NIMH/NIH Loan Repayment Grant Supports Study on LGBTQ+ Youth and Eating Disorders

Posted on February 27, 2024March 18, 2024 by Kashef, Ziba

Associate Professor Meg Paceley led a study examining the relationship between the family and community environments of LGBTQ+ youth and disordered eating behaviors. The research was published in Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services and supported by the National Institute of Mental Health/National Institutes of Health (NIMH/NIH) Loan Repayment Program ($58,000).

To explore the relationship between disordered eating and acceptance or rejection of LGBTQ+ youth in both family and community contexts, Paceley and the research team – including Ryan Watson from the UConn Department of Human Development and Family Studies – used data from the National LGBTQ+ Teen Survey, an anonymous online survey of 7,895 LGBTQ+ youth aged 13 to 17 collected in 2017. The survey questions included measures of acceptance or rejection from parents or caregivers; it also explored community factors such as climate, LGBTQ+ involvement, LGBTQ+ support and anti-LGBTQ+ bullying. The researchers assessed disordered eating behaviors related to attempting to control one’s weight (taking diet pills, fasting, purging) and binge eating.

The study found that LGBTQ+ youth who experienced family rejection and LGBTQ+-based bullying were more likely to report disordered eating patterns for weight control and binge eating. However, youth who experienced LGBTQ+ community acceptance and support were less likely to engage in those disordered eating behaviors.

The study results show that both families and communities are important environments that contribute to disordered eating among LGBTQ+ youth. Paceley is currently analyzing data from the 2022 National LGBTQ+ Teen Survey and preparing a submission for federal funding to study transgender youth and disordered eating longitudinally.

Supervising in 2024: A Field and Continuing Ed Collaboration

Posted on February 26, 2024April 9, 2024 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Supervising in 2024: Who are our Supervisees and How Can We Use a Social Justice, Anti-Racist, Whole-Person Approach to Facilitate their Growth?

Patricia Wilcox, LCSW and Aminah Ali, LMSW
3 CECs

Registration Fee: $75 – 10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni
Free for Current SSW Field Instructors

Webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

Multicultural workforces are the norm in social service and educational agencies. Though such diversity is positive in many ways, it can also create challenges for staff. Differences in culture and language may cause tension among employees, discomfort among groups or strained relations between employees, interns, and supervisors. Managers and supervisors must be aware of their own biases and assumptions and develop the skills to conduct difficult conversations with their supervisees. Together the two can create meaningful organizational change. In addition, our clients’ lives may be highly impacted by racism and inter-generational trauma. Supervisors can facilitate more effective programs by supporting supervisees to bring these issues into the discussions they have with clients.

This webinar focuses on trauma-informed supervision through a social justice and anti-racist lens, an approach to supervision that begins with the personal and extends to the professional. Personal histories, identities, characteristics, and psychological experiences of supervisors, as well as structural and environmental conditions of the organization, are aspects of supervision. This perspective promotes the role of the supervisor as a leader in establishing a culture within their team that is responsive to and inclusive of the cultures and unique experiences of clients and colleagues. Supervisors are encouraged to remain vigilant in their commitment to social justice and an anti-racist approach by leading their teams and organizations in achieving truly inclusive diversity.

Participants will be able to:

Find how to improve their interactions with supervisees by identifying the positionalities and unique experiences of supervisor and supervisee.
Appraise and discuss implicit bias and how it impacts the supervisory relationship and work with clients.
Implement 3 strategies for addressing power differentials and improve trust between supervisor and supervisee.
Explore dilemmas in supervising the whole person while maintaining agency mandates.
Develop a plan to increase their team’s ability to have difficult conversations around social justice.
Discuss with supervisees the applications of racism and inter-generational trauma-informed perspectives and prepare a plan to utilize this knowledge within their practice.

Researcher Leads Study on Long COVID’s Effects on Mental Health and More

Posted on February 21, 2024March 18, 2024 by Kashef, Ziba

With a $49,000 Research Excellence Program grant from UConn’s Office of the Vice President for Research, Assistant Professor Kelsi Carolan will lead a qualitative study with a focus on individuals with long COVID in Connecticut. The term “long COVID” describes a clinical set of post-COVID symptoms that may include fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction, among other effects.

The aims of Carolan’s research are to investigate how long COVID affects employment, family and social relationships, and mental health; what coping strategies affected individuals are utilizing to manage the psychosocial repercussions of long COVID; and what types of professional and clinical interventions are needed to best support psychosocial functioning in the context of long COVID.

“We are aiming to focus especially on the needs and experiences of Black/African American and Latine individuals experiencing long Covid symptoms given that the psychosocial impact of long COVID on these populations has so far been understudied,” says Carolan.

The novel research brings together a multidisciplinary team of faculty from UConn and UConn Health Center with complementary expertise to address significant gaps in understanding of a new and poorly understood chronic disease. Rachel Tambling, professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at UConn, is co-principal investigator. Contributors also include Ameer Rasheed, assistant professor of medicine in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at UConn Health, and Chinenye Anyanwu, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the UConn School of Pharmacy.

NIH/NIAAA Grant Funds Research on Social Isolation and Alcohol Use During and Post-COVID

Posted on February 1, 2024March 19, 2024 by Kashef, Ziba

Associate Research Professor Hsiu-Ju Lin, has joined an interdisciplinary team awarded a $1.5 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH/NIAAA) to investigate the relationship between social isolation, loneliness, stress and coping mechanisms with alcohol use across the United States.

There are two parts to the study. In the first phase, the research team will carry out a series of sophisticated analyses using a nationwide survey of more than 1,500 participants during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand the link between coping mechanisms and alcohol consumption. An innovative aspect of this phase involves utilizing geo-coding and participants' geographic locations to assess place-based sources of stress. It aims to explore how these factors are associated with social isolation and loneliness and to understand the impact of these inter-relationships on drinking, Lin explains. The GIS analysis is overseen by Associate Professor Debarchana Ghosh from the Department of Geography at UConn.

In the second part of the study, the researchers will collect prospective data to validate their isolation, loneliness, and coping strategy conceptual model and compare pandemic and post-pandemic periods.

“The main goal is to understand how social isolation and loneliness during COVID impact alcohol consumption,” she says. “We want to understand the mechanism and impact of that unique stress.”

Lin, the co-investigator, is collaborating with PIs Michael Fendrich, Crystal Park, Beth Russell, as well as co-Investigator Ghosh. Fendrich, formerly the associate dean for research at the UConn SSW, is a professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin; Park is a professor of Psychological Sciences; Russell is an associate professor in the Human Development and Family Sciences department.

A Message from the Dean about Black History Month 2024

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Kashef, Ziba

Dear Colleagues,

At the School of Social Work, we look forward to celebrating Black History Month and promoting the history, culture, and achievements of Black and African Americans communities. For social workers, commemorating Black History Month aligns with our profession’s core values, including the commitment to social justice and the dignity and worth of each person – particularly those who are underserved and historically marginalized.

Highlighting Black History Month is also an expression of our School’s mission, as described in our Strategic Plan, which advances continuing work on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Our Black History planning committee engages in this critical work by honoring Black lives, contributions, and culture.

This February, we are promoting the achievements of Black leaders in social work and social change. All month we will have on display in our building at 38 Prospect Street in Hartford posters of four trailblazers who each made a significant and lasting impact on civil rights and social justice. They are Lester Blackwell Granger, Mildred “Mit” Joyner, Dorothy Height, and Whitney M. Young, Jr. You can read about their work on our website.

Throughout the month, we will also share a slideshow celebrating Black history, culture, and music. Please be sure to visit and enjoy this slideshow display in our School’s rear hallway and lower level. Additionally, I encourage you to participate in events at UConn and in your community that highlight the ways in which Black and African American communities have changed and continue to shape our collective history, society, and futures.

In solidarity,

Laura Curran, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor

Celebrating Black Change Agents

Posted on January 31, 2024January 31, 2024 by Kashef, Ziba

For Black History Month 2024, the School of Social Work is highlighting four inspiring Black changemakers:

Lester Blackwell Granger
1896-1976

First Black president of the National Conference for Social Work in 1952
Advocated for the desegregation of schools and played a role in the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case
As executive director of the National Urban League from 1941 to 1961, promoted equal opportunities for Black people in employment, housing, education, and other areas
As a social worker, worked with Black youth in New Jersey's vocational school system

Granger described Black Americans' goals as "the right to work, the right to vote, the right to physical safety, and the right to dignity and self-respect."

Mildred "Mit" Joyner
1949-2023

Held various position at West Chester University School of Social Work for 25+ years, establishing the first MSW program in Pennsylvania
Profound scholar and leader volunteering her time on boards, creating scholarships, serving as a mentor, and fighting for social and economic justice
Served as United States Representative on the board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW)
Served as president of the National Association of Social Workers from July 2020 to June 2023

"My advice to all members is to please commit to reading the code of ethics yearly. Some social workers seem to forget the purpose of social work, often placing their personal values over professional values." -- Mildred "Mit" Joyner

Dorothy Height
1912-2010

Although admitted to Barnard College, was not allowed to attend because the school did not admit African Americans. Went on to graduate from New York University and completed postgraduate work at Columbia University.
Best known for leadership positions in the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
Dubbed "the godmother of the civil rights movement," having founded activist group Wednesdays in Mississippi and helping to organize the March on Washington
Awarded the Citizens Medal Award from President Ronald Reagan in 1989 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

"We have to improve life, not just for those who have the most skills and those who know how to manipulate the system, but also for those who often have so much to give but never get the opportunity." -- Dorothy Height

Whitney M. Young Jr.
1921-1971

• First Dean of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University
• One of the organizers of the March on Washington
• Held leadership positions as president of the National Conference on Social Welfare, executive director of National Urban League, and president of the National Association of Social Workers
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor

"Every man is our brother, and every man's burden is our own. Where poverty exists, all our poorer. Where hate flourishes, all are corrupted. Where injustice reigns, all are unequal." -- Whitney M. Young Jr.

The SSW’s Diversity Seminar on Islamophobia and Antisemitism

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Kashef, Ziba

This year’s Diversity Program/Practicum Seminar focused on topical issues in response to the crisis in the Middle East. On Friday, Jan. 19, more than 300 SSW students, faculty, and staff tuned into the presentation, “Understanding Islamophobia and Antisemitism.” Moderated by Carlton Jones, director of the Office of Student and Academic Services, the seminar featured two expert panelists:

Meira Neggaz, Executive Director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Jill Jacobs, Education Strategist for the Improving the Campus Climate Initiative at the Academic Engagement Network

In introducing the seminar, Jones explained that the purpose of the Diversity Seminar is to bring together students, faculty and staff to discuss topics that are important for not only our SSW community but also to those we serve in and outside of the University.

“The value of the Diversity Seminar lies in having students, faculty, and staff at the UConn School of Social Work challenge their own thoughts and beliefs on certain topics. It is a way to engage in healthy and constructive dialogue to bring about changes to our community and the world,” he said.

Before introducing the panelists, Dean Laura Curran said that the goal of the Seminar was “to address pressing issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. This year we’re devoting the seminar to Islamophobia and Antisemitism given the steep rise in both.” She also shared that in discussions following the presentations, the School community would consider how to best address the issues as social workers.

Each panelist shared a presentation about their area of expertise. They provided facts about the Muslim and Jewish populations in the United States, definitions of Islamophobia and Antisemitism, as well as examples of how these forms of bigotry have been expressed since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

Each of their presentations was followed by a Q&A period. Members of the SSW community were encouraged to contact the panelists if they had further questions.

Diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism (DEI-AR) is a key component of the SSW’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, and a theme that runs through all of the other focal areas, which include inclusive and impactful research and scholarship; student-centered teaching and learning; flexible and forward-looking field education; and emerging areas of excellence in social work.

The Clinical Interview In-person

Posted on January 22, 2024April 2, 2024 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Jennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II
In-person
Friday, May 10, 2024 – New Date
9 am – 3:30 pm
5 CECs

Registration Fee: $125
UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors receive a 10% discount

Classroom location, directions and parking details will be included in your email confirmation

What questions do you ask your clients that get at the information you need? What language do you use? How do you take into account a client’s culture in the questions that you ask? How do you address silence, or an unwillingness to participate in the interview? How do you refocus a client or deescalate his or her aggression? What questions can you ask to get at speciﬁc symptoms and how do you adjust your query in session as needed? While many trainings examine symptoms, psychopathology, and existing diagnostic assessment tools, this seminar has the actual clinical interview at its focus. We will explore how to gather the information you need for diagnosis and treatment planning, and hone your clinical interviewing skills.

This seminar will teach participants how to utilize interviewing techniques that meet the needs of the clients they serve, which strengthens both the individual client’s treatment experience and the profession as a whole. The topic connects to diversity in allowing participants to attend to the diverse background of their clients in the speciﬁc questions that are utilized, as well as speciﬁc ideas in how to ask the questions, (e.g. language, non-verbal communication, vocal tone). It connects to ethics because attendees will learn how to ensure their clinical interviewing adheres to the strictest of ethical principles. It connects to advocacy because the better the clinical interview, the better treatment the clients will receive; treatment the clients deserve and need to build a healthy life.

This seminar will enable you to:

gather all the needed questions to conduct a solid clinical interview
learn the components of motivational interviewing
explore how to direct and redirect the path of the clinical interview
practice clinical interviewing skills; identify strengths and challenges

Making Sense of the DSM 5 TR – In-person

Posted on January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 by Beth Sharkey, MSW

Jennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II
In-person Seminar
Friday, April 12, 2024
9:00 am – 3:30 pm
5 CECs

Registration Fee: $125
UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors receive a 10% discount

Classroom location, driving directions and parking details will be included in your email confirmation

The 5th edition of the DSM brings with it some of the most significant changes between editions. In addition to changes in the disorders themselves and how they are grouped, the diagnostic system has been revamped. Are you prepared to incorporate the changes into your practice and to diagnose your clients accurately? This workshop will identify the changes introduced in the new DSM, comparing editions IV and V, and identifying the changes most likely to affect your individual practice, using many case examples as practice. This training is appropriate for all diagnosing clinicians, and for those who want to better understand the diagnostic process.

Learning Objectives

understand the major philosophical changes to the diagnostic process in the DSM 5
learn the categorical and disorder changes and additions introduced in the DSM-5
compare diagnoses in the DSM-IV and DSM-5 using the same clinical vignettes
examine the assessment tools published with the DSM-5
practice diagnosis using the DSM-5 through numerous clinical vignettes

Supervising in 2024: Who are our Supervisees and How Can We Use a Social Justice, Anti-Racist, Whole-Person Approach to Facilitate their Growth?

Lester Blackwell Granger 1896-1976

Mildred "Mit" Joyner 1949-2023

Dorothy Height 1912-2010

Whitney M. Young Jr. 1921-1971

Lester Blackwell Granger
1896-1976

Mildred "Mit" Joyner
1949-2023

Dorothy Height
1912-2010

Whitney M. Young Jr.
1921-1971