Happy Social Work Month.
It is difficult to believe that it is already March! Since the first of the year, changes have been taking place at a rapid pace across the country, for good or ill. In times like these, social workers stand in the breach—supporting individuals and families, working to change policies and protect programs that serve our communities, and conducting meaningful and impactful research that improves people’s lives. Our alumni, as practicing social workers, educators, and researchers, are doing the work.
The faculty and staff at the College of Social Work are also working to meet our mission through the educational programs we offer, the research we conduct and disseminate, the communities with whom we partner, and the culture and climate we create in our own college. This semester, we continue doing the work by:
- Growing our educational opportunities: We submitted grants to provide financial support and training on integrated health for social work students.
- Reducing student debt: We continue to develop additional paid placement opportunities for our students; now, almost 1 in 3 students is in a paid placement.
- Serving those in need: Social work staff and students collaborate with partners in the College of Nursing and the Psychology Department to offer mental health and case management services to uninsured and underinsured individuals and families at the UT Psych Clinic and the clinic at Vine Middle School.
- Providing timely information: Social work faculty and students disseminated best practice information to social workers assisting Spanish-speaking immigrants.
- Using technology for the public good: Faculty scholars are testing app-based interventions that help people recovering from burns or facing drug addiction and depression.
- Meeting workforce needs: UTCSW graduating doctoral students are being hired at colleges around the country, while our BSSW and MSSW students are filling needed positions at agencies across Tennessee and the country.
- Serving our alumni and community practitioners: We continue to offer free continuing education opportunities to almost 1000 people at our annual eVOLve conference, coming at the end of this month.
These are only a few of the ways that the UT College of Social Work endeavors to improve our state and our world.
Social work month reminds us that, no matter what changes happen in our country, social workers are there to step up, with compassion and action. The College of Social Work is stepping up, as well.
–Lori Messinger, Dean