Improving Outcomes for Infants and Children with Disabilities

Posted on September 6, 2023October 16, 2023 by

With a U.S. Department of Education CDFA 84.325C grant of $191,653, Professor Cristina Mogro-Wilson will focus on improving outcomes for infants and young children with disabilities by increasing the number of early childhood personnel and faculty from racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and enhancing equity content within early childhood preparation programs.

“In order to start providing more equitable services to kids and families with disabilities that come from diverse cultural backgrounds, we need a diverse workforce to meet those needs,” says Mogro-Wilson. “One of the aims of the Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Development Equity Center is to recruit and retain graduate students and faculty in institutes of higher education that are from diverse backgrounds.”

Yolanda Leon, MSW ’05

Posted on August 10, 2023August 21, 2023 by Jackson, Abigail

Yolanda has been employed by the Department of Children and Families for 25 years. Yolanda currently is a Social Worker in the Statewide Quality Improvement Division’s Case Practice Review Unit. In this role she conducts case reviews to assess for compliance with policy and identifying areas of needs for staff. Prior to this she worked for the regional office where she conducted various case reviews, provided one to one coaching for staff, participated in various Quality Improvement Teams, served as the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Liaison, and worked on special projects. Yolanda provides technical assistance to the Region 4 Citizen’s Review Panel which is made up of community members who review policies, practices, and procedures and evaluate the extent that the region is meeting its child protective services responsibilities.

Yolanda has experience working with families as a Social Worker in the Ongoing Social Work Unit, Sexual Abuse Specialty Unit, Medically Complex Specialty Unit and Permanency Specialty Unit. Yolanda has also worked for the Foster Care & Adoptive Services Division where she provided oversight and support to foster parents, conducted training for kinship providers, facilitated support groups, licensed kinship foster homes and relicensed foster homes.

Yolanda is actively involved in various groups and committees within the office. Yolanda is Co-Chair of the office Wellness Team, a member of the Hartford Office Council and member of the Advisory Council. In addition, she takes a lead role in organizing and planning office wide events.

Within the community Yolanda is Co Leader of the Latinas in Motion Hartford Chapter. This organization encourages, inspires, and empowers women to get active.

Yolanda earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut in 1998 with a major in Human Development and Family Relations and a minor in Criminal Justice. Yolanda earned her MSW in 2005 with a Major Method of Community Organization and a focus area in Puerto Rican and Latino Studies. She has served on the Board of Champions since 2022.

Group Work with Older Individuals: Imagine the Possibilities

Posted on August 1, 2023August 10, 2023 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Willa J. Casstevens. PhD
In-person

Fri, September 29, 2023
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
5 CECs

Registration Fee -$125
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and current SSW Field Instructors

Classroom location will be in your confirmation email.

The population of older adults in the USA is growing rapidly. Moreover, older adults have been and continue to be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, now endemic among us. The global pandemic threatened individual and familial economic security, increased social isolation, and negatively affected individual physical and mental health, as well as social well-being. For many older adults this has led to increased anxiety and depression, and ongoing grief due to the loss of loved ones.

Recommended interventions have included physical activity, human touch, an increase in economic support policies, programs to address mental health concerns, and training on mindfulness and self-help skills, such as meditation. Group work stands out as a treatment modality that can be used effectively in all these contexts.

Social group work is a non-hierarchical and strengths-based practice incorporating purposeful activity and mutual aid. Joanne Sulman, a social group worker of over 50 years working with older adults, notes that social group work provides connection, a space for sharing of experience, and feelings of inclusion in a community of people. Active engagement, very effective when working with older adults, is an important part of this process.

Imagine the possibilities – how can you use social group work in your practice with older individuals?

Group work with older adults can include fitness programs, craft groups, choirs, bridge clubs, etc. In the context of mental health, social group work can offer peer support, help navigating losses, and the opportunity to learn and/or improve coping strategies. This approach also fits well with both occupational and recreational therapy.

This workshop includes both didactic and experiential activities. Space is included for group discussion, as well as group work activities and reflection. We will conduct group activities, reflect on experiences, and consider ways to apply this material and these shared experiences in practice settings.

This workshop will enable you to:

gain an understanding of major life challenges older adults face and explore how social group work can be utilized to support individuals in coping with aging-related issues
explore factors that contribute to healthy aging and creatively consider ways social group work can be a valuable resource in supporting and enhancing this process
learn how to incorporate connectedness, active participation, and independence within group work sessions for older adults, fostering a sense of community and empowerment
enhance skills needed to develop and implement purposeful group activities tailored to the needs of older individuals in order to improve overall well-being and quality of life.

Group Work with Involuntary Clients: Addressing Challenges with the Group and within Ourselves

Posted on June 20, 2023June 21, 2023 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Liz Davis, LICSW

In-person Seminar
Mon, August 7, 2023
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
5 CECs

$100 – UConn SSW Alumni & Current Field Instructors
$125 – All Others

Room location will be included in your confirmation email.

It can often feel intimidating and even create dread for a group worker to be tasked with a mandated group. You might wonder, “what if no one wants to be here and what am I going to do with that?” This workshop will focus on how we can shift from an experience of anxiety and dread to a confident approach that engages our curiosity and creativity. Often if we can shift our perspective and approach, we can help our clients make that shift too. In this workshop, we will identify and increase our understanding of the experiences and behaviors that may show up for involuntary group members during the various group stages. With this increased understanding, we can better address the challenges both with the group and within ourselves that may arise.

We will also discuss practical tools, activities, and interventions to engage involuntary clients on a variety of different topics. Involuntary clients are often either mandated to attend groups addressing specific issues or they’re mandated to a setting such as a treatment center or correctional setting where they’re also required to participate in groups. As a facilitator it is not easy to strike the perfect balance between teaching the curriculum and keeping the group members engaged with each other, the material, and active in the session. Using knowledge and experiences gained from groups focusing on topics such as intimate partner violence, trauma, grief, and DBT Skills, this workshop will provide examples of how you might strike that balance.

The workshop will be both instructional and experiential. Small and large group discussion, group activities and case examples will be used to demonstrate different approaches and interventions. We will develop a safe space for you to share your own group successes and concerns and apply the seminar material to the groups you are currently facilitating.

This seminar will enable you to:

• gain knowledge and skills for facilitating groups with involuntary clients.
• discuss and practice activities and interventions to support group discussion and engagement on specialized topics.
• increase our understanding of involuntary group members’ experiences and behaviors during the various group stages.
• learn about skills that leaders can use to address group challenges while staying in connection and building group cohesion.

Celebrating Juneteenth 2023

Posted on June 15, 2023June 15, 2023 by

Dear Colleagues,

Monday is Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. As many of you know, it was on June 19, 1865 that Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to announce that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. More than 150 years later, Juneteenth was made a federal holiday by President Biden, and soon after became a state holiday in Connecticut.

Recognizing Juneteenth is critical at a time when the teaching of Black history and systemic racism are under attack in some states. For the School of Social Work, celebrating the holiday is part of our mission and an expression of our continued commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism (DEI/AR). We know that the struggle for freedom for the individuals, families, and communities we serve is ongoing. We join with the University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Provost’s Office in honoring the history and culture of Black and African American communities.

As part of our Strategic Plan, our faculty and staff have been meeting regularly to discuss how we would implement DEI/AR throughout our school. That means challenging ourselves and reimagining our research, teaching, field education, and vision for the future of social work. We developed a definition of anti-racism which in part states that “anti-racism means redressing historic and current harms perpetrated by systems, policies, practices, and individuals that target racialized Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in our community and connected to our community.” We have also pledged to take concrete steps to hold ourselves accountable to advancing racial justice and to support the empowerment of Black and African American students, staff, faculty, and communities.

To highlight Juneteenth, I encourage everyone to read about the history at the National Museum of African American History & Culture’s website, and to engage in events in your local community.

In solidarity,

Nina Rovinelli Heller, PhD
Dean and Professor
Zachs Chair in Social Work

Group Work Then and Now

Posted on May 17, 2023May 23, 2023 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Joan Letendre, PhD, LCSW
Tues, June 27, 2023
9:30 am – 4:oo pm
In-person: SSW Building, 38 Prospect St, Hartford – Room 113
5 CECs – includes one hour of content on cultural competency

$100 – UConn SSW Alumni & Current Field Instructors
$125 – All Others

The field of social group work has always used groups to bring members together to share common concerns, provide support and mutual aid, solve problems, and learn new skills. Practice today requires clinicians to use group work models to work with differing client populations in a variety of settings. The social isolation and loneliness experienced by many during the pandemic has shown us that people need connection and groups are one way to bring people together. Understanding the needs of the members and the group at differing stages of the group. can help facilitators to intervene in a way that fosters communication and promotes positive interactions.

In this first workshop of the group work series, we will focus on understanding a stage model of group development which includes:

planning with careful attention to factors that will influence the group (Why this group? Who will be in the group? What is the purpose? What type of group? What will we do? When will we meet and for how long?)
beginning the group with a focus on engagement of members and sharing of goals and development of norms
the working stage which focuses on developing cohesions with attention to roles, challenging behaviors and conflict
ending and evaluation with a focus on saying good-bye, evaluating gains and generalizing skills to situations outside of the group

Attention to diversity of membership and types of groups will be included as we discuss the stages of group development. We will focus on the challenges and strategies for working with open ended groups which allow members to enter and exit at different times, the use of evidence and skill-based curricula mandated by many agencies to build skills and the use of virtual groups which were developed to provide services during pandemic. Each of these groups has their benefits but challenge practitioners to adapt differing strategies to engage members, provide a safe space and develop a cohesive group.

This seminar will enable you to:

• learn how to adequately plan for a group
• understand the needs of members and the group during each stage of development
• learn and practice the skills that leaders use at each stage to facilitate engagement and positive interactions
• adapt knowledge and skills to facilitate groups that are open ended, use curricula and are facilitated in the virtual environment.
• develop strategies that help members to problem solve group challenges in ways that contribute to interpersonal skill development
• learn how to evaluate both the content and process experience of the group

A Message from Dean Nina R. Heller to the Alumni Community

Posted on May 17, 2023May 17, 2023 by Jackson, Abigail

This year has marked key milestones in the history of UConn School of Social Work. We recently celebrated our 75^th anniversary with a special event at the Bond Ballroom in Hartford. I was especially pleased to see so many of our alumni, faculty, staff, both current and emeriti, students, and community partners at our celebration. Our alumni continue to support the School of Social Work in multiple ways – as adjuncts, field instructors, faculty advisors, donors, and social work leaders in Connecticut and beyond. At 8,800 strong, you are the best ambassadors possible for the School of Social Work.

For the last eight years, I have had the privilege of serving as the dean and I stand on the shoulders of the 13 prior Deans, including dean Reimers, Case, Cronin, Whetten, Trecker, Lutz, Germain, Coleman, Green, Humphreys, Abrahamson, Davidson, and Raheim. During these 75 years there have been many changes in social work and social work education. For those of you familiar with professional graduate education, you know that there are dual foci – the preparation of the next generation of professional practitioners, and the generation of new knowledge. While the balance of these two areas of focus have shifted over the course of the decades, I maintain that both are critical and when done right, one should inform and strengthen the other.

Through both, the mission remains: We are rooted in a passion for and commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and the improvement of human well-being, both locally and globally. Through our degree programs, we prepare the next generation of social work practitioners and scholars. Our faculty is committed to the generation and wide dissemination of cutting edge and impactful knowledge, informed by social justice and anti-oppressive lenses, through traditional and innovative research methodologies.

In our 75 years, we have contributed mightily to the field and to the community, and I want to note several important achievements. In nearly eight decades, we have offered the MSW for more than 50 years; dual degree programs; an Advanced Standing Program in the 1990’s; the first and largest public PhD Program since 2002; a social-justice focused, cohort-based, urban BSW Program since 2015; and more recently a DCF cohort program; BSW Spanish Speaking Program with DCF; and Scholars in Aging program. This year we also welcomed Innovations Institute, an interdisciplinary, translational research center, which greatly expands our national footprint.

In addition to internal and various external funding, we have developed and maintained very robust collaborations with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, the Office of Early Childhood, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Public Health – each has a research component and a workforce development program. At our Commencement on May 6, one of our most distinguished alumni and long-term partners, DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes, offered an inspiriting message to graduates. I hope you will take some time to watch the recording.

Finally, I am excited to share that we have successfully completed the search for our 15^th dean. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Laura Curran, who will begin in her role on August 11, 2023. Dr. Curran was selected from an exceptionally talented pool of applicants. She joins UConn from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where she is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. As Provost Anne D’Alleva stated, Dr. Curran demonstrates a clear understanding of the mission of our School of Social Work, with a commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and the improvement of human well-being, both locally and globally.

As we celebrate the rich heritage of our school and share our hopes for the next 75 years, I invite you to reflect on what the School of Social Work has meant to you, your career, and your life. The University has identified life transformative education as a pillar of our identity. I have long maintained that social work education, is, in fact, life transformative and I hear this over and over again from our alumni. We hope you will continue to stay close to the school, and continue to support the School and our students, as donors, mentors, field advisors, and lifelong friends.

Thank you.

Group Work Series 2023

Posted on May 17, 2023August 8, 2023 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Group work education and training is essential to learning the best ways of facilitating diverse groups, but as the complexity of group practice has increased, the opportunities to learn effective ways of facilitation, both in the field and classroom, has decreased.

To address these challenges we have developed 4 workshops to provide a framework for understanding group work and how it is practiced with different populations. Although each session supports work with a specific population, the knowledge and skills learned can be adapted to a variety of groups. Whether you are an experienced group practitioner or new to the practice, we invite you to join us to explore group work in today’s practice world.

Here’s what people are saying:

“It was a very informative training, and helpful to reconnect with the fundamentals of group work.”
“Facilitator was wonderful – very engaging, professional, and shared so many tips from her vast experience.”
“Had a great time. Learned a lot. Felt very comfortable and grounded. Thank you for a great day.”
“I came into the training very apprehensive as I have been doing groups for a while. I was very happy to be able to reconnect with the process as well as learn form other awesome practitioners in the field. Just awesome, and thank you.”

Workshops – Register for 1, 2, 3 or all 4 programs. Discount available when registering for more than one workshop or when 3 or more agency staff register.

Group Work with Older Individuals – Imagine the Possibilities – Fri, September 29, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, 5 CECs
The population of older adults in the USA is growing rapidly. The global pandemic threatened individual and familial economic security, increased social isolation, and negatively affected individual physical and mental health, as well as social well-being. For many older adults this has led to increased anxiety and depression, and ongoing grief due to the loss of loved ones. Group Work provides connection, a space for sharing of experience, and feelings of inclusion in a community of people. Active engagement, very effective when working with older adults, is an important part of this process. Learn more.

Group Work with Children in School Settings – Date TBA
This workshop will emphasize the use of trauma informed practice within small groups and classroom settings. Practitioners will learn specific school-based strategies to encourage the development of connection and mutual aid within the groups.

Group Work Then and Now – Completed
Review of the principles and practices of group work, using a group development model that provides a framework for assessing the needs of the members and group at each stage and the specific leader skills that will promote optimal member participation and group cohesion.

Group Work with Involuntary Clients: Addressing Challenges with the Group and within Ourselves – Completed
It can often feel intimidating and even create dread for a group worker to be tasked with a mandated group. You might wonder, “what if no one wants to be here and what am I going to do with that?” This workshop will focus on how we can shift from an experience of anxiety and dread to a confident approach that engages our curiosity and creativity. Learn more and register for this workshop.

More details coming soon. Questions? Contact ssw.ce@uconn.edu.

From the Desk of Dean Heller

Dear Alumni,

Here’s what people are saying:

Workshops – Register for 1, 2, 3 or all 4 programs. Discount available when registering for more than one workshop or when 3 or more agency staff register.