Part Two: Celebrating Students for Social Work Month

Published on : March 23, 2018

At CSWE we are celebrating Social Work Month by highlighting students who have benefited from CSWE’s student initiatives. Learn more about these students and initiatives below in part two of this two-part Social Work Month series, or start with part one of the series here. 

Social Work HEALS
The Social Work Healthcare Education and Leadership Scholars (HEALS) helps develop the next generation of health-care social work leaders by preparing them to address system-level changes, heighten awareness of prevention and wellness, and address the issues of structural racism. Learn more about these scholars from a sample of the 2017–2018 cohort:
 

	Emalie Karp’s HEALS field practicum site is the Maternal Child Health Division, Ingham County Health Department, where she works as a home visitor for pregnant women and new mothers.  After graduating, Emalie hopes to work with new mothers on postpartum depression and anxiety. Emalie is a student at Michigan State University.
	Luis Angel Tapia’s HEALS field practicum site is VITAS Healthcare, where he helps families with sensitive health-care decisions, provides access to community resources, and offers emotional support. Luis is most interested in geriatric and palliative health policy. Luis is a student at the University of Central Florida.
	Daniela Bermea’s HEALS field practicum site is Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she provides biopsychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, resource support, and brief counseling in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Obstetrics and Gynecology. She hopes to use community-based participatory action research to improve maternal health and promote health equity. Daniela is a student at the University of Texas Austin.
	Monica Ruth Casalean’s HEALS field practicum site is the Area Agency on Aging, where she works in transitional care coordination, Medicare training, and with AmeriCorps Caring Circles. She is most interested in clinical therapy in an acute setting, working with adults and older adults. Monica is a student at Arizona State University.

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Learn more about Social Work HEALS here.

SocialWorkCAS
SocialWorkCAS is a centralized application service for students applying to master’s-level social work programs. The service helps students save time and money by submitting application materials once to apply to multiple schools. See what student users are saying about SocialWorkCAS:

• “SocialWorkCAS is one of the easiest application services that I have used, all instructions were easy to follow and recommendations were hassle-free to obtain.”
• “I thought this program was very user friendly and I loved that I could track the status of my references and application via SocialWorkCAS.”

Did you know? SocialWorkCAS is the first CAS to offer fee waivers for veterans, and also offers fee waivers for applicants who meet income- and service-based requirements.

Learn more about SocialWorkCAS here.

Policy Practice in Field Education Initiative
The goal of the Policy Practice in Field Education Initiative is to support schools of social work in strengthening the field experience of their social work students who are pursuing careers in policy. This on-the-field training for social work students will develop their practical skills in research, policy analysis, debate, development, and advocacy. This is what last year's awardees has to say:

"Honestly, when I saw I needed to take a course in social policy, I was dreading it. I had no prior experience with policy and I did not think it would interest me. However, I could not be more pleased with how the course went! ... I am so surprised to say that policy was one of the most enjoyable courses. It was really challenging for me, but I know that I learned so much."
- A student from Clarke University

“I learned a good deal about the … compulsory attendance laws in my research.  This assignment also helped me to recognize an apparent pattern that could have something to do with race/ethnicity differences.  Since I was paying closer attention, I was able to deal with the students with more compassion as it related to missing school.”
-Research Student at Boston University

“This grant provided multiple opportunities for students at Clarke as well as other area colleges and universities to engage in policy practice in a way that otherwise could not have happened. The students clearly indicated that social policy had gone from a confusing, uninteresting requirement to something accessible that they could influence. No longer was policy scary; they were empowered to get involved.” 
-Regina Boarman, Ph.D., Department Chair, Clarke University

Learn more about the Policy Practice in Field Education Initiative here.

How are you celebrating Social Work Month? Be sure to tell us via Twitter or Facebook by tagging @CSocialWorkEd with #SWMonth and we will help spread the word.