Simmons College School of Social Work

The School of Social Work recently received a two-year preliminary approval from the American Psychological Association to provide continuing education to psychologists. The SSW is the only social work school in Massachusetts to be granted such approval. Psychologists Greg Feldman and Sarah Martin, CAS; Hugo Kamya, SSW; and Gerry Koocher, SHS, helped the SSW gain approval to provide psychology continuing education.

The SSW is offering a course on anti-violence work this spring that features collaboration with a national organization and interdisciplinary student involvement. The graduate course,
“Leadership development in anti-violence work: The Susan Schechter social action seminar,” was first introduced last spring, with support from the Schechter Fellowship of the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) and the Casey Foundation.

The course is designed to teach a model of social action and leadership focused on the effort to end violence against women and children. Because of FVPF’s prior collaborative work with SSW faculty, Simmons was chosen to develop and pilot the course, which is featured on the home page of the fund’s website, www.endabuse.org. “This collaboration with FVPF brings many benefits to Simmons students and faculty,” said Professor Ann Fleck- Henderson, who will teach the course with Isa Woldeguiorguis, director of policy and planning at Jane Doe Inc.: the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. “For example, the SSW will have access to national leaders in the field who can serve as guest lecturers in the classroom and as consultants to students. This past year we also had funding for a few students to attend and present their work at two national conferences.”

Last year’s course included students from the SSW’s master’s and doctoral programs, as well as Simmons nursing, GSLIS, women’s studies, and social justice students. “It is important
that the course include students from different disciplines,” said Fleck-Henderson. “Working across the silos that define our disciplines and service systems is one of the challenges that students must address to be effective professionals, activists, and change agents.” Fleck-Henderson said the course demands a high level of independent field and library research, in which students develop an action project that is the “deliverable” at the end of the class. Past projects include the creation of an information sharing blog for professionals in the criminal justice system who work with domestic violence survivors who are in prison.

Professor of Social Work Johnnie Hamilton-Mason has copublished a study titled“Everyday Conflict and Daily Stressors: Coping Responses of Black Women.” The study, to be published in Afflia: Journal of Women and Social Work, examines the interlocking effects of race, gender, and social class on African American women’s health, emotional, and psychological well-being.

The study found that the women struggled with racism and sexism in their daily lives — regardless of their age, education level and income level. The particular stressors in the
lives of Black women reflect their distinct socio-cultural experiences, says Hamilton-Mason.
Her theoretical article “And Some of Us Are Braver: Stress and Coping Among African American Women” was published in the July issue of the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.

Natalie Hill, SW09, is a winner of the 2009 Judith Holm Memorial Award. A National panel of educators and advanced practitioners select each year's winners for the award which is sponsored by the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work (ABE).

The award is given to second year master's students who demonstrate excellence in preparation for clinical social work practice. This very prestigious annual award is given to only five students nation-wide. Competitors must submit papers based on clinical work done in field placement. Natalie's award winning paper is titled "Helping Clients Navigate the Coming Out Process: A Person in Environment Approach".

Her two field placements while at Simmons School of Social Work were at Big Sister Association of Boston and The Wentworth Institute of Technology Counseling Center.

The Simmons Suicide Prevention Education Initiative presented at the 8th Annual Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference May 20 in Sturbridge, MA. Professors Ruth Dean, principal investigator and Hugo Kamya, co-principal investigator, and research assistants Rebecca Merick and Erina White discussed their work to better understand suicide prevention with the populations of new immigrants and homeless youth. Prof. Dean also spoke on "Ethical and Clinical Dilemmas in Supervision" at The Practice of Psychotherapy conference May 29 in Boston.

Professor Helen Reinherz was interviewed in an article on depression in the June 26 issue of CQ Researcher Online, a division of Congressional Quarterly Inc. Additionally, the SSW’s Longitudinal Study on the impact of family conflict on teens, of which Reinherz is principal investigator, was featured on the June 12 episode of Healthbeat, a podcast program of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.

Professor Hugo Kamya published “The Impact of War on Children: How Children Perceive Their Experiences” in the April issue of the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies. He also presented “Healing from Refugee Trauma: The Significance of Spiritual Beliefs, Faith Community, and Faith-based Services” at the American Family Therapy Academy Conference in New Orleans, June 24-27.