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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.