Social Work Month 2023
In 1984, the United States Government formally recognized National Social Work Month in March. It was introduced by Democratic Senators and was co-sponsored by a Republican. Ronald Regan then signed it into law, and the rest is history. This year’s theme is: Social Work Breaks Barriers.
National Social Work Month is a time when people can take time to educate themselves about the important role that social work, as well as social workers play in our society. The theme this year: Social Work is Breaking Barriers focuses on how through Social Work, practitioners are able to break through social, racial, and economic barriers, as well as mental health stigmas, to truly get to the heart of issues plaguing people today.
Events
Panelists for Breaking Barriers Panel: Self-care & Mental Health (3.27.23, details above)
Tonee Shelton, LMSW (poet and advocate)
BIO: I am a licensed master-level social worker, poet, author, small-business owner and conversationalist. I currently serve as the Chief Impact Officer for Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas. My passion as a poet has allowed me to publish two volumes of poetry, In Search of Freedom (2021) and Identity Crisis (2022), both pieces that center first-person narratives of black people, women, and people of color that struggle with identity, racism, oppression, feminism, womanism, self-worth, addiction, love, and more. As a small business owner, I am passionate about leveraging my artwork to create spaces for belonging. I am also the co-founder and creative director for Safe Space Sunday, a weekly conversation to build connection for young professionals.
Trinity Martinez, LCSW (case manager for Baylor Athletics Mental Health Services)
BIO: Trinity Martinez is the case manager for Baylor Athletics Mental Health Services. Trinity graduated from Baylor University with her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work through the GSSW's Advanced Standing program. During graduate school, Trinity discovered a passion for mental health and an interest in young adult populations. Mental health is a new idea within the world of athletics, and Trinity has loved introducing social work to an emerging field of practice.
Zeke Morgan, LMSW (health director)
BIO: Zeke graduated from Baylor in 2018 as one of the first participants in the joint MSW/MBA degree program. He currently works for Waco Family Medicine as their Population Health Director. His duties include providing care management support for chronically sick seniors and shifting the organization’s financial model to focus on quality care. In his free time he enjoys running, mountain biking in Cameron Park, and sitting around a backyard fire with his wife, Morgan, and two dogs, Shujaa and Gil.
Shamika Bradshaw, LCSW
BIO: Coming soon!
What do social workers do? Meet some of our alumni
Some titles might surprise you...
Carolyn Lofton, MSW '12
Title: Mayor
City of Marlin, Texas—Mayor's Office
Alumna Heather Mustain, MSW '12
Title: Adjunct Faculty Instructor, Associate Pastor
Ministerial Staff at Wilshire Baptist Church
BWIM: This is What a Minister Looks Like
Meet Alumna Tonee Shelton, BSED '15, MSW '17
Title: Owner, Poet, Chief Impact Officer
Betta Watch Ya Tone
Love Waco Tonee B Shelton We Are Waco
Communities in Schools
Meet Alumna Bianca Smith, MSW '19
Title: Owner, Therapist
iKultivate
Meet Alumnus Dr. Louis Gomez, MSW '08
Title: Owner, Therapist
Gomez Psychology
Psychology Today Article
Meet Alumna Jaja Chen, BSW '15, MSW '16
Title: Therapist and Community Activist
Burnout/Trauma/Perinatal Mental Health
Cha Community
Meet Alumnus Rucker Preston, MSW '16
Title: Executive Director
Family Promise Bell County
It's Not Enough to just Not be a Racist
Meet Charletra Hurt Sharp, BSW '06
Title: Owner, Cup O' Vibes Coffee Shop Director of Economic Mobility
Cup O' Vibes
Transforming Lives
Meet Alumna Mallory Herridge, BSW '06, MSW '08
Title: Assistant Director of the Center for Church and Community Impact, Adjunct Professor
GSSW Profile
Internet Resources
‘How much do you know about social work?’ quiz
More information on this year’s theme
2023 Theme and Rationale (NASW)
National Social Work Public Opinion Survey
The Journal of Social Work Education (by CSWE)
Association of Social Work Boards (licensing info)
Social Work Podcasts
So Far, So Good (with our own Kerri Fisher and Kayla Mize)
CXMH: On Faith & Mental Health (with our own Dr. Oxhandler)
GSSW Faculty Book/Textbook Resources
The Soul of the Helper by Dr. Holly Oxhandler
In The Soul of the Helper, Dr. Holly Oxhandler shows caregivers and fellow helpers a more self-compassionate way to cope with their overwhelming responsibilities and to attend to their own needs, particularly when it comes to their mental health and spiritual journey. She invites them to pause and realize that if they let their personal resources run dry, they cannot possibly care for others as fully as they wish. In fact, their efforts are likely to cause more harm than good.
Social Work Practice with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention edited by Dr. Brianna Lemmons
Social Work Practice with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention is a book that could be folded into foundation courses in social work or used by practitioners in the field. It is an essential text for graduate students in social work, psychology, sociology, child development, allied health, and similar disciplines and professions, and a go-to resource for helping professionals/practitioners such as social workers, psychologists, and licensed professional counselors. Advanced undergraduate students in these disciplines and professions also will find the text useful in their studies and work.
Leadership by the Number: Using the Enneagram to Strengthen Educational Leadership by Dr. Jon Singletary
Using the Enneagram to Strengthen Educational Leadership, distinguished academic and leadership coach Dr. Jon Singletary walks you through how to use the ancient wisdom of the Enneagram of Personality with modern contemplative practices to transform how you lead your department, school, college, or university. You'll learn to effectively balance the conflicting demands of your role with greater patience, skill, and peace-of-mind by changing how you think, act, and feel every day.
Flawed Families of the Bible: How God's Grace Works Through Imperfect Relationships by Drs. Diana Garland and David Garland
In Flawed Families of the Bible, a New Testament scholar (David) and a professor of social work (Diana) take a real and close look at the actual families of the Bible. This honest book will inspire and encourage readers with its focus on the overarching theme of hope and grace for families, showing that it is in the "imperfect places" that we can catch a glimpse of grace. Perfect for pastors, counselors, and anyone in a flawed family.
Practical Implementation in Social Work Practice: A Guide to Engaging in Evidence-Based Practice co-authored by Dr. Danielle Parrish
Practical Implementation in Social Work Practice is a helpful guide that showcases the benefits of EBP, with an emphasis on the implementation of high-quality interventions. The book expands on the EBP process from the applied and practical lenses, beginning with an overview of the process of EBP and the relationship between EBP and implementation. Within the chapters, readers will find specialized insight, practical industry tips, and adaptable implementation frameworks and tools to use on their own.
Congregational Social Work: Chrisitan Perspectives by Drs. Diana R. Garland and Gaynor I. Yancey
Congregational Social Work: Christian Perspectives by Drs. Diana Garland and Gaynor Yancey offers a compelling account of the many ways social workers serve the church as leaders of congregational life, of ministry to neighborhoods locally and globally, and of advocacy for social justice. Based on the most comprehensive study to date on social work with congregations, Congregational Social Work shares illuminating stories and experiences from social workers engaged in powerful and effective work within and in support of congregations throughout the US.
All That Fits a Woman by Dr. Laine Scales
All That Fits a Woman is a detailed, well-researched and well-written study of the lives of women missionaries and others associated with the Women's Missionary Union Training School in Louisville, Kentucky. It includes case studies of individual women, along with careful analysis of the school's curriculum, architecture, and material culture.
Connected to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the WMU Training School provided enormous educational opportunities for Southern Baptist women, while ensuring that they would study and serve within the limits defined for them by male seminary faculty and by women leaders of the WMU. This history offers a feminist perspective, focusing on the subtle forms of teaching that were used and are still used today to exclude women from the preaching ministry and leadership within the Southern Baptist Convention. This timely work resonates with current issues as Southern Baptists continue to draw national attention for their stance on the submission of women to male authority. All That Fits a Woman is sure to become a major resource for students of American women's and religious history.
Doing the Word: Southern Baptists' Carver School of Church Social Work and Its Predecessors, 1907–1997 (America's Baptists) by Dr. Laine Scales
In the pantheon of publications related to women’s educational history, there is little research concerning women’s education in the context of the Baptist church. In Doing the Word: Southern Baptists’ Carver School of Church Social Work and Its Predecessors, 1907–1997, T. Laine Scales and Melody Maxwell provide a complete history of this unique institution. By exploring the dynamic evolution of women’s education through the lens of the women’s training program for missions and social work at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the authors show how the institution both expanded women’s education and leadership and also came into tension with changes in the Southern Baptist Convention, ultimately resulting in its closing in 1997. A touchstone for women’s studies and church history alike, Doing the Word reopens a lost chapter in the evolution of women’s leadership during the twentieth century—a tumultuous period in which the Carver School, under significant pressure to reverse course, sought to expand the roles of women in leading the church.