, he also helped launch the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk 45


annual giving report LEADERSHIP GIFTS: GIFTS & BEQUESTS OF $10,000 OR MORE Anonymous Estate of Edith Karlin Atkin, M.S.S. ’30 ​ Estate of Selma B. Brown, M.S.W. ’65​ Estate of Mary K. Harmon, A.B. ’48 ​ G. Helena Wijkman Devereux, A.B. ’64 Betty I. Morningstar, A.B. ’74, M.S.W. ’77, Ph.D. ’89, and Jeanette Kruger, friend Jean Bovard Sanville, M.S.S. ‘42 †

A Note From The Dean

I

n my first few months as dean, I have been struck repeatedly by the generosity of the Smith community. Over the past year, contributions to our Annual Fund totaled $255,000—nearly $30,000 more than the previous year. This significant swell of support allows us to increase funding of student scholarships by 20% this year. The Annual Giving Report on this page lists all of the gifts that were received by the School between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. Each gift contributes to the opportunities we can offer our students and each is deeply appreciated. As I have gotten to know the SSW community, I have been inspired by the rich history of the School and by the generosity of its alumni and friends. The School has always been, and continues to be, widely acknowledged as the nation’s premier institution for clinical social work education. That reputation is earned every year by our dedicated faculty and our talented students—and it is made possible by the generous support of all of our donors. I feel fortunate and proud to have joined the Smith community. I thank you for your commitment and look forward to working with you to help ensure the future of the Smith College School for Social Work for generations to come. Sincerely,

Marianne Yoshioka, M.S.W., Ph.D. Dean and Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor

1918 FELLOWSHIP SOCIETY COMMITTEE Chair of Development Yvette Colón, M.S.W. ’90, Ph.D. Solicitors Betsey Edwards, M.S.W. ’84 Clara M. Genetos, M.S.S. ’54 Ann L. Overbeck, M.S.S. ’57 Linda Plaut, M.S.W. ’88 Anne Spaulding Rose, M.S.W. ’98 Sybil Cohen Schreiber, M.S.W. ’63

46 in depth | Fa ll 201 4

BETTY SYNAR LEADERSHIP DONORS: GIFTS & BEQUESTS OF $5,000 – $9,999 Aline Bier, M.S.S. ’54 Katherine Gabel, A.B. ’59 James A. and Elizabeth K. Fletcher Fund BENEFACTORS: GIFTS OF $1,500-$4,999 Dorothy A. Brier, M.S.S. ’54 Cheryl Clark, M.S.W. ’84 William Strickler Etnyre, Ph.D. ’05 Clara M. Genetos, M.S.S. ’54 Carolyn Jacobs, friend Laurie Peter, M.S.W. ’91, and Betsy J. Bernard, friend​ Roland S. Philip, friend Mina Katzenberg Schapiro, friend Jeanne Suzanne Seidler, M.S.W. ’00 William Foulds Trust PATRONS: GIFTS OF $1,000 - $1,499 Elaine Joseph Abramson, M.S.S. ’59 Donna Church Bryant, M.S.W. ’62 Al Getz, Jr., M.S.W. ’74 Linda J. Green, M.S.W. ’77, and William Green, friend Jeana Hayes-Carrier, M.S.W. ’84, Ph.D. ’02 Zora Lucyk Jackson, M.S.W. ’63 Mary Ann Du Mond Kerr, M.S.W. ’64, and Douglas Kerr, friend Jean LaTerz, M.S.W. ’91 Geoffrey Walker Locke, M.S.W. ’98, Ph.D. ’11 Shelly Ogden Sage, M.S.W. ’91, and John Sage, friend ​ Carol Weisbein Spero, M.S.W. ’62 Josephine Merritt Tervalon, M.S.W. ’63 Kathleen E. Venter, M.S.W. ’74​​​​​ Isabel MacLeod Walker, S.W.N.D. Samuel Weisbard, friend SPONSORS: GIFTS OF $500 - $999 Clare Teresa Casademont, M.S.W. ’05 Betsey Edwards, M.S.W. ’84 Lynn Johnson Frohnmayer, M.S.W. ’69, and David B. Frohnmayer, friend​ Judith Saeks Gabel, M.S.W. ’80 Barbara A. Granville, M.S.W. ’92 Robert S. Grayson, friend Eleanor Howe, A.B. ’65, and James Howe, friend ​

​ ​

Jan Clark Jekel, M.S.S. ’58 Rebecca Beatty Lohr, M.S.W. ’63​​​​ Barbara French Meiners, M.S.W. ’79, and David J. Meiners, friend​​ Dorothy M. Miller, C.R.T. ’85 Gwen Morgan-White, M.S.W. ’76 Carole M. Mucha, Ph.D. ’95 Jessica Elaine Nedd-Troupe, M.S.W. ’97 Katherine Bloomfield Oberholtzer, M.S.W. ’83 Ann L. Overbeck, M.S.S. ’57, Ph.D. ’72 Rosietta Sanders Brown, M.S.W. ’63 Daniel Orton Sapoznick, M.S.W. ’03 Sybil Cohen Schreiber, M.S.W. ’63 Winifred Berry Simmons, M.S.W. ’11​​​ Lawrence B. Smith, M.S.W. ’82 Howard D. Snooks, M.S.W. ’75, Ph.D. ’92 SSW Class of 2013 Catherine Staskavich, M.S.W. ’74 Emily Coleman Stoddard, M.S.W. ’05​​​ Richard Trachtman, Ph.D. ’78 Christopher C. Vaughan, Ph.D. ’06 Janice Wagner, M.S.W. ’82 Audrey Thayer Walker, M.S.S. ’59 Susan Wilson, friend FELLOWS: GIFTS OF $300 - $499 Jacqueline D. Anderson, A.B. ’80 Claire Asarnow, M.S.W. ’72 Amy Claire Barkin, M.S.W. ’71 William A. Behr, M.S.W. ’76 Donna Christine Bell, M.S.W. ’07 Karen F. Bellows, Ph.D. ’99 Natalie Holzman Bernardoni, M.S.W. ’72 Joan N. Berzoff, M.S.W. ’74 Dorothy Anne Blatt, M.S.W. ’89 Mary Ellen Bloniarz, M.S.W. ’75 Frances Camper, M.S.W. ’82 Deborah L. Cantor, M.S.W. ’72 Jan S. Cehn, M.S.W. ’79 Gloria T. Chevers, M.S.S. ’55 Alice Chornesky, M.S.W. ’78. Ph.D. ’90 Yvette Colón, M.S.W. ’90 Elizabeth A. Delima, friend John A. Dolven, M.S.W. ’72 Judith Dolven, friend Goldie Eder, M.S.W. ’80 Joyce E. Everett, friend Lucia P. Ewing, friend† Ellinor Klein Forland, M.S.S. ’61, and Marvin Forland, friend Elizabeth B. Gaskill, M.S.W. ’65 Rosa Cunningham Harris, M.S.W. ’74 Phoebe Harris Millman, A.B. ’92, M.S.W. ’03 Shirley Issel, M.S.W. ’70 Liz Beth Johnston, M.S.W. ’84, Ph.D. ’13 Emily Meira Koplik, M.S.W. ’93 Catherine Lewis, M.S.W. ’89 Ellen Thompson Luepker, M.S.W. ’66 Alton R. Mayo, friend


annual giving report Elizabeth Habach McCollum, M.S.W. ‘65 Monica McGoldrick, M.S.W. ’69 Dennis Miehls, Ph.D. ’89 Donna A. Miller, M.S.W. ’73 Walter D. Miller, M.S.W. ’73 Margaret Moore, M.S.W. ’81 Linda Plaut, M.S.W. ’88 Nora Rado, M.S.S. ’57 Deborah Raphael, M.S.W. ’75 Gary J. Raymond, M.S.W. ’80 J. Robin Robb, Ph.D. ’81 Michael James Rogers, C.R.T. ’09 Anne Spaulding Rose, M.S.W. ’98 Judith E. Roth, M.S.W. ’79​​​​​ Audrey S. Schoenwald, M.S.S. ’58 Christine Rupard Scotten, M.S.W. ’72 Anne Page Shields, M.S.W. ’71 Christine E. Smith, M.S.W. ’68 Janna M. Smith, M.S.W. ’79 Judith L. Spitz, M.S.W. ’83 Caroline Schindler Strout, M.S.S. ’56 Amy Yatzkan Trachtenberg, M.S.W. ’77 Marilyn Voigt, M.S.S. ’56 Angelia Jewel Washington, M.S.W. ’03 Nicholes Weingarten, M.S.W. ’70 Margaret S. Wool, Ph.D. ’86 Amelie Susan Zurn-Galinsky, M.S.W. ’96 Annual fund Gifts of $1 to 299 Nancy Gerrity Achilles, M.S.W. ’82 John Alterman, M.S.W. ’81 Lynn Marie Anderson, M.S.W. ’04 Eric Anderson, friend Joseph Alexander, M.S.W. ’88 Jean Louise Aniebona, M.S.W. ’73 Anonymous Donna Dickson Arling, M.S.W. ’69 Alice Aronow, M.S.W. ’67 Floyd H. Ashlaw, Jr., M.S.W. ’70 Catherine L. Atchison, M.S.W. ’84 Merilee R. Atkins, M.S.W. ’64 Mary Beth Averill, M.S.W. ’86 Lee Meredith Baker, M.S.W. ’98 Betty J. Ball, M.S.W. ’64 Harriet Janney Ball, A.B. ’57, M.S.W. ’88 Georgia Louise Banks, M.S.W. ’08 Philippe A. Barrette, M.S.W. ’71, Ph.D. ’91 Edward A. Becker, M.S.W. ’83 Marsha R. B. Beller, M.S.W. ’81 Katherine Bennett, M.S.W. ’82 Roe Chase Bernardini, M.S.W. ’77 MaryJane Carter Bertolini, M.S.W. ’91 Virginia L. Bestwick, M.S.W. ’71 Linda C. Blanco, M.S.W. ’74 Sandra E. Blaney, friend Monica Blauner, M.S.W. ’79 Rachel Segall, M.S.W. ’95, and James Hurley, friend ​ Roberta M. Boam, M.S.W. ’68 John A. Bogardus, M.S.W. ’80 Beverly A. Bomhoff, M.S.W. ’68 Sophie Helen Borowski, M.S.W. ’94 Sarah Wells Bowen, M.S.W. ’71

Sara A. Bowlden, M.S.W. ’73 Lilli Bradin, M.S.W. ’73 Thomas E. Brauner, Ph.D. ’03 Jonathan Barnett Brody, M.S.W. ’05 Frederick R. Brown, M.S.W. ’74 Ann Anderson Brownbeck, M.S.W. ’81 David Browning, M.S.W. ’80, and Nancy Lax, M.S.W. ’79 Richard Peter Brunswick, M.S.W. ’03 Daniel L. Buccino, M.S.W. ’89 Margaret Waller Burhoe, M.S.W. ’76, Ph.D. ’90 Judy Byck, M.S.W. ’90 Pamela G. Campagna, M.S.W. ’85 Ellen Libby Cannel, A.B. ’62 Eugene Espejo Canotal, M.S.W. ’09 Alissa Nickey Carlilno, M.S.W. ’03​​​ Kathleen Noble Carroll, M.S.W. ’78 Brianne Elyse Carter, M.S.W. ’08 Janet Bintzler Cerella, M.S.W. ’69 Elizabeth Choi, M.S.S. ’60 Lorna G. Christensen, M.S.W. ’79 Arlene Christian, M.S.W. ’67 Kathleen M. Chronley, M.S.W. ’06 Linda Christine Chupkowski, M.S.W. ’07 Joanne Shenk Cohen, M.S.W. ’85 Louise Dine Cohen, M.S.S. ’54 Samantha Gorton Coit Becker, M.S.W. ’02 Sandra Miller Condon, M.S.W. ’67 Joanne Corbin, friend Catherine Ives Cornell, M.S.W. ’80 Stephanie Birk Costello, M.S.S. ’91 Judith Cressy Crosley, M.S.W. ’70, and Carl J. Crosley, friend Joel Dansky, M.S.W. ’85 Kathryn Bliss Davis, M.S.W. ’02, Ph.D. ’13 Tobias K. Davis, A.B. ’03 Carol Radov Deanow, M.S.W. ’71 Brandin G. Dear, M.S.W. ’06 Swaran Dhawan, M.S.W. ’63 Charlotte Sellers Diamond, M.S.W. ’69 Maureen C. Didier, Ph.D. ’67 Therese DiLisi-Kastellic, M.S.W. ’88 Jessica Rose Donohue, M.S.W. ’09 Thomas W. Dorrance, M.S.W. ’78 James Drisko, M.S.W. ’77 Carolyn Selby du Bois, M.S.W. ’76 Anne Dudley, M.S.W. ’82 Mary Maples Dunn, friend Paul G. Dunn, friend Lisa B. Eberhart, M.S.W. ’84 Sally R. Edelstein, M.S.S. ’53 Robert G. Edge and Betty Edge, friends Evelyn Craig Edmondson, M.S.W. ’69 Edward P. Eismann, Ph.D. ’67 Pearl Elias, M.S.W. ’77 Elizabeth Cahn Weiss, A.B. ’75 Margot Turitz Elkin, M.S.S. ’60 Linda A. Engel, M.S.W. ’73 Abigail B. Erdmann, A.B. ’69 Margaret Robison Espinola, M.S.W. ’64 James D. Estin, M.S.W. ’81 Sherri Lynn Ettinger, M.S.W. ’92, Ph.D. ’04 Thalia D. Falcon, M.S.W. ’96

Karen Rengier Farmer, M.S.W. ’72 Dawn M. Faucher, friend Hazel Ames Feiker, A.B. ‘39, M.S.S. ’41 Catherine Myers Feldman, M.S.W. ’80 Elizabeth Cleveland Fenzel, M.S.W. ’10 Peggy Fiddler-Fleisher, M.S.W. ’77 Sherry Fine, M.S.W. ’88 Alida Elizabeth Fischer, M.S.W. ’92 Carol J. Fitzsimmons, M.S.W. ’66 Marian Kornbluth Flagg, M.S.W. ’62 Nicholas Fleisher, M.S.W. ’77 Judith Burbank Fradin, M.S.W. ’78 Mary Webb France, M.S.S. ’50 Martha Julia Freimuth, M.S.W. ’98 Jackie Frey, M.S.W. ’73 Jerome Friedman, M.S.W. ’81 Elizabeth Fung, C.R.T. ’84 Eleanor Panysh Fusaro, A.B. ’52, M.S.S. ’54 Martha A. Gabriel, M.S.W. ’68, Ph.D. ’83 Terry Galen, M.S.W. ’84 Debra Kaye Garner, M.S.W. ’07 M. Josephine Gately, M.S.W. ’66 Nancy Kittredge Geiser, M.S.S. ’58 John Jacob Getgey, M.S.W. ’91 Susan Ross Gibbons, M.S.W. ’76, Ph.D. ’12 Patricia Ann Gilbert, friend Robin M. Gilmartin, M.S.W. ’95 Corrina Birnbaum Gitterman, M.S.W. ’00 Paul Douglas Gitterman, M.S.W. ’94 Patricia U. Giulino, M.S.W. ’81 Nancy Glimm, M.S.W. ’89 J. Treasa Kownacky Glinnwater, M.S.W. ’81 Shirley Ilgovsky Goldstein, M.S.S. ’53 Ross Goodwin-Brown, M.S.W. ’85 Diane T. Gordon, M.S.W. ’71 Janet Gottler, M.S.W. ’84 Helen Maria Graham, M.S.W. ’91 Richard B. Granahan, M.S.W. ’79 Cathleen Holland Grant, M.S.W. ’73 Tova Schwartz Green, M.S.W. ’67 Christopher Greene, M.S.W. ’84 Debra E. Grollman, M.S.W. ’95 Lucy A. Grosvenor, M.S.W. ’72 Judith K. Guthrie, M.S.W. ’66 Fanny Gutierrez-Meyers, M.S.W. ’03 Jackson K. Haberman, M.S.W. ’78 Cornelia Birgel Haile, A.B. ’66, M.S.W. ’68 Megan E. Hall, M.S.W. ’84 Linda Halpern, M.S.W. ’63 Alice Baumann Henry, M.S.W. ’63 Meg C. Hertz, M.S.W. ’82 Patricia E. Hertz, M.S.W. ’82 Elizabeth Himes, M.S.W. ’94 Irene L. Hoffman, friend Gabrielle Stevens Holder, E.D.M. ’95, M.S.W. ’03 Mark W. Holladay and Carol W. Holladay, friends Priscilla Holliday, M.S.S. ’58 Cole Hooley, M.S.W. ’09 Valerie Hooper-Lindros, friend John Hubbell, M.S.W. ’81

Michael Kehoe Hubner, A.B. ’69, M.S.W. ’80 Jennifer Hillison Hudner, M.S.W. ’81 Holly V. Humphreys, Ph.D. ’89 Alice Mary Michael Hymel, M.S.W. ’66 Mary Elizabeth Iannuccillo, M.S.W. ’82 Carol Bunnell Ilvonen, M.S.W. ’71 Joan Torgoff Israel, M.S.S. ’54 Eileen G. Ivey, M.S.W. ’75 Yen Bui Izanec, M.S.W. ’70 Rupa Bhat Jani, M.S.W. ’64 Connie G. Janssen, M.S.W. ’74 Jan Clark Jekel, M.S.S. ’58 Elizabeth Jenkins, M.S.W. ’82 Carol Jensen, Ph.D. ’90 Judith Jhirad-Reich, M.S.S. ’61 Sabrina Johnston, M.S.W. ’07 Deborah Judd, M.S.W. ’79 Laurie Smeerin Kabb, M.S.W. ’76 Sylvia Y. Kaneko, Ph.D. ’71 Hye-Kyung Stella Kang, friend Joel S. Kanter, M.S.W. ’74 Kim Karlin-Rakusin, M.S.S. ’59 Marlene S. Katz and Gerald B. Katz, friends John L. Kavanaugh, M.S.W. ’73 Elizabeth King Keenan, Ph.D. ’01 Constance D. K. Kellogg, M.S.W. ’65 Deborah A. Kelly, M.S.W. ’85 Kathleen Karen Kelly, M.S.W. ’00 Beth Kemler, Ph.D. ’81 Teresa A. Kennedy, M.S.W. ’82 James F. Kennedy, M.S.W. ’69 Elizabeth Rodriguez Keyes, Ph.D. ’06, and Dennis S. Keyes, friend Lenore Neustaetter Khan, M.S.W. ’76 Bok-Lim C. Kim, M.S.W. ’64 Elisabeth Galvin Kirsch, A.B. ’62, M.S.W. ’64 Erica Kirsners, M.S.W. ’76 Frances Z. Kleinman, M.S.S. ’49 Ellen Gird Knapp, M.S.W. ’67 Margaret Vaughn Komives, M.S.W. ’92 Phyllis S. Kosky, M.S.S. ’46 Carol L. Kress, M.S.W. ’85 Brian C. Kugel, M.S.W. ’78 Karol Runing Kullberg, M.S.W. ’76 Thomas Stanley Larson, friend Rose Ellen Latino, Ph.D. ’11 Bridget Elizaeth Leach, M.S.W. ’03 James Lester Ledbetter, M.S.W. ’92 Rosabelle La Place Leifer, M.S.W. ’66 Virginia Beuthel Leitz, M.S.S. ’56 Joan Seegal Lenzner, M.S.W. ’62 Simone Lichty, M.S.W. ’09 Jeanne Marie Liechty, M.S.W. ’94 Holly Grace Light, M.S.W. ’09 Alice Sedler Linder, M.S.W. ’68 Renee Michelle Lindquist, M.S.W. ’03 Elizabeth Lochte, M.S.W. ’67 Pamela Lotenberg, M.S.W. ’92, Ph.D. ’03 Ronald Lovett, M.S.W. ’77 Kathleen Mead Lowe, M.S.W. ’75 Dorothy MacKay, M.S.S. ’57

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk 47


annual giving report Julie Colety Maisch, M.S.S. ’54 Deborah Malcarne, M.S.W. ’82 Barbara Mandell, M.S.W. ’75 Kathleen Manges-Bell, M.S.W. ’87 Mariann Mankowski, Ph.D. ’12 Gaetana M. Manuele, M.S.W. ’67 Alice Marcus, M.S.W. ’70 Margaret Hasslock Pennington, M.S.W. ’65 Kathleen Martin, M.S.W. ’89 Irene Rodriguez Martin, friend Parsla Krievs Mason, M.S.W. ’64 Lisa Master, M.S.W. ’88 Sally Mazur, M.S.W. ’90 Betsy Marsden McConnell, M.S.W. ’88 Alva Ayers McGovern, M.S.W. ’87 Susan M. McGrath, M.S.W. ’83 Dorothy H. Meacham, M.S.W. ’75 Harriet Harrison Mechanik, M.S.S. ’59 Anne Lauma Meijers, M.S.W. ’02 Bonnie Kauffman Melloul, M.S.W. ’70 Deborah Rudnick Menashi, M.S.S. ’58 Rachel Segall, M.S.W. ’95, and James Hurley, friend Barbara Skelskie Mer, M.S.W. ’74 Alexandra Milgram, M.S.W. ’64 Davina Miller, M.S.W. ’83, and Joshua L. Miller, friend Jill Blum Millis, M.S.W. ’77 Fay J. Mittleman, M.S.W. ’69 Sarah Behr Moaba, M.S.W. ’83 Sarah Bard Moore, A.B. ’59, M.S.W. ’84 Cathleen Marie Morey, M.S.W. ’00 Marie J. Morris, M.S.W. ’84 Sara Jane Moss, M.S.W. ’82 Cynthia Irene Mulder, M.S.W. ’99 Marilyn K. Muller, M.S.W. ’76 Martha G. Munger, M.S.W. ’80 Janis C. Nadler, M.S.W. ’95 Dorsey Tobin Naylor, M.S.W. ’67 Rebecca Reetz Neal, M.S.W. ’67 Janet S. Neer, M.S.W. ’66 Barbara Jean Nelson, M.S.W. ’91 Fred A. Newdom, friend Ellen Emerson Nigrosh, A.B. ’74, M.S.W. ’80, Ph.D. ’94 Kathleen O’Brien, M.S.W. ’80 Catherine A. O’Brien, M.S.W. ’76 Lelia O’Connell, M.S.W. ’89 Margaret M. O’Neill, friend Adele Swing Oppenheim, M.S.W. ’79 Carolyn J. Otto, M.S.W. ’65 Betty B. Parham, M.S.W. ’71 Pamela Peirce, M.S.W. ’95 Jean Kranz, Pendergrass, M.S.S. ’42 Katharine Perkins, M.S.W. ’80 Arielle Lee Perry, M.S.W. ’01 Heidi Peterson, M.S.W. ’89 Marjorie G. Pett, M.S.W. ’68 Anita Pilzer, friend​​​​​​ Neal Pilzer, friend​​​​​​ Anna Marie Pizza Caruso, M.S.W. ’99 Gertrude Weissman Pollock, M.S.S. ’43

48

in depth | Fa ll 201 4

Judith Forsythe Powell, M.S.W. ’62 Janet L. Pray, M.S.W. ’63 Leslie Preston, M.S.W. ’94 Elizabeth Prete, M.S.W. ’81 Terry Jay Price, M.S.W. ’91 Marsha Kline Pruett, friend Pamela Raab, A.B. ’76, M.S.W. ’80 Helene Rabinovitz, friend Wendy Sheila Radding, M.S.W. ’97 Mark Radosta, M.S.W. ’78 Nancy Ellen Reder, M.S.W. ’93 Wendy Redman-Jones, M.S.W. ’77 Maya Vishram Rege-Colt, M.S.W. ’92 Francine D.Reich, M.S.W. ’83 Laura Reiter, M.S.W. ’78 Wenda Marion Loach Restall, M.S.W. ’93 Aleda M. Richter-West, M.S.W. ’72 John Ritchie, M.S.W. ’10 Charles A. Rizzuto, friend Jane Robinson, M.S.W. ’96 Deanna L. Rosen, M.S.W. ’78 Elaine E. Rosen, M.S.W. ’83 Ilse W. Ross, M.S.S. ’51 Sheila G. Rossbach, M.S.W. ’65 Mary Jauquet Royer, M.S.W. ’76 DiannaLynn Rumsey, M.S.W. ’91 Helen R. Rupkey, M.S.S. ’51 Katherine Ryan, M.S.W. ’81 Patricia B. Ryan, M.S.W. ’73 Elizabeth Salomon, C.R.T. ’82 Melinda Salzman, M.S.W. ’79 M. Doris Lloyd Scalise, M.S.S. ’57 Edythe Nitzberg Scharlop, M.S.S. ’44 Brenda Hirsch Schimmel, M.S.W. ’65 Esther Marks Schleifer, A.B. ’55, M.S.S. ’57 Annesley Kean Schmidt, M.S.W. ’64 Katherine Hobson, Schneider, M.S.W. ’83 Alan Schroffel, M.S.W. ’98 Amy Scott, M.S.W. ’84 Cecelia Marie Frack Scott, M.S.W. ’93 Robert Sehi, C.R.T. ’12 Margaret L. Seiler, M.S.W. ’84 Michele R. Seligman, M.S.W. ’68 Cindy F. Shapiro, M.S.W. ’86 Joan E. Shapiro, M.S.W. ’79 Elizabeth Plantz Sharp, M.S.W. ’00 Merri Lea Shaw, M.S.W. ’77 Katherine Shea, M.S.W. ’78 Phyllis Shepard-Spiro, Ph.D. ’83 Shirley Ilgovsky Goldstein, M.S.S. ’53 Joy B. Rabinowitz, M.S.S. ’58 Leslie Scharff Siembieda, M.S.W. ’94 Phyllis Rolfe Silverman, M.S.S. ’54 Grazina M. Simkus, M.S.W. ’79 Earnestine Williams Simpson, M.S.W. ’71 Sandra Hurwich Sislowitz, M.S.W. ’67 Claire Denise Siverson, M.S.W. ’91 Maris Smith, M.S.W. ’77 Joan C. Smith, M.S.S. ’53 Jan Iris Smith, M.S.W. ’83 Jean Chapin Smith, M.S.S. ’54

Margaret Dunham Smith, M.S.W. ’62 Caroline Rae Smith, M.S.W. ’00 Deborah Smith-Blackmer, M.S.W. ’74 Eric Sobel, friend​​​​​​ Lynn Sobel, friend​​​​​​ Cheryl Harris Sober, M.S.W. ’73 Joan Thurston Spear, M.S.S. ’50 Caroline H. Stanhope, M.S.W. ’72 Anne Frederick Starbird, A.B. ’56, M.S.W. ’87 Sylvia A. Stevens, M.S.S. ’53 Judith Stiefel, M.S.W. ’89​​​​ Ana Dulay Stransky, M.S.W. ’70 Joanna Burnstine Strauss, M.S.W. ’66 Marie Robinson Strauss, M.S.W. ’69 G. Mace Summers, Ph.D. ’70 Renee Russian Taketomo, M.S.W. ’74 Karen Ruth Taylor, M.S.W. ’12 Gale Thurston Grindstaff, M.S.W. ’71 Patricia Guffey Thibaudeau, M.S.S. ’57 Abigail Ellen Tischler, M.S.W. ’11 Toula Christaki Tomescu, M.S.W. ’66 Carole W. Trickett, M.S.W. ’64 Ruth Cameron Uchtman, M.S.S. ’57 Margaret Corbett Unsell, M.S.W. ’70 Rosalind Aronowitz Unterman, M.S.S. ’54 Esther Urdang, friend Trena Sims Valrie, M.S.W. ’02 Becky A. Varner, M.S.W. ’80 Jean E. Verthein, M.S.W. ’66 Howard Vidaver, M.S.W. ’75 Christine St. Clair Visscher, M.S.W. ’98 Diane Gorski Viveiros, M.S.W. ’88 Peggy Lynn Vogt, M.S.W. ’91 Ruth Weitz Vorbach, M.S.S. ’46 Rachel Susan Vose, M.S.W. ’94 Constance N. Walker, M.S.S. ’50 Karen L. Watson-Etsell, M.S.W. ’68 Cecily Weintraub, M.S.W. ‘68, Ph.D. ’90 Elizabeth Cahn Weiss, A.B. ’75​​​​ Mark Weisbard and Elizabeth Weisbard, friends Catherine Brogan Weisbrod, M.S.W. ’71 Anne Cash Weiss, M.S.W. ’92 Andrea Laukaitis Wendell, M.S.W. ’78 Mary Brent Whipple, M.S.W. ’79 Anna Louise Wiggins, M.S.S. ’55 W. Thomas Wilkins, M.S.W. ’71 Emily W. Williams, M.S.W. ’87 Jay Williams, M.S.W. ’72, Ph.D. ’91 Rebecca Winborn, M.S.W. ’82 Andrew Winters, friend Gloria Lee Wong, M.S.S. ’53 Natalie J. Woodman, M.S.S. ’59 Katharine Anne Wright, A.B. ’12 Laura Howie Wyman, A.B. ’84 Ann Gudmundsen Young, M.S.W. ’83 Holly Taylor Young, M.S.W. ’79 Martin T. Zanna, friend Lawrence J. Zeger, M.S.W. ’72 Linda Howard Zonana, M.S.S. ’60

Julie Jenks Zorach, M.S.W. ’81 Sharyn L. Zuffelato, friend

GIFTS TO INDIVIDUAL FUNDS Note: All gifts to the Annual Fund have been directed to the School’s General Alumni Scholarship Fund unless the donor has designated that the gift should be directed to one of the named funds listed below. Brown Scholarship Endowment Fund Katharine Anne Wright, A.B. ’12 CLAIRE ELKON PHILIP M.S.W. 1965 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT Roland S. Philip, friend Sheila G. Rossbach, M.S.W. ’65 Dale W. Dingledine Doctoral Scholars Endowment Howard D. Snooks, M.S.W. ’75, Ph.D. ’92 Doctoral Program Endowment—School for Social Work J. Robin Robb, Ph.D. ’81 Michael James Rogers, C.R.T. ’09 Christopher C. Vaughan, Ph.D. ’06 Eleanor Lawther Howe Endowed Fund Eleanor Howe, A.B. ’65, and James Howe, friend Esther C. Cook, Class of 1918, Fellowship Fund Judith E. Roth, M.S.W. ’79 EVE GEISSINGER MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT TRUST John A. Bogardus, M.S.W. ’80 Richard Peter Brunswick, M.S.W. ’03 James Lester Ledbetter, M.S.W. ’92 Lisa Master, M.S.W. ’88 Wenda Marion Loach Restall, M.S.W. ’93 HARRIOT WEST OVERBECK SCHOLARSHIP FUND Ann L. Overbeck, M.S.S. ’57, Ph.D. ’72 Esther Marks Schleifer, A.B. ’55, M.S.S. ’57 Jean Bovard Sanville Endowed Fund for the SSW SCHOLARSHIP FUND Jean Bovard Sanville, M.S.S. ’42† Jeanette Martick Miller 1954 Fund Joan Torgoff Israel, M.S.S. ’54 Jill Ker Conway Fund for the Social Work Archives Cecily G. Weintraub, M.S.W. ’68, Ph.D. ’90 JOAN UNTERMYER ERDMANN FUND Jan S. Cehn, M.S.W. ’79 Elizabeth A. Delima, friend Abigail B. Erdmann, A.B. ’69


annual giving report Otto Morningstar Memorial Scholarship Fund Yvette Colón, M.S.W. ’90 Janet Gottler, M.S.W. ’84 RUTH PFEIFFER WEISBARD FUND Mark W. Holladay and Carol W. Holladay, friends ​ Mark Weisbard, friend Samuel Weisbard, friend SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL WORK AUGUSTINE/GABEL FUND Yvette Colón, M.S.W. ’90 Katherine Gabel, A.B. ’59 Jackson K. Haberman, M.S.W. ’78 Jessica Elaine Nedd-Troupe, M.S.W. ’97 Janet L. Pray, M.S.W. ’63 SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL WORK CLASS OF 1954 SCHOLARSHIP Aline Bier, M.S.S. ’54​​​​​​ Dorothy A. Brier, M.S.S. ’54 Clara M. Genetos, M.S.S. ’54​​​​​​ Louise Dine Cohen, M.S.S. ’54 Yvette Colón, M.S.W. ’90 Eleanor Panysh Fusaro, A.B. ‘52, M.S.S. ’54 Julie Colety Maisch, M.S.S. ’54 Jean Chapin Smith, M.S.S. ’54 Rosalind Aronowitz Unterman, M.S.S. ’54 SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL WORK ENDOWED FUND —MISCELLANEOUS James A. and Elizabeth K. Fletcher Fund*

SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL WORK JEANE ANASTAS FUND Holly V. Humphreys, Ph.D. ’89 SELMA B. BROWN PH.D. CANDIDATE SCHOLARSHIP FUND Estate of Selma B. Brown, M.S.W. ’65 Sophia Smith Collection—SSW Vida Simenas Grayson 1957 Fund Robert S. Grayson, friend SSW—Eleanor Clark Fund Mary Beth Averill, M.S.W. ’86 James Drisko, M.S.W. ’77 SSW—Jeane Murphy Scholarship Fund Estate of Mary K. Harmon, A.B. ’48 SSW—Lesbian and Gay Revolving Student Loan Fund Terry Jay Price, M.S.W. ’91 Gary J. Raymond, M.S.W. ’80 Deanna L. Rosen, M.S.W. ’78 SSW Class of 1989 Scholarship Fund for Students of Color Dorothy Anne Blatt, M.S.W. ’89 Daniel L. Buccino, M.S.W. ’89 Elizabeth H. Fung, C.R.T. ’84 Rosa Cunningham Harris, M.S.W. ’74 Gabrielle Stevens Holder, E.D.M. ’95, M.S.W. ’03 Valerie Nguyen Hooper-Lindros, friend Carolyn Jacobs, friend Deborah A. Kelly, M.S.W. ’85 Catherine Lewis, M.S.W. ’89 Kathleen Martin, M.S.W. ’89 Irene Rodriguez Martin, friend

Dennis Miehls, Ph.D. ’89 Joshua L. Miller, friend Dorsey Tobin Naylor, M.S.W. ’67 Pamela Peirce, M.S.W. ’95 Heidi Peterson, M.S.W. ’89 Wendy Redman-Jones, M.S.W. ’77 SSW Class of 2013 Janice Wagner, M.S.W. ’82 Angelia Jewel Washington, M.S.W. ’03 Anna Louise Wiggins, M.S.S. ’55 SSW – ELAINE RAPPAPORT BARKIN 1935 SSW FUND Marlene S. Katz, friend Martin T. Zanna, friend SSW—Joyce Cooley Cahn Scholarship Fund Elizabeth Cahn Weiss, A.B. ’75 SSW—Mabel FouldsDevelopment Fund William Foulds Trust STEPHEN R. KELLY MEMORIAL FUND SUPPORTING DOCTORAL PROGRAM Joan N. Berzoff, M.S.W. ’74 Joyce E. Everett, friend Dorothy M. Miller, C.R.T. ’85 Aleda M. Richter-West, M.S.W. ’72 Andrew Winters, friend

FOUNDATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS AND CORPORATIONS Aline Bier Fund​​​​​​ Betsy J. Bernard Giving Fund​​​​​ Bank of New York - Mellon​​​​​

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation​​​​ Clara Genetos Fund​​​​​​ Counseling on Burnside, Inc.​​​​​ Donald and Susan Wilson Fund​​​​ Dr. J. E. Roth LCSW, A Professional Corporation​ DuMond-Kerr Family Charitable Fund​​ Elizabeth C. Weiss and Ellen H. Cahn Foundation​​ Ellinor and Marvin Forland Charitable Fund​​ Elnel Foundation​​​​​​ Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund​​​​​ Ford Family Foundation​​​​​ Gary N. Spero Community Mental Health Foundation​ Glen Wright Donor Advised Fund​​​​ Issel/Zuckerman Trust​​​​​ James A. and Elizabeth K. Fletcher Fund Lohr Family Foundation​​​​​ Macy’s Foundation​​​​​ Margaret A. Pennington Trust​​​​ Otter Island Foundation​​​​​ Pilzer Foundation, Inc.​​​​​ Pride Foundation​​​​​​ Principal Life Insurance Company​​​​ Shirley Goldstein Trust​​​​​ Sidney H. Rabinowitz Family Foundation​​​ SSW Class of 2013 Stoddard Family Foundation​​​​​ The Grindstaff Family Trust​​​​​ William and Linda J. Green Charitable Fund​​​ William Foulds Trust

Service, Sacfrice, and finding support at SSW

continued from page 25

after he came home. He avoided describing what he witnessed in graphic detail, but made his point through analogy. “If you were to do those things in our country, you would go to jail for a long time,” Bayles said. Before deciding to pursue a career in social work, Bayles enrolled in officer training school, where he experienced a panic attack after three months, which led to a medical discharge. “I started to unravel and it really took its toll. I couldn’t cope,” he said. Bayles’ route to the School for Social Work included postmilitary jobs as a corrections officer, a probation officer, and a patient advocate for returning Veterans at the VA hospital in White River Junction, Vermont. It was there that, Ellen Duval, M.S.W. ’97, a colleague and SSW alumna, encouraged him to apply for a scholarship to attend the School. Bayles credits Smith College School for Social Work with giving him more than an academic education.

“The School created an environment where I could discover things about myself. I was able to search deep inside and look at the things that I did and why I did them,” he said. Still, the divide between military culture and the culture of a graduate program is sometimes difficult to bridge. Bayles said the support he and other military-connected students receive at Smith is vital to helping them succeed. This includes a welcoming dinner at the beginning of the summer, easy access to administrators, and the opportunity to create programming through CSSS, such as bringing in speakers and showing movies about military-related trauma. Looking at it from a faculty perspective, Basham said the differences between the military experience and the culture of a graduate program don’t tell the whole story. There are also similarities. “We often look at how the code of ethics for social work is very similar to some of the values held in the military, such as duty, honor, social justice, and service,” said Basham.

smith co l l eg e sch o o l fo r so cial wo rk 49


Non Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Five Maples

Lilly Hall Northampton, MA 01063

Back by Popular Demand: Online Continuing Education Courses Selected popular continuing education courses were video and/or audio taped over the past three summers and will be online for a limited time (November 1, 2014-March 30, 2015). Online courses feature timely topics presented by some of the finest helping professionals in the field. These courses are informative, engaging, and presented in an easily accessible online format!

Earn .5 to 5.5 CEUs per course!

New courses this year:

“Clinical Skills Working with Gender Nonconforming Children and Transgender Youth” Arlene Lev, L.C.S.W-R., C.A.S.A.C. “Relational Psychodynamic Theory and Therapy” David Levit, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. “Raising the Color Bar: Thinking about Race in the Dyad from a Relational Perspective” Yvette Esprey, M.A. “Attachment-Based Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder” Yvette Esprey, M.A. “DSM-5: Implications for Social Work Practice” David S. Byers, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. Popular Selections from past years:

“Connection and Hope: Psychosocial Capacity Building in Response to Disasters” Joshua L. Miller, M.S.W., Ph.D.* “A Clinically Meaningful Understanding of People with Disabilities and the Impact of Ableism” AndreAs Neumann-Mascis, Ph.D. “Quiet, Blackness, and the Grace of Being Human” Kevin Quashie, M.A., Ph.D. “Trans-affirmative Care: The Evolving Role of Clinical Social Workers with Transgender, Transsexual and Gender Nonconforming Individuals” Lisette Lahana, L.C.S.W “The Transformative Nature of Grief and Bereavement” Joan Berzoff, M.S.W., Ed.D * “Women in the Military: Rewards and Challenges” Kathryn Basham, M.S.W., Ph.D.* “Tools for Solving Ethical Dilemmas” Catherine Clancy, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. “Assessing the Risk: Interviewing, Understanding, and Managing Suicidal and Self Injurious Clients” Kirk Woodring, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W., C.G.P. “Attachment Across the Life Span: Clinical Implications” Sally D. Popper, Ph.D. “Narrative Therapy and Children/Adolescents and their Families” Beth Prullage, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. “The Trauma Whisperers: What Works in Trauma Treatment” Daniel Buccino, L.C.S.W.-C., B.C.D. “All the Rage: Helping Adolescent Girls in Crisis” Martha B. Straus, Ph.D. *Starred instructors are SSW resident faculty. Learn more about them at: www.smith.edu/ssw/faculty.

Learning doesn’t end when you receive your diploma

SSW continuing education opportunities include online courses, summer seminars, certificate programs, and our annual Summer Lecture Series, which is open to the public. To learn more about continuing your education with SSW, visit: www.smith.edu/ssw/ced


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.