Anne Villano ’22MSW says her decision to enroll in Simmons’ School of Social Work was influenced by two key factors that also shaped volunteer service she engaged in while earning her degree – and her path since graduating: life experience and an affinity for advocacy.
“I decided to make a career change from graphic design to social work based on my experience in the military as the spouse of an active-duty officer,” says Villano, noting that her efforts to navigate the military’s mental health care system proved frustrating—and motivating.
“I recognized that social work offers so many avenues to advocate for and touch so many different populations. That advocacy piece has always been part of who I am,” says Villano. She chose Simmons because it was the first institution of higher learning to offer training for clinical social workers, and its online program was perfect for someone in a military family subject to frequent moves.
What Villano learned advocating for herself led to advocacy on behalf of others in military life. Along the way, she drew on what she was learning at Simmons and her background as an artist. She developed creative therapies, and she collaborated to bring to the United States an international art therapy program for refugees called Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. In 2022, the Armed Forces Insurance Program honored Villano for her work.
During her last semester, Villano’s life and professional path took another turn when her family relocated to Cape Cod so she could care for her parents. Her mom and dad both spent their final months in ended up in hospice following battles with cancer. The experience motivated Villano to apply to work in hospice after earning her Simmons degree.
“I just clicked with the people working in hospice, and I was hired on the spot. I attribute that to, not just my personal experience, but to the confidence level I have because of my Simmons education,” says Villano.
As Villano’s husband prepared to transition from active military duty to the reserves, they chose to move to Colorado Springs last November. Within weeks, Villano’s social work career took another turn when she became a primary therapist at a 30-day residential recovery center for people struggling with substance use and related mental health challenges.
“My four brothers struggled with substance use my whole life, and I lost one brother to an OD suicide,” says Villano. “I never thought I would want to, or more importantly be able to assist people in this high level of care for substance use.” But she sees the work as an opportunity “to cultivate empathy towards this population” and in a way, to honor her late brother.
“I believe the crux of a lot of substance use struggles people have is because of mental health challenges. The center honors that interplay. It’s more of a whole-person, humanistic approach which I think is where the field and this population is finally starting to head,” says Villano. “And the center is very open to, and I think excited for me to create some kind of art class or art therapy within my group and individual work.”
In addition to “giving back” to and through her profession, Villano anticipates volunteer service to her new community after learning more about it. Right now, she’s focused on the needs of her children, nine and seven.
“We get into social work to help people. You feel like a superhero one day and an impostor the next. Ultimately, you need to keep your own house in order, internally, and honor those limits. Otherwise, you’re going to dim what you bring to your community. There’s no shame in taking a pause to really assess your situation,” says Villano.