The UCF School of Social Work  has collaborated with the Orlando VA Medical Center to again offer the Veterans' Certificate "Serving the Needs of Military, Veterans and Their Families". The event will serve as an opportunity for service providers to come together to discuss and learn about the unique needs of military personnel and veterans who have returned from duty and their re-entry into civilian life. Guest speakers will address family issues with returning veterans,  related mental health issues, direct interventions with military, veterans, and their related family issues as well as the clinical treatment of mental health issues. For more information on this event please contact the School's Assistant Coordinator for Continuing Education at (407) 823-6080.

       • The Basic Training will be held on February 24th, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and February 25th 8:00 AM

          to 12:00 PM. This certificate is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is interested in learning about

          the issues that face veterans returning to the community.

       • The Advanced Training will be held on March 9th - 10th, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This certificate is

          open to individuals with a masters' degree who have also completed the Basic Training certificate.

The UCF School of Social Work in partnership with the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, The Heart of Florida United Way, and Love Orlando- First Baptist Church is offering a Case Management Academy designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of case managers. The Academy will take place over five consecutive Fridays in March and April. The cost of attending the Academy is $350 per attendee and has been approved for 40 Continuing Education Units (CEU's) by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling BAP # 50-12347 exp. 3/2013. Please check back with the School of Social Work website for more information on dates and location. For more information this event please contact the School's Assistant Coordinator for Continuing Education at (407)823-6080.

 Recent Events

The UCF School of Social Work Alumni Chapter recently held a very well attended CEU seminar featuring Dr. Sophia Dziegielewski, Professor, who presented “Psychopharmacology for the Non-Medically Trained: What Social Workers Need to Know in 2011”.

The Central Florida Chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups’ recently held a workshop featuring Dr. Mark Smith, Assistant Professor at Barry University, School of Social Work, who presented “Claiming Our Future: Developing a Youth-Driven, Narrative Group Program for Urban, Multi-ethnic, LGBTQ Youth ”.

Beginning in 2011, the UCF School of Social Work has taken a lead in training for the Department of Children and Families, Child Protective Investigation (CPI) Program. Comprehensive CPI pre- service trainings are provided to newly employed trainees in Circuits 9 and 18. The purpose of the training program is to prepare and support trainees in obtaining their child welfare professional certification. As of today the Schol has trained a total of 48 new CPI’s in both Circuits with a post-test pass rate of 98%. The School also has a role in coordinating and delivering in-service refresher training courses for current CPI’s, their supervisors, and child welfare community agencies.

Ms. Julie Devin, Daytona Regional Campus MSW student, has been chosen by the Lake County National Association of Social Workers as the Social Work Student of the Year.

Ms. Rebekah Hazlett-Knudsen, Instructor, has successfully defended her dissertation entitled, "Direct and Indirect Controls as measures of attachment: Gender, Delinquency, and the Parental Social Bond".

Ms. Robin Kohn, BSW Program Coordinator, was selected by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) as a 2011 Outstanding Advising Award Winner in the faculty advising category.

Dr. Ana Leon, Associate Professor, was invited to participate in a National Learning Collaborative to train faculty in the development and facilitation of elective clinical course work on trauma informed practice with children and adolescents.

New Faculty and Staff

Dr. Sophia F. Dziegielewski, has returned to School of Social Work as Professor and Associate Director for Research Professor. Dr. Dziegielewski first served on the faculty at UCF from 1997-2004. Dr. Dziegielewski has an extensive publication history and brings extensive administrative experience to our School. Prior to her return Dr. Dziegielewski served as Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Cincinnati. The School is excited and pleased to welcome her back.

Ms. Rosario “ChiChi” Pizarro has joined the School of Social Work as the new Coordinator of Administrative Services. We welcome her in her new role with the School.

Ms. Rebekah Hazlett-Knudsen has joined the School of Social Work faculty in the role of instructor. Ms. Hazlett-Knudsen brings many years of practice experience in the areas of domestic violence, individuals and families, group social work, and medical social work.

Ms. Mary Mann has joined the School of Social Work faculty in the role of instructor. Ms. Mann brings many years of practice experience working with adolescents and young adults.

Goodbyes

Ms. Sira Ambrosecchia stepped down as the School's Coordinator of Administrative Services and has joined the UCF Department of History as the Coordinator of Administrative Services. We wish her all the best in her new role and all future pursuits.

Dr. John Ronnau has announced that he will soon step down as the Director of the School of Social work and will assume the role of the Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at the University of Texas-Pan American. We wish him the best of luck in his future pursuits.

Community Involvement

The UCF School of Social Work Field Program recently launched a new newsletter, entitled FIELD FACTS, to keep agency field instructors, task supervisors and community providers updated on the activities of the Program. For more information on receiving this newsletter please contact the Field Program at (407) 823-5230 or email Ms. Regina Lambert at Regina.Lambert@ucf.edu.

Dr. Denise Gammonley, Associate Professor, is collaborating with the UCF Department of History, Public History Program in the " Using Oral History to Introduce Person-centered Care in Assisted Living" project, funded by the Winter Park Health Foundation. School of Social Work collaborators on the project are Ms. Mary Mann, MSW students Ms. Nicole Chavez and Mr. Daniel Fleishman, and the undergraduate Social Services for Older Adults class.

Ms. Paula Lupton, part-time faculty member, participated in the 2011-2012 Faculty Learning Center Community (FLC) hosted by the UCF Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. Ms. Lupton joined a small cohort of adjunct faculty in this innovative learning community.

Research and Scholarship

The School of Social Work faculty actively engages in individual and collaborative research resulting in high quality publications and presentations. There is considerable breadth to the scope of their work, encompassing women, youth, immigrants, health, mental health, aging, disability and sexuality.

The Journal of Social Service Research is now affiliated with UCF. The Journal of Social Service Research is ranked as one of the top journals in social work based on its impact factor. Dr. Sophia  Dziegielewski, Associate Director for Research remains journal editor.

Dr. Eileen Abel, Associate Professor and Dr. Shawn Lawrence, Associate Professor, will present both "Advancing practice with children experiencing divorce/family separation" and "Research that makes a difference: Comparing outcomes of a web-based MSW course to face-to-face class outcomes" at the 2012 Annual Conferene of the Society for Social Work and Research in Washington, DC.

Dr. Eileen Abel, and Dr. Olga Molina, Associate Professor, presented "Educating for practice with battered women: Cultural/ ethical issues in child custody" at the 57th Annual Council of Social Work Education Program Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

Dr. Julia Buckey, Assistant Professor, and Dr. Olga Molina will present their paper entitled, “Honoring patient care preferences: Surrogates speak” at the 2012 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. 

Dr. Julia Buckey, and Dr. Neil Abell, FSU College of Social Work, received the highest score (13 of 16 possible points) in a systematic review, conducted by Wendler and Rid (2011), of studies reporting the effects on surrogates making treatment decisions for adults unable to make their own decisions. The abstract of this study can be found at http://annals.org/content/154/5/336.abstract.

Dr. Denise Gammonley presented "Innovations in Geriatric Social Work Education: The National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education" at the May 2011 Knowledge Exchange Institute for  Geriatric Nursing, Medical, and Social Work Education, Canada National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Denise Gammonley co-presented "Beyond Study Abroad: A Guatemala Human Rights Delegation as Policy Advocacy Education" at the 4th Conference on International Social Work, in Los Angeles, CA.

 
Dr. Denise Gammonley presented a full day workshop entitled “Case Management Academy: Older Adults” for the Central FL Commission on Homelessness and Heart of Florida United Way in October 2011.

Dr. Denise Gammonley co-presented "The retention of licensed social workers in gerontological social work" at the 2012 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. 

Recent Faculty Publications

Abel, E.M., Chung-Canine, U., & Broussard, K. (In press) Investigating the efficacy of a school-based psycho-educational group intervention for helping elementary aged children cope with family disruption, Journal of Evidenced-based Social Work.

Bonifas, R., Simons, K. & Gammonley, D.L. (2011). Commitment of social workers to aging practice. Health & Social Work, 35(3), 183-196.

Frahm, K., Gammonley, D.L., Zhang, N. & Paek, S.C. (2011). Facility organizational and facility resident characteristics in nursing homes serving residents with a mental health history. Journal of Social Service Research, 37(1), 67-72.

Martin, L., & Hazlett-Knudsen, R. (2011). Change and continuity in state human service agencies: 1986-2006. Administration in Social Work.

Molina, O. (Summer, 2011).  Integrating knowledge of intimate partner violence in child welfare.  NASW, Child Welfare Section Connection.

Dreuth Zeman, L., Steen, J. A., & Metz Zeman, N.  (2011).  Originality detection software in a graduate social work policy course:  A mixed-methods evaluation of plagiarism.  Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 31, 431-441.

Steen, J. A.  (2011).  Organizational configurations of American child maltreatment reporting systems.  Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5.

Steen, J. A., & Smith, K. S. (2011). Foster parent perspectives of privatization policy and the privatized system. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 1483-1488.

Program News

UCF School of Social Work is Proud of Their Child Welfare Education Scholars. The Title IV-E Child Welfare Education Program at the UCF School of Social Work provides specialized training and education for BSW and MSW students who are interested in a career in Child Welfare. UCF’s Child Welfare Education Scholars, part of a state wide initiative, receive a certificate in Children’s Services , a stipend and complete their field placement in an authorized agency working with children in either foster care or adoption. After graduation, the students continue to work for these Child Welfare agencies. Dr. Michael Rothenberg, who has coordinated the program at UCF since 2005, is excited to be placing his 84^th student this spring. According to Dr. Rothenberg, “UCF’s BSW and MSW graduates are now working as case managers, supervisors, therapists, and program managers and are making a real difference in the lives of children and families in our community”.

The UCF School of Social Work, Daytona Regional campus continues to maintain an active cohort. In the 2011-2012 academic year 35 new students were enrolled; many of whom are already working in diverse areas of social service. In addition the new student enrollement fifty generalist and clinical students have been placed in internships throughout  Volusia, Flagler and St. John's County. Intership placements have been expanded to include community partners such as the Division of Blind Services, Florida Hospital Ormond/Cancer Care Center, Breaking the Cycle, School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, Children's Advocacy Center, Children's Partnership for Children, and Vitas Hospice.

Dr. Betsy Swart's, part-time faculty member, masters level Clinical Practice with Families course (see picture below) collected items over the Fall 2011 semester for the Safehouse of Seminole. The child-and-household items were assembled into "Starting Over Kits" for women who have fled abuse and are establishing new residences.

BSW Student Association (BSWSA)

The 2011-2012 BSWSA officers are: President- Jennifer Fernandez, Vice President- Caitlin Reilly, Treasure- Desiree Rodriguez, Secretary- Yiset Perez, Public Relations- Lauren Kendall, Historian- Allison Berkowitz, Fundraising Coordinator- Shannon Fleener.

A note from the BSWSA President

The BSWSA was busy during the fall semester with numerous events and projects. Included in these events was a Halloween Party at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children which allowed the children to participate in numerous Halloween themed activities; the completion of the annual Trick-or-Treat Food Drive which resulted in the donation of over 200 food items to the Zebra Coalition of Orlando. Along with the holiday season the BSWSA organized the Angel Tree project to provide gifts to over 100 children from the Orange County Public School McKinney-Vento Program, the Hope Center, and the Children Home Society Hacienda Girl’s Ranch.

Our commitment to service will continue into the spring semester as we attend the annual Advocacy & Education Day in Tallahassee. Our goal for this event is to educate lawmakers on issues that impact the the field of social work. We also hope to to continue to maintain our honor from last year- the School of Social work with the largest number of student participants. Another important spring event is the UCF Knight-thon.. So far, a team of 12 students from our organization has raised $1300 for this event which will go to the Children’s Miracle Network. Along with the money raised, our participation will continue on March 31, 2012, when students will stand for 16 straight hours in support of this foundation.

We have worked hard to make a difference and it is our goal to continue our involvment in the community through engagement and partnership.

~ Jennifer Fernandez, BSWSA President

MSW Student Association (MSWSA)

The 2011-2012 MSWSA officers are: President- Ashley Rush, Vice President- Toby Lucas, Secretary- Audra Brown, Public Relations- Emilie Durden, Treasurer- Monique Bennett, and Generalist Liaison- Lindsey Pike.

A note from the MSWSA President

The MSWSA hit the ground running in the 2011-2012 school year! During the fall semester, a new program was created to bridge the gap between MSW generalist and clinical students called the “Buddy Program”. In this program clinical students are paired with generalist students based upon fields of interest to assist the generalist student with networking opportunities in the community and navigating the UCF program. Currently, there are 15-20 students who have been matched and students report that they have had opportunities to chat on Facebook, meet for coffee, and make plans over break. The program will continue to accept and pair students and we hope that this program continues to thrive!

The MSWSA continues to engage the community. The MSWSA recently partnered with Sus Hi restaurant for a fundraiser benefiting the MSWSA. The MSWSA would like to thank Sus Hi restaurant, students, faculty and staff, and community members that participated and contributed! As the MSWSA plans for the future, we hope that you will keep an eye out for the upcoming 5k planned for March 2012 at UCF. This event will be open to all, so spread the word!

The MSWSA hopes to explore opportunities for partnership with community agencies for further ongoing community service involvement. Please contact the MSWSA at MSWSAatUCF@gmail.com for more information on joining or partnering with the MSWSA.  

~ Ashley Rush, MSWSA President

PAF Program & Student News 

The Ph.D. students in the Public Affairs Social Work cognate area continue to actively publish and engage in community scholarship.

Mr. Michael Bermes, part-time instructor and Ph.D. student, recently presented with Dr. Eileen Abel at the 57th Annual Council on Social Work Education conference. Their presentation was entitled "Educating for inclusive practice: Preparing students to work with PTSD-impacted veterans". Mr. Bermes also has a new publication in press with the Encyclopedia of Sexual Violence and Abuse entitle " Sociobiological theories of sexual violence".

Ms. Mary Mann, Instructor and Ph.D. student, recently co-presented with Mr. Michael Freeman, MSW student and Assistant Director of Office of Diversity Initiatives, at the 57th Annual Council on Social Work Education conference. Their presentation was entitled "Integrating LGBT content into HBSE courses in the social work curriculum.

The UCF School of Social Work Community Advisory Council meets quarterly. The next meeting is scheduled for February 15, 2012.

The UCF Daytona Community Advisory Council also meets quarterly and will hold its next meeting on

March 15, 2012.

The School of Social Work Alumni Chapter is active on behalf of the School! Please join the School of Social Work Alumni Association at their upcoming meeting, February 15th at 6:00 p.m.to be held at 3461 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando. For more information on this and upcoming meetings visit: http://www.ucfalumni.com/socialwork.

To stay in contact with the SSW Alumni Chapter visit the Chapter's Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/UCF.SSW.Alum or the Chapter’s website at http://www.ucfalumni.org/socialwork.

Social Work Works! is produced by the faculty, staff and students of the School of Social Work with assistance from the Office of External Relations. The editor is Ms. Rebekah Hazlett-Knudsen. Please email your comments and news to be included in the next issue to rhazlett@ucf.edu.