Gordon Chinamasa
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of the BSW Program
Dr. Gordon Chinamasa is an experienced licensed clinical social worker with over 10 years of experience. He has worked as a public school-based partner and an in-home therapist, providing counseling services to youth at risk of out-of-home placements and children and families involved in child welfare. He has also worked as an emergency behavioral health services clinician, providing crisis assessment, intervention, and stabilization services in acute care and community-based settings. He holds a clinical certificate in Relational and Multi-Contextual Treatment of Trauma, demonstrating his commitment to providing quality care to his clients.
Dr. Chinamasa's experience in psychiatric crisis services has shaped his scholarly interest in understanding the connections between mental health, substance use, and homelessness. His dissertation was an intervention study examining improvements in the health and well-being of homeless individuals experiencing co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems when access to integrated behavioral health treatment is increased. He has served as a research assistant in the Center for Innovation in Behavioral Health Education & Research at Simmons University. His work has been published in Substance Abuse, among other outlets, and he has also presented at the Society of Social Work and Research (SSWR) and the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) annual conferences.
Education
- PhD, Simmons University
- MSW, Baylor University
- MA, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
- BTh, Cape Town Baptist Seminary
Courses
SW 101 Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare
SW 200 Social Welfare Policy
SW 253 Human Behavior in the Social Environment
SW 255 Interviewing and Documentation in Human Services
SW 351 Social Work Practice I: Introduction to Generalist Practice
SW 352 Social Work Practice II: Work with Individuals & Families
SW 353 Social Work Practice III: Groups
SW 354 Social Work Practice IV: Macro Social Work
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Chinamasa, G., Christian, T.M., & Kimball, R. (2016). The light within: A pilot study, or a 'Note form the field', examining the spontaneous production of light-emitting astronomical objects in child art. ATOL: Art Therapy OnLine.
- Halmo, R., Sellers, C., Collin, C., Chinamasa, G., & Putney, J. M., (2022). Changes in social work students’ attitudes and knowledge following opioid overdose prevention training. Substance Abuse Journal, 43(1), 289-293.
- Collin, C. R., Putney, J., Halmo, R., Chinamasa, G., Desmond, S., Dodillet, N., & Cadet, T. J. (2024). Impact of virtual learning on interprofessional simulation outcomes: A mixed-methods study. Rural mental health, 48(1), 36–46.
Manuscript Submitted
- Putney, J. M., Halmo, R., Collin, C., Chinamasa, G. & Cadet, T. (2023). Cultivating critical consciousness: Leveraging substance use education in social work to advance racial justice. Manuscript under review.
Referenced Conference Presentations
- Halmo, R., Putney, J., Chinamasa, G., & Sellers, C. M. Changes in social work students’ attitudes and knowledge following opioid overdose training. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) 25th Annual Conference, Virtual Conference, January 19-22, 2021.
- Halmo, R., Putney, J., Chinamasa, G., & Sellers, C. M. Opioid overdose training: Social work students’ attitudes and implications for clinical practice. Panel presentation at the Council of Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Virtual Conference, November 16-20, 2020.
- Putney, J. M., Collin, C., Halmo, R., Chinamasa, G. & Cadet. T. (2022, January). Feasibility and acceptability of a virtual interprofessional patient simulation training for social work and nursing students. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work Research.
- Collin, C., Halmo, R., Putney, J. M., Chinamasa, G. & Cadet. T. (2022, January). In pursuit of health justice: Preparing the workforce via virtual interprofessional simulation. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work Research.
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- National Association of Social Workers
- Council on Social Work Education
- Society for Social Work and Research