News
At this year's CSWE Annual Convention, members of our Garland School family had the opportunity to travel to Kansas City and present their research to the larger Social Work community. We are so proud of the research being done by GSSW faculty, students, and alumni, and we invite you to check out the important topics that they've been studying!
The Garland School was well represented at the 2024 NACSW Annual Convention this year. The gathering saw many GSSW faculty, students, and alumni present research on some of today's most significant topics in the field of social work. Much of the work that was demonstrated at the conference was centered around our 10th Competency - which we are so proud of! Come and explore the wide array of cutting-edge research topics that our Garland School community is bringing before social workers at the national level.
Before she came to know Baylor as a student, Lucy Huh, a doctoral candidate in Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work, was first introduced to Baylor through the late Diana R. Garland – the namesake and inaugural dean of Baylor’s School of Social Work – and her pioneering research on clergy sexual abuse of adults.
Through U.S. Department of Education funding, Professor Carrie Arroyo, LCSW, alongside Mary Zane Nelson, LCSW, and Dr. Stephanie Boddie, launched the Partnering for Heart of Texas Mental Health project. This initiative focuses on improving mental and emotional well-being for Waco ISD and Transformation Waco students. Six MSW clinical interns are providing school-based mental health services, with a Clinical School Social Work certificate program in development. This project is positively impacting students, families, and the community by increasing access to holistic and culturally inclusive mental health care on school campuses.
Dr. Elissa Madden, contracted by the Texas Supreme Court Children’s Commission, evaluated the McLennan County Parent Advocacy Program (PAP), which provides child welfare-related legal services to help families navigate CPS investigations and prevent child removals. Madden’s evaluation found that the program served 51 clients and prevented 91 children from entering foster care. Through interviews and surveys, the evaluation highlighted the program’s success in addressing custody modifications, CPS defenses, and family law matters. Madden emphasized the need for similar programs in other communities to provide critical legal support to families facing CPS involvement.
Dr. Gaynor Yancey, with funding from Fellowship Southwest, selects and trains MSW students at Baylor to work with congregations, strengthening ministries, deepening faith, and fostering community transformation. The project enables students to conduct congregational research, raising awareness of resources available for congregational growth. Program Manager Erin Albin Hill highlights how students integrate faith with social work practice. Upon the project's completion in July 2024, 13 students will have participated, many now serving in roles supporting congregations and community development across the country.
Dr. Gaynor Yancey, leading the Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) at Baylor, collaborated with congregations on Accompaniment, Trauma Care, and LGBTQ+ Discernment through the Baugh Foundation’s Building Resilient Congregations initiative. This research pilot focuses on fostering belonging, resiliency, and strengths in spiritual communities using an evidence-based curriculum and peer-learning model. Early results from the 2023 mid-year evaluation indicate positive impacts, with congregations benefiting from humble curiosity, self-awareness, and strengths-based approaches in navigating challenging conversations.
In 2023, over 30,000 U.S. youth faced homelessness without a guardian, with 20% escaping domestic violence. Partnering with the Klaras Center for Families' Homeless Youth Safety Net Project, Dr. Cheryl Pooler evaluated the Chase House, a transitional housing facility in Central Texas. This program, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supports youth by fostering human connection, amplifying their voices in decision-making, and promoting high school graduation. Testimonials from Chase House youth highlight its transformative role in providing stability, life skills, and support during critical life transitions
Dr. Jinyu Liu, in collaboration with Dr. Clara Li, is studying the impact of immigration experiences on cognitive outcomes among older Chinese immigrants to the U.S., aiming to develop tailored interventions for Alzheimer's prevention.
Dr. Danielle Parrish and Ph.D. student Cali Werner are researching mental health in Collegiate and Olympic athletes, focusing on evidence-based interventions and the effects of NIL deals and Olympic Blues.
A Texas initiative, led by Baylor University, trains professionals in Motivational Interviewing (MI) to support commercially sexually exploited youth. With 12 certified trainers statewide, the program helps victims heal and explore new life paths through specialized intervention techniques.
Research and painful experience consistently demonstrate domestic violence is as prevalent in churchgoing families as it is in the general population, author and domestic abuse survivor Geneece Goertzen said.
GSSW PhD Student and Research Fellow Heather Deal alongside Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM), is working together with Dr. Yancey to build an assessment tool for congregations and, ultimately, a curriculum that can be used to work towards creating an environment within their congregation that is one in which women in ministry are not only accepted but thriving.
Extending Baylor University’s year-long focus on civil discourse, 12 Baylor University faculty members have joined together as the first faculty cohort of Bridgebuilding Fellows. Each faculty member serves as a role model and works to equip the campus community to make positive connections with one another across deep divides.
On Aug. 15-16, the faculty Bridgebuilding Fellows completed training using the Bridging the Gap (BTG) curriculum, a grant-funded program through Interfaith America that equips participants with the skills and knowledge to better engage across divisions in polarized contexts. Civil discourse is interwoven into the University’s new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds, with faculty programs such as bridgebuilding, helping students develop the skills to effectively lead and serve in complex, diverse – and sometimes polarized – environments.
In a world where the power of connection and understanding can transform lives, Cassie Niedhammer shines brightly as a beacon of hope. Recognized as the Clinical Intern of the Year from the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, Cassie’s journey reflects a profound commitment to helping others, particularly children and families navigating the complexities of grief.
The healthcare model of the future recognizes the need for additional skilled mental and behavioral health professionals in the primary care environment. There is a shortage of mental health professionals in Texas who are trained for intervention in primary care.
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease and other progressive neurocognitive disorders comes with a wide range of challenges, emotions and stressors. Despite those difficult circumstances, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Baylor University found that family caregivers who recognize and cultivate feelings of gratitude are better able to adjust to their roles with a greater sense of well-being and enhanced coping.
Waco was 1 of 10 U.S. Communities That Received More Than $2.5 Million in Grants for Community-led Sustainability Projects As A Part of The Newest Round of Partners for Places Matching Grants and Has Succeeded in its First Year.
Waco's Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture Project or "S.C.R.A.P." Collective has recently concluded its first year of working to promote sustainability in the Central Texas community. Having received a $150,000 grant from The Funders Network and a matching grant from the Cooper Foundation, the S.C.R.A.P. Collective is growing a healthy, equitable food system in Waco to address issues of food waste, food insecurity, and climate resilience.
Over the last three years, Dr. Laine Scales as worked alongside the Baylor University Libraries Learning Design team designing and facilitating a number of professional development opportunities for Baylor faculty and graduate students. Dr. Scales has been instrumental in the success of DOTS (Designing for Online Teaching Success) for Baylor doctoral students and DIVE (Designing Instruction for Virtual Engagement) for Baylor faculty interested in best practices in online education.
Professor David Pooler is a Professor in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. What is consent and power in clergy-laity relations?
When the world tunes into the Olympic Games, they will celebrate elite athletes’ physical excellence, discipline and competitive spirit. These Olympians push the boundaries of human performance, breaking records and achieving feats that inspire millions. However, behind the scenes of their triumphant victories and grueling training sessions lies a less visible yet equally critical aspect of their lives – mental health. The intense pressure to perform, the constant scrutiny from media and fans and the sacrifices made in personal lives can take a significant toll on their psychological well-being. Garland School of Social Work researchers have studied how strategies involving Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
C3I intern Kennedy Garland writes about the importance of multi-generational ministry and gives churches the tools and steps for how to make that shift in their congregations.
"Generational ministries are common, but programs that include all generations are not always available. We know different generations can come together on more than Sundays, but we often don’t know how. To do so, we must be intentional."
C3I Program Manager Erin Albin Hill reflects on the childcare crisis that is impacting millennials in America right now.
"I’m a community social worker so my thoughts often go to policy and systems. When the Child Tax Credit was in place during Covid, child poverty decreased from 9.7% to 5.2%. Within a month of its removal, child poverty increased by 3%. Those extra funds were just enough to make a difference in the everyday financial situation of families."
Nada Dorman is the Garland School’s MSW Alicia Martinez Spirit of Social Work Award recipient, and this quote describes her life’s journey quite well. Nada was a non-traditional graduate student in our online MSW program. After working 20 years in the marketing/public relations profession, she decided to make a change. Even though her first career was full of exciting jobs like working with Netflix, she found this path not to be the one she was called to walk.
“I’ve always had a helper spirit, but I studied communications, pursued a master’s [degree] and had a really exciting and successful career in marketing and PR, but it just wasn’t fulfilling,” Nada said.
Lucy Huh, who researches adult clergy sexual abuse at Baylor University, said victims consider what they have to lose—their reputations, relationships, marriages, faith communities, and even their faith itself—and most remain silent, keeping their trauma to themselves. The result looks very different than what happens to people who have affairs. “Consensual relationships don’t result in trauma and lifelong suffering,” Huh said. New research done at Baylor in fact shows that survivors of adult clergy sexual abuse suffer rates of traumatization that surpass even war veterans. In a study that is currently being peer-reviewed for publication, professor David Pooler found 39 percent of adult survivors screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
We invite you to apply to join a Congregational Learning Community as a part of the new project Bridges to Belonging: Accessible Ministry with Youth and Young Adults. This project is focused on equipping churches to welcome and support young people (aged 13-25) with disabilities (including mental health challenges and chronic illnesses).
This interdisciplinary project is a collaboration of George W. Truett Seminary, the Center for Church and Community Impact (C3i), and the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD). We are funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.'s Thriving Congregations Initiative.
Sunseek Moon, Ph.D.,will spend his Fulbright year in Kenya teaching and conducting public health/social work research at the University of Nairobi's College of Health Sciences. Sungseek Moon, Ph.D., The Carl and Martha Lindner Endowed Chair for Global Studies and professor at Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, has been selected as a 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Kenya, joining an elite group of scholars who have received the prestigious and competitive fellowship from the U.S. government’s premier international educational exchange program.
A researcher and expert on adult clergy sexual abuse in the U.S. is working with survivors, advocates, academics, and emerging scholars to shed light on the pervasive issue and promote meaningful change within religious institutions.
Researchers writing on adult clergy sexual abuse (ACSA) often begin their literature review by recognizing that studies on ACSA are minimal. This limited research highlights the urgent need for collaboratives like the Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse Advocacy and Research Collaborative (ACSARC) at Baylor University. In addition to deepening understanding of ACSA and its ramifications, ACSARC strives to help fill the knowledge gap, thereby fostering a more comprehensive understanding of ACSA.
The Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) has been empowering congregations to better serve their communities for the past 25 years. C3I provides research, training, and internships that equip congregations to address social justice issues, create welcoming environments, and walk alongside those in their community. Through its programs, C3I has helped congregations create positive change in the lives of countless individuals and families. This article celebrates the Center’s 25th anniversary and the many graduates and supporters who have shared their experiences and expressed their gratitude for the Center’s work.
Dr. David Pooler speaks with media in Florida about the topic of adult clergy sexual abuse in the midst of a breaking story about alleged miscoduct from a local religious figure in the area. Dr. Pooler, a leading expert in this area, talks with ABC7's Summer Smith about this type of abuse.
There’s no shortage of challenges that can impact a child’s mental health — but school districts often face a shortage of qualified mental health professionals. Baylor researchers in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work are working to bridge this gap in Central Texas. Carrie Arroyo serves as senior lecturer of social work and Mary Zane Nelson serves as project director of a project called Partnering for Heart of Texas (H.O.T.) Mental Health. In this Baylor Connections, they take listeners inside this $2.5 million partnership with Waco ISD schools. (Click the headline to listen and read the transcript.)
While labyrinth walking has been a movement meditation for thousands of years, there is modern research to suggest it is beneficial to mental health. A study published last year in Frontiers in Psychology found that labyrinth walking helped ease stress of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For people in hospitals and prisons, labyrinth walking as a mind-body integrative practice can be life-sustaining and healing in addition to traditional forms of medical treatment or counseling,” Jocelyn Shealy McGee, assistant professor in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University in Texas, who was a researcher in the study, told the BBC.
Online MSW Candidate and C3I intern Jessica Lewis penned an OpEd for Baptist News Global. Within my role as a social work intern at The Center for Church and Community Impact, I recently led a team of individuals as we conducted an asset map in Falls and McLennan counties in the heart of Texas. This asset map helped shed some light on the valuable role rural churches play in addressing the physical and social needs of older adults. Through the information gathered for the asset map of rural churches in the area, we revealed fascinating insights into the services and ministries offered by those congregations and their potential influence on the aging population.
According to the NASW, there are more than 600 accredited schools of social work in the US, and our ranking puts us in the TOP 8% of programs ... In the U.S. News Best Schools for Social Work rankings, we are ranked No. 51 in the nation. We offer the Master of Social Work with residential and online options and the Ph.D. in social work, which is designed to develop leaders and educators who can lead visionary social work education or service programs and conduct original research addressing today’s complex social issues.
If you’re serving clients, patients, kids, families, students, or helping at work in a fast-paced environment, inviting in restful rhythms in life or marriage may feel audacious and impossible next to your never-ending to-do list. However, those who are natural givers often deeply struggle to thrive because of this tendency to serve until burnout. Here you're invited to lean into practices that will help you to give for the long haul as we chat with Dr. Holly Oxhandler.
I love that there is a month set aside to embrace my culture, one where I feel appreciated and valued. In September, there are many celebrations that take place in communities, at schools and even churches for Hispanic Heritage Month.
But now that we are a few months past that designated time, I always ask myself why our culture can’t be celebrated year-round. Why is my culture put on the back burner every other month of the year?
There are so many beautiful ways to serve and welcome the Hispanic community during all the other months as well.
I cried Sunday night watching two seemingly different individuals perform one of my favorite songs together. I love music and look forward to the Grammy Awards every year.
While I love celebrating my favorite artists and watching about half the performances, once in a while a performance stands out and really moves me. One of the most iconic moments from the Grammys that made such an impression happened 20 years ago when I was in fourth grade.
Last week, a little red, three-and-a-half-year-old puppet asked our world how we were doing, and it turns out we needed someone to ask. We were honest with our answers, and it became national news. Elmo’s question on X garnered over 40,000 responses and roughly 182.3 million views. While some posts were positive, most were brutally honest about negative feelings of stress and anxiety, depression and despair. As Elmo’s post became national news, outlets referred to the responses as a “social media trauma dump” and “social media dread.” Even the President of the United States weighed in, saying, “I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days. Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and, above all else, ask for help when needed. Even though it’s hard, you’re never alone.”
People become social workers because they have a strong desire to help others. Social workers have a hearty sense of social justice and follow a Code of Ethics that calls on them to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people. They are particularly attuned to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.
Before she came to know Baylor as a student, Lucy Huh, a doctoral candidate in Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work, was first introduced to Baylor through the late Diana R. Garland – the namesake and inaugural dean of Baylor’s School of Social Work – and her pioneering research on clergy sexual abuse of adults. Clergy sexual abuse occurs when a person with religious authority intentionally uses their role, position and power to sexually exploit a congregant. As a survivor-advocate of clergy sexual abuse, Huh found a home to pursue her own research at Baylor.
Lead advisor to the president, Methodist Children’s Home Part-time staff, First Methodist Church of Waco Founder, motivational speaker, rapper and trainer, MovementUP LLC...Ahmad Washington advises, preaches and ministers to youth and raps to his own music. Sometimes he does it all at the same time. Weekdays, he serves as lead advisor to the president of Methodist Children’s Home. He’s also a part-time staff member at First Methodist Church of Waco. And in between, he runs his own motivational organization, MovementUP LLC, emphasizing positivity and connection between students and teachers.
PODCAST: Caregivers are prime candidates for burnout, but social worker Holly Oxhandler says we find healing when we honor God’s image in ourselves and those we serve.
WACO, Texas (Dec. 11, 2023) – Baylor University has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish an interdisciplinary project that focuses on helping congregations embrace young people with disabilities, mental health challenges and chronic illnesses.
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.
But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said: “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
But the Lord said to her: “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42 NLT).
The Sustainable Communities and Regenerative Agriculture Project Collective, a group of climate-smart organizations, is implementing grant-funded projects in Waco aimed toward public food production, education and composting as a means to reduce food waste.
Sixty families in rural northern Sierra Leone are reaping the benefits of a new cash crop, thanks to a ministry led by a Baylor University graduate and supported by the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering.
As part of an R1 institution, two professors in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work shared their experience with research and how it benefits the people around them.
Dr. Jocelyn McGee, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, said her research focuses on Alzheimer’s and dementia patients as well as their caregivers. McGee specifically looks into how having hope affects patients and caregivers’ resilience.
Women represent the fastest-growing population in U.S. institutional corrections facilities. In the past four decades, the number of women incarcerated has increased by more than 475%, rising from 26,326 in 1980 to 152,854 in 2020. Because the majority of imprisoned women are mothers, a conservative estimate indicates that at least one million American children have experienced maternal incarceration, and a substantial portion of them are adolescents.
Baylor researchers have been awarded $2.5 million across five years to pursue mental health opportunities for students in the Waco area. The program, Partnering for Heart of Texas Mental Health, will also assist Baylor students working toward their master’s degrees in social work as it funds their education.
When it comes to more fully understanding religion and faith in Latin America, Dr. Juan Carlos Esparza Ochoa bridges data, social work and theology — and at Baylor, he’s found a collaborative spot to continue decades of research in this area.
As researchers and leaders in the field of trauma and congregations, staff from the Garland School of Social Work’s Center for Church and Community Impact (C3I) were recently invited to present research findings at a meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
WACO, Texas - July 31, 2023 - PRLog -- A new collective, S.C.R.A.P. (Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture Project), has received a $150,000 grant from The Funders Network and a matching grant from the the Cooper Foundation. S.C.R.A.P. is growing a healthy, equitable food system in Waco to address issues of food waste, food insecurity, and climate resilience.
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Waco ISD and Transformation Waco schools will see more licensed mental health professionals inside campuses in the coming years.
It’s all because of a more than $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, all of these licensed mental health professionals will be Baylor graduate students.
WACO, Texas (July 13, 2023) – Baylor University researchers in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work have earned a significant federal grant to bolster mental health services to school children by preparing licensed mental health providers for work in schools.
Women represent the fastest-growing population in U.S. institutional corrections facilities. In the past four decades, the number of women incarcerated has increased by more than 475%, rising from 26,326 in 1980 to 152,854 in 2020. Because the majority of imprisoned women are mothers, a conservative estimate indicates that at least one million American children have experienced maternal incarceration, and a substantial portion of them are adolescents.
WACO, Texas (May 9, 2023) – Twelve Baylor University professors have been honored with Outstanding Faculty Awards for teaching, scholarship and contributions to the academic community for the 2022-2023 academic year. Our own Luci Hoppe was among the honorees!
WACO, Texas (May 4, 2023) – Baylor University today announced a $1.5 million gift from Charlie and Cindy Fuller of Woodway, Texas, and their family, establishing an endowed faculty chair position to support innovative research and teaching within the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work.
Faith has long had a contentious relationship with mental health, especially from the side of clinical practitioners. The mental health field itself is not a particularly strong religious incorporation though we know it is important for clients and so counselors need to wrestle with how they plan to practice with integrating spirituality. It is our believe that faith has a place in the clinical counseling session and Christian practices, when done ethically, can promote change and healing.
Garland School of Social Work alumna and adjunct professor Bianca Smith opened her own private practice for counseling and consulting online, called iKultivate, in 2022. While pursuing her master’s degree in social work, Smith said she knew she wanted to pursue private practice.
WACO, Texas (March 24, 2023) – National Social Work Month is a time to celebrate the role social workers play in society. Dedicated to breaking barriers that prevent people from achieving their own potential, social workers are essential to improving the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
Dr. Brianna Lemmons, an assistant professor at the Diana Garland School of Social Work has authored and collaborated on her first textbook entitled, Social Work Practice With Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention, published by Springer Charm. When she learned her textbook would be published, she felt both excited and immensely grateful.
Kerri Fisher, a full-time, senior lecturer at the Garland School of Social Work was recently promoted to the position of associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion. Fisher will serve the school in a variety of ways in this new role, including bringing vision, and accountability.
Hurt. Assault. Violence. Disaster. Loss. Grief. Death. Trigger. Trauma.
What is our initial reaction to each of these words?
“Why should we talk about Black History Month at our church?” This was a question posed to me by someone at a church I am working with.
I had asked for approval to make weekly posts honoring and celebrating Black History Month on the church’s social media page. This church is in a small, rural, Southern town and has little to no experience talking about race productively. I explained this could be a good starting point to learn about the beauty and uniqueness of the Black community’s culture and rich history. A social media post allows people to determine what level of engagement they would like to have with the information. It is a low-stakes intervention.
The church is the beautiful, multifaceted body of Christ, made up of imperfect people impacted and often harmed by imperfect people. We as God’s people declare all humans are created in the image of God—reflecting his character to see the world through eyes of love.
Dr. Stephanie Boddie is a gardener at heart: sowing, cultivating and encouraging the seeds of her students’ critical thinking skills as intentionally as she works the earth in her own garden. She even teaches a class called “Education from a Gardener’s Perspective,” where her students practice introspection through mindful reflection outdoors in a garden.
Our founding dean, Dr. Diana S. Richmond Garland, has been recognized posthumously with the National Association of Social Work Pioneers Award. This is the second major award given to Garland by NASW.
We are surrounded by messages that the holidays are supposed to be perfect—the perfect time with the perfect weather for perfect families to gather, eat perfect meals and exchange perfect gifts while we make perfect memories. What do we do when that doesn’t happen and the expectation is shattered?
Throughout the vast expanses of Texas, people in both rural and urban communities benefit from behavioral health care professionals, who address the needs of children and adults in challenges ranging from diabetes management to substance abuse. The state, however, faces a challenge—more than 75 percent of counties in Texas qualify as behavioral health shortage areas. Across rural areas, the need is particularly acute, and it grows even more for patients who are Spanish-speaking.
Baptist scholars recently gathered at Oxford University for the 2022 Baptist Scholars International Roundtable (BSIR), hosted by the Baylor University Graduate School, to promote Baptist scholarship among faculty around the world. BSIR is co-directed by Laine Scales, Ph.D., professor in Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, and Baylor graduate João Chaves, M.T.S. ’12, Ph.D. ’17, assistant professor of evangelism and mission at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and associate director for programming at the Hispanic Theological Initiative.
Baylor University was named among the nation’s top 10 Most Trusted Universities, according to global research firm Morning Consult as part of its Most Trusted Brands project. Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Universities report measures public trust in the top 135 doctoral research universities featured in the U.S. News’ 2022 Best National University Rankings and explores how trust varies among diverse groups and different types of institutions.
Dr. Brianna Lemmons' scholarship focuses, among other topics, on African American fatherhood, the role of non-resident fathers in family life. She is the co-author of a recent examination of son-in-law and father-in-law relationships in Black families. Dr. Lemmons also founded and leads the Black Female Fatherhood Scholars Network which connects female scholars who are committed to uplifting the Black community through the study of Black fatherhood and families. We asked Dr. Lemmons to share a few reflections in advance of Father’s Day.
Several Baylor University graduate and professional programs were among those nationally ranked in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, released March 29 ... In the new Health Schools rankings, U.S. News ranked Baylor’s social work graduate programs in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at No. 51 and Baylor’s Master’s of Public Health (MPH) degree program with specializations in community health, environmental health science or epidemiology in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, at No. 79.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has awarded its 2022 Partners in Prevention Outstanding Leader Award to Pam Crawford, LCSW-S, LCPAA of Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services. Crawford, who has served children and families with PCHAS for over 20 years, received the honor November 4 at the Partners in Prevention Conference hosted by DFPS in Austin.
The Center for Church and Community Impact (C3i) program, housed in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, strives to research and provide curriculum for congregations on community issues.
Dr. Gaynor Yancey, director of C3i, dives deeper into the program, explaining the research, work and importance of having a social work presence within congregations.
“Congregations, for me, are the heart of what we are about and certainly what our faith is about,” Yancey said. “But along with that comes the purpose of the C3i, [which] is to come alongside congregations to strengthen them in the way that they feel God directs them to do their work.”
From The Pioneer Woman Lifestyle Blog, featuring Dr. Helen Harris—
It's never easy to know what to write in a sympathy card for a friend, family member, or coworker. But even if you feel uncomfortable or aren’t sure what to say, that doesn’t mean you should procrastinate or not say anything at all.
"The most important thing is to acknowledge the other person’s loss. People who are grieving need to feel connected and know they’re not alone," says Helen Harris, EdD, who teaches about and researches loss and grief at Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. "Even if we’re not able to be there physically, a card acknowledges that a person’s pain and loss matters to us."
WACO, Texas — A Baylor University professor is putting her boots on the ground to get young women in the juvenile system back on the right track.
"I hope that this work that we're doing will help empower these youth to meet the goals and the hopes and the dreams that they have in their life. I want to do work that's meaningful, practical and that will actually once you do the research help this population," says Dr. Danielle Parrish, a professor of social work with Baylor University's Houston campus.
Siblings Sarah and John Garland share an intangible inheritance from their late mother that transcends kinship. Sarah, a journalist, and John, a pastor, say their mother, Diana Garland, a Baptist social work educator with wide-ranging influence, pursued a commitment to justice and mercy that inspires them in their life and work. Sarah Garland “There’s not a lot required of us, the Bible says, but one (requirement) is to do justice,” said Sarah Garland, a New York-based writer and editor, during a Sept. 25 address to her home church in Louisville, Ky. Her mother “always appeared to be doing and doing” justice, she observed. “I feel both inspired and daunted.”
When a group of Baptist scholars came together virtually Aug. 9-11 for a roundtable on “Baptists and the Kingdom of God,” they did not know that several in the group had personal experience to speak to one of the presentation topics: apartheid in South Africa. The Baptist Scholars International Roundtable is housed at Baylor University and supported by member institutions invested in the formation of global-minded Baptist leaders. The group’s focus is intergenerational, transnational development in which BSIR fellows respond to the work of seven scholars selected to participate.
As we are just over a week away from Father’s Day, this Month on the Central Texas Leadership Series, a compelling conversation between Dr. Brianna Lemmons, President of The Black Female Fatherhood Scholars Network, Drexel King, one of the founding members of Black Fathers of Waco and Marlon Jones, Director of Fatherhood Services for STARRY – a nonprofit organization offering services in Counseling, Family Support, Foster Care and Adoption. LISTEN by clicking the title.
WACO, Texas (May 25, 2021) – Danielle Parrish, Ph.D., professor in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, has been awarded a $3.1 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to study the efficacy of risk reduction intervention efforts for young women age 14-17 in the juvenile justice system. The grant will be dispersed over five years, beginning May 2021. The project, titled CHOICES-TEEN: Efficacy of a Bundled Risk Reduction Intervention for Juvenile Justice Females, is an effort to fill gaps in care for at-risk young women in the juvenile justice system. "I'm really excited and honored to have this opportunity to pursue this research that I’ve had on my heart for many, many years," Parrish said. "This grant will provide the resources to implement a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of an intervention that I hope will be able to be used more widely in the U.S. and fill the gaps in services for this population."
As the coronavirus began its transmission blitz last spring, the Taya and Chris Kyle Foundation (TACK-F) was forced to scale back its marriage-based programming. Even with a smattering of retreats and virtual group counseling sessions, the waitlist for in-person programs ballooned. Couples whose significant other is a first responder or serves in the military, or is a veteran were clamoring for help. “The need has not gone down, I cannot stress that enough,” said Corie Weathers, national clinical director of programming at TACK-F and a licensed professional counselor. “Their world did not halt — it got more complicated.” Problems in a marriage that once simmered before COVID-19 were brought to a boil in the last year. “Resentment is going up. Anxiety is up. Exhaustion is way off the radar,” she said. Combined with a “service lifestyle,” relationships already teetering on the edge of failing face slim odds of surviving. “Your marriage is constantly under assault by the career,” said Brad Sims, an investigator and bomb technician with the Fort Worth Fire Department. A career first responder and Army veteran, he and his wife, Kelli, a pre-school educator, nearly filed for divorce six years ago.
Words have power; they can carry freedom or they can carry weight. We often forget that power also resides in names. Our names are what we closely identify with in places of comfort and places of estrangement. Knowing someone’s name can allow them to feel safe and cared for, just like forgetting someone’s name can make someone feel shame and embarrassment. The adjectives or labels that we ascribe to someone also carry weight. When talking to or about someone who is in a vulnerable state, the words used are particularly important. For example, there is a common tendency to call individuals who are on the journey out of addiction and in recovery as “addicts” or “alcoholics.” The intentions might be pure, but the verbiage is haunting. “Hi, my name is Lacey, and I am a new creation in Christ Jesus.” This statement was a hopeful reminder of a new identity I received when accepting the gift of salvation.
Grief is a part of life for every person and, therefore, is a natural part of life for every church community. Two of the most foundational duties of those in ministry are to walk alongside those who are grieving and to conduct funerals for the deceased and their loved ones. While the church is no stranger to grief, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges in how the church approaches and supports those grieving the loss of loved ones.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of life, including education and literacy. Literacy Texas and Baylor University Diana R. Garland School of Social Work released survey results last week that identified barriers — lack of technology and education — created by COVID-19 impacting Texas nonprofit adult literacy providers and students. Leaders of the Literacy Council of Tyler participated in the survey. Though researchers determined that lack of access to technology is a major hurdle in literacy training, they identified a passionate and resilient community of professionals and volunteers committed to Texas’ adult literacy achievement.
DALLAS, TEXAS ( March 24, 2021) Literacy Texas and the Baylor University Diana R. Garland School of Social Work released survey results today, identifying barriers created by COVID-19 impacting Texas nonprofit adult literacy providers and students. As with education, mental health, and other key human learning services, the so-called “Covid Slide” has significantly impacted literacy training. Though researchers determined that lack of access to technology is a major hurdle in literacy training, they identified a passionate and resilient community of professionals and volunteers committed to Texas’ adult literacy achievement.
All around campus, people are celebrating Women’s History Month. While looking at the history of women in this country, there’s plenty to appreciate when looking at the efforts of local professors that Baylor students see every day. Some women who have already set the path here at Baylor include associate professor Helen Harris and professor Laura Hernandez. Not only have these women reached the top of their field, but they have set the standards for those who will follow after them. Professor Helen Harris works in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work and said she strives to go where the Lord calls her. Harris first came to Waco to start the first hospice in Central Texas while also teaching around 24 years ago when there was a strong need for it.
Lately, it seems I never can get enough sleep. I find myself with less patience. A task that used to take me an hour now takes me three hours. Any of this sound familiar? I guess it probably does. We are in the midst of “compound collective trauma.” Collective trauma is described as a traumatic experience that affects and involves entire groups of people, communities or societies, such as a hurricane or war. In a previous article, I discussed the positive and negative effects of the collective trauma of Hurricane Harvey. That is just one example of a collective trauma that effects a specific community or geographical area. The whole world is a geographical area, right now, experiencing the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. While various countries are experiencing it differently, everyone is simultaneously in the midst of some aspect of the pandemic, and we all are experiencing the trauma throughout our specific communities.
Growing up, the church always was a safe place for me. I grew up in the same small-town church my entire life, and a lot of our life revolved around the church. Sundays were filled with Sunday school and the beloved evening prayer meeting, while Wednesdays were for mission group and choir. Our church felt like a village, a family that was raising me alongside my family of origin. As a teenager, this could feel smothering at times. The beloved elderly church ladies had a running commentary on my life; out of a place of love, they would frequently express their opinions on my life choices — both positive and negative. Overall, my church was a safe, loving, nurturing place to be.
A weekly podcast exploring stories at the intersection of faith and culture through an inclusive Christian lens. This week Mitch and Autumn talk about what an increased minimum wage could do for the US. Later, Dr. Tony Talbert and Dr. Helen Harris, professors at Baylor University, join the show to talk about their work with the LGBTQ+ student organization, Gamma Alpha Upsilon. The faculty senate passed a resolution in support of the group's charter - another step closer to their goal of being an official student organization.
Because of the sensitivity and confidentiality of the people and location, this piece has been generalized to keep those involved safe and to challenge congregations of all sizes not to underestimate what they can do. “We sometimes underestimate the influence of the little things.”—Charles W. Chesnutt I am the kind of person that must be doing something “big” in order to think change will occur. However, I was challenged by the above quote from Chesnutt. I was blessed recently to witness a church do something that in most eyes would seem small, insignificant and ordinary. Last week, I observed a small community church rally around one of their members, do the “little things” and, through them, advocate for this individual while also instilling a sense of hope.
Why it is so hard for some people of faith to own their own discomfort? To own their own fears and see how they injure others? These are salient questions when it comes to creating caring Christian community for the LGBTQIA+ community. It is an even more relevant question for the leadership of my own university. In the Bible, there are multiple references to people being known by their fruit and people’s actions being judged by their consequences. Jesus’ fruit analogy seems to be one of the most useful lenses through which we can examine our words and actions. And it should help us provide clarity for any conversation about how we offer support to the LGBTQIA+ community. People who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community do not harm or injure others in any way because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The history of the Christian church includes many examples of addressing who belongs and who does not belong, starting at the very beginning. Despite how clear Jesus was that women belonged, that Samaritans belonged and that lepers belonged, the early church struggled with whether or not Jesus came for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. That seems obvious to us now (as most reading this are likely Gentiles, not Jews), but it was a matter of contention until both Peter and Paul understood God’s inclusion of all and spoke up and spoke out. Phillip’s encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch gave a concrete answer to the question, “Is there anything preventing me from being baptized?” The answer, to someone barred from entering the sanctuary because of sexual difference, resounds through the years but often not through the church. As a member of Protestant, often Baptist, congregations through the years, I have participated in the use of the words “Brother” and “Sister” to refer to other Christians. If we are truly family, what does it mean when we cut off our siblings? When we make them hide or leave the family because they are different and unwelcome?
It didn’t take long for me to learn that what made me different was not always seen as beautiful by the world that existed outside the four walls that I was raised in. My story is from a third generation Chinese American lens, who was raised in the Midwest and attended school in the south — please know this writing doesn’t encompass or represent all Asian American stories.
“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed” (NIV, Psalm 103:6). “God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet” (The Message, Psalm 103:6). Christian Scriptures give great hope for the oppressed and victims of oppression. No matter which translation of the Bible we read, it is clear in Psalm 103:6 that God knows about the oppression and the resulting victimization. The Bible is full of admonitions to followers of the way of Jesus about our actions toward the oppressed and victimized. We are to treat all people with love, dignity, honor and justice, because we all are made in the image of God. Our actions should flow naturally from a heart filled with God’s love. Learning to see people as God would have us see them, with loving actions toward and on behalf of all people, comes with a commitment to do this hard work with the Lord. That commitment, I have discovered, is a life-long journey.
The Faith & Mental Wellness Podcast with Brittney Moses Share 045: How Faith & Therapy Integrate In Mental Health Treatments 2/8/2021 Season 2, Ep. 40 Should Christians only see a Christian therapist? How can faith and therapy integrate into mental health treatments? And what does the data show about the benefits of including one's faith in therapy? We're diving into all these things and more with my friend Dr. Holly Oxhandler. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it! Dr. Holly Oxhandler is the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and an Associate Professor at Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Holly studies religion/spirituality, health and mental health, and is especially interested in whether and how mental and behavioral health therapists discuss their client’s religious/spiritual beliefs in treatment. She developed and validated the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale in addition to other instruments to measure the integration of clients’ religion/spirituality in mental health treatment, has written for numerous academic journals, and her research has been featured in the Washington Post, Consumer Affairs, Religion News Service, and more. She also co-hosts the weekly podcast, CXMH: Christianity & Mental Health and lives in Waco, TX with her family.