School of Social Work News

The School of Social Work was featured in the Year One Report published by the Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education along with the School of Dentistry, School of Kinesiology, Medical School, School of Public Health, and College of Pharmacy.

Associate Professor Daphne Watkins was selected as the new Director of the Joint Doctoral Program. Her appointment will begin on 1/1/2017 following the successful tenure of Professor Berit Ingersoll-Dayton who has served in this position since 1/1/2010.

Babe Kawaii-Bogue successfully defended her dissertation entitled, “Multiracial Perspectives: Multiracial Young Adults Experiences with Racial Microaggressions and Coping Strategies” and obtained her PhD in Social Work and Psychology. Her committee consisted of Mary Ruffolo, Lorraine Gutierrez (co-chairs) and Michael Spencer.

Assistant Professor Reuben Miller wrote a blog post for The Huffington Post regarding the Alton Sterling shooting entitled, “I can’t write fast enough”. 

Dean Emerita Paula Allen-Meares will be honored as this year's recipient of the Insley-Evans Public Health Social Worker of the Year by the Award's Committee of the Public Health Social Work Section of the American Public Health Association. A reception will be held in her honor during the Association's annual meeting on 11/1/2016.

Dean Laura Lein and Associate Professor Luke Shaefer's books, “Making Ends Meet: How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-Wage Work” and “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America” respectively, were both referenced in the Vox article, “‘If the goal was to get rid of poverty, we failed’: the legacy of the 1996 welfare reform”.

Dear Social Work Community,

It is with shock, pain and deep sadness that we reflect on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, early this morning. We have heard from social work colleagues in Central Florida as they participate in the response to this devastating tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those dead and injured and their families, to the larger community, and to our colleagues who are engaged in work connected with the tragedy. Our School of Social Work community is invited to join a time of reflection and expression of caring and concern on Monday, June 13, 2016 in the ECC between 4:30pm and 5:30pm.

In sorrow, Laura Lein, Jorge Delva, Tim Colenback

The resources below come from Professor Gary W. Harper, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health

Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS): "Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. Its symptoms mimic those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Accordingly, individuals affected by secondary stress may find themselves re-experiencing personal trauma or notice an increase in arousal and avoidance reactions related to the indirect trauma exposure. They may also experience changes in memory and perception; alterations in their sense of self-efficacy; a depletion of personal resources; and disruption in their perceptions of safety, trust, and independence." (NCTSN)