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Diana R. Garland School of Social Work
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Diana R. Garland School of Social Work

Integration of faith and practice.

At the GSSW, social work is about service and justice, healing and restoration, and the dignity of each individual. It is a rich and diverse professional journey that will open many doors to serve others and work for justice in a hurting world.

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BSW

Explore the Bachelor of Social Work program.

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MSW

Explore our residential Master of Social Work program.

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MSW (Online)

Explore our online Master of Social Work program.

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PhD

Explore our PhD in Social Work program. 

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Magazine

Celebrating the accomplishments of our staff, the diligence of our faculty, the contributions of our students, and the generosity of our donors.

Events

Click here to see events happening in the life of the GSSW and Baylor as well around the field of social work.

Research

Research that addresses both human crises and long-term, complex social problems locally and globally.

GSSW Podcast: So Far So Good

 

Welcome to So Far, So Good from Baylor University's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work...a podcast to model anti-oppressive engagement and critical self-reflection, hosted by Kerri Fisher & Kayla Mize. So what does that name mean? It represents how far we all are from becoming completely anti-oppressive but also how good it is to take even small steps toward inner work and systemic change. It also is an acknowledgment of how far outside our own experiences art can take us and how good it is to take in the stories of others. Engaging diversity one story at a time!

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Check out Our Admissions Events

Interested in learning more about joining the Garland School of Social Work? Click the link below to see what recruitment and admissions events we have coming up soon.

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Center for Church and Community Impact (C3i)

At the Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I), we aim to discover how the invisible struggles of our lives such as but not limited to stress, mental health concerns, trauma, loneliness, and addiction affect our communities and the congregations serving them.

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Advocacy in Action Blog

Be sure to check out our Advocacy in Action blog to learn more about what it means to work in social work, to be a social worker and the benefits of a Baylor social work degree!

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News

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Mar. 18, 2022
As burnout reaches a new high, faculty member’s new book asks, "Who is helping the helpers?"

WACO, Texas – In her new book, The Soul of the Helper, Holly Oxhandler, PhD, LMSW, combines solid research with practical application to show how giving attention to both our mental and spiritual health can lead to greater healing. Oxhandler, associate professor and associate dean for research and faculty development at Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, focuses specifically on the needs of those in helping positions (parents, pastors, teachers, healthcare workers, caregivers...), who are currently experiencing alarming levels of burnout due to the stress of the pandemic.

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Feb. 9, 2022
Healthy Bonds for Black Fathers-in-law, Sons-in-law

What does a healthy relationship look like for a Black son-in-law and his father-in-law?

A study aims to answer that question and was published in “Psychology of Men & Masculinities” by University of Maryland School of Social Work’s (UMSSW) Assistant Professor Ericka M. Lewis, PhD, MSW, with Professor Michael E. Woolley, PhD, MSW, and Baylor University Assistant Professor Brianna P. Lemmons, PhD, MSW.

Studies on in-laws are far and few between, less so for male in-law relationships, and even less so for Black male in-laws, Woolley said. This study is a way to lift Black voices and examine those roles.

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Jan. 19, 2022
Social work professors to assess religion and spirituality competencies in mental health graduate education

Drs. Holly Oxhandler and Clay Polson, associate professors in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, have been awarded an $843,647 grant from the John Templeton Foundation as a subaward through the University of South Alabama. Oxhandler and Polson are serving as co-investigators of the overall Spiritual and Religious Competencies Project, and are leading one of the team’s four sub-projects. Specifically, the two are seeking to understand faculty views, behaviors and needs regarding graduate education training in religious and spiritual competencies in an effort to better serve those seeking mental health treatment.

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Nov. 30, 2021
GSSW alumna selected for 2021 Adoption Excellence Award

Dr. Bonni Goodwin, a graduate of the GSSW PhD program, was recently selected to receive the 2021 Adoption Excellence Award by the Children’s Bureau for her work and research in adoption. Dr. Goodwin graduated from Baylor with her PhD in December 2020. Before her time at the GSSW, she was working with an adoption agency in Oklahoma. It was there she realized several ways in which the field of adoption could be improved.

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Success Stories

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Military veteran and Baylor alumna Crystal Brown is shining her Baylor light via social work in a way she never expected—in the field of nephrology.

Meet Crystal Brown

Nataly chose social work because of her strong passion for community building as well as her goal to fight human trafficking

Meet Nataly Sanchez

She didn't know what doors social work could open for her, especially with the emphasis on neighborhood engagement and community partnerships.

Meet Samantha Nelms

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Diana R. Garland School of Social Work

811 Washington Ave
Waco, TX 76701
254-710-6400
swo@baylor.edu
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