November/December 2017

UNE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION DIRECTOR GIVES KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT NATIONAL IPEC INSTITUTE

Advancing and sustaining interprofessional education (IPE) was the focus of the Fall 2017 IPEC Institute, held October 18–20, 2017 in Long Beach, California. Shelley Cohen Konrad Ph.D., LCSW, FNAP, director of the School of Social Work and the Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education at the University of New England, was the invited keynote speaker, the first social worker to be asked to offer the opening address since the Faculty Institute began in 2012. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) became a member of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) in early 2016.

Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H., introduced Cohen Konrad, who spoke to an audience that included 11 teams considered to be advanced in their IPE initiatives from across the United States. Her talk, “Achieving Robust & Sustainable IPE: A Story in Five Parts,” addressed the benefits of team-based care, cross-professional communication and the need for culture change in health care from the perspectives of patients, providers, students, and faculty. The presentation also included a screening of a short video titled, “Why Interprofessional Education Matters,” by Meg Webster of the UNE School of Social Work. It was well received by the audience. Cohen Konrad is one of many people from UNE, which is considered a pioneer in campus-based and clinical interprofessional education, who have presented at IPE and interprofessional practice conferences this year.

Jason Hull

Expected Graduation Date: May 2018

Your Concentration: Clinical Concentration

Certificates pursued: Trauma Informed Care Certificate

Where are you doing your field and what does it entail? First year: Acadia Hospital Pediatric Inpatient Unit where I facilitated various groups and collaborated with a multidisciplinary team in the assessment and treatment of clients, from ages 3-19, in acute mental health crises.

What areas of social work interest you the most? Clinical work that addresses the whole person (combination of “talk” therapies, adventure therapy, ecotherapy, expressionistic therapies, yoga, meditation, neurofeedback, EMDR, recreational therapy, diet, exercise, etcetera)

What do you plan to do with your MSW? Work toward creating a private practice where the clients’ treatments are holistic and specific to the needs of the individual, based on a client-centered collaborative approach, and grounded in compassion and unconditional positive regard. 

What’s your favorite part about living in Portland? I actually live a few hours outside of Portland, but as to the things I most like about Maine, I would have to say that for me, it was coming home. I grew up here and missed the relatively simple way of life. I missed the beautiful coastline (and incredible sailing — albeit a short season), the beauty of the woods and mountains, the power of the rivers, and the connections with people and nature I remembered from my childhood in Maine. Besides that, Maine has an awesome home- and craft-brewing scene, nice class V whitewater, and some great snowboarding! What else can you ask for?

Other: Non-traditional 44-year-old student, 20-year Navy veteran, and long-distance commuter

Elizabeth Compton

Expected Graduation Date: May 2017

Your Concentration: Clinical

Certificates pursued: Trauma Certificate, CATCH-ME recipient, IPEC Honors

Where are you doing your field and what does it entail? The University of Southern Maine Health and Counseling Center. Providing individual therapy to college students.

What areas of social work interest you the most? Trauma informed, Adoption issues, Social Advocacy

What do you plan to do with your MSW? I plan to use my MSW to empower the populations I work with, educate professionals and the community about adoption related issues and foster empathy within the greater community.

What is your favorite part about living in Portland? The incredible people and food! 

UNE SOCIAL WORK STUDENT JULIA BERGQUIST CONDUCTS ART THERAPY RESEARCH WITH SHALOM HOUSE

October 11, 2017

University of New England School of Social Work Student Julia Bergquist (M.S.W., ’18) conducted a research project in collaboration with the Shalom House, which provides an array of community-based mental health services and a choice of affordable quality housing for people with serious mental illness.

Working with Shalom House art program students, Bergquist conducted interviews and surveys evaluating art as therapy’s influence on the emotional stability of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia.

"I found this experience incredibly rewarding, both as an Applied Arts and Social Justice Certificate participant and as a new researcher,” said Bergquist. “Within the results of my questionnaire, it is very apparent that the majority of participants in the Shalom House art program experience a positive impact from the program and feel it is a sustainable therapeutic modality."

"As a per diem employee of the organization, I had seen the art work the program produced all over Shalom- in their offices, in their residences, and even within the community. I was moved by the skill apparent within the pieces, and the power they contained. 

When considering a project for my Foundation year Research course as an Applied Arts and Social Justice certificate applicant, I had to know more about the Art Program and it's affect on the participants. 

I conducted pre- and post- surveys of the participants at the beginning and end of a session with Tenney Swift, the Art Program's wonderful instructor, using an empirically based emotional stability scale called the PANAS-X. In the survey I also included qualitative interview questions inquiring about the participant's history with practicing art and asked whether they felt art as therapy was a sustainable therapeutic model for them. 

Though statistical significance was not found using the PANAS-X, the quotes from clients about their experiences in the program were profoundly positive. One participant wrote, "It (the art program), is very helpful with my PTSD and helps connect me with my spirituality", another said art as therapy, "Brings me to a better place", and yet another stated that "I look forward to the art program every week". The central themes of the participants' responses were empowerment, acceptance, and emotional peace, and this project reinforced the power and efficacy of art as therapy. 

Shalom House's Art Program is funded by several grants and accepts low-barrier referrals from anyone receiving mental health services in the community. Thanks to Tenney for her tremendous efforts in the studio and willingness to have my conduct research in her magical space.

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RECENT GRADUATE DEQA DHALAC JOINS TEAM AT THE CENTER FOR GREIVING CHILDREN

"I started my career as a Social Worker at Child Protective Services (CPS) in Tucson, AZ. During my time with CGPS, I worked in a specialized unit with Family Drug Court, where my interest was sparked for trauma-informed care and early prevention. Eager to deepen my education as a social worker, I entered UNE in August 2016 with dreams of integrating social work with public education. However, I had only a vague understanding of how the intersection of social work and public education would look." 

"The School of Social Work and Trauma-Informed certification helped me to focus my passion, gain a deeper perspective on the problems being faced and gave me a place to practice my ideas. Through the support of my instructors and the endless interprofessional opportunities on campus, I worked through endless questions, fears and doubts. By the time I graduated in May 2017, I had a very clear picture of what I wanted for my career. Four months after graduation, I have been fortunate to obtain a position as a Trauma-Informed Program Coordinator for a charter school in Oregon. My role is to develop and implement a sustainable school-wide program that incorporates trauma-informed practices into its policies, protocols, interactions and culture. I am grateful for the education I received at UNE which has given me the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to pursue my passion." 

MSW STUDENT DEANNA BARRY REFLECTS ON HER WORK WITH BOYS TO MEN IN REDEFINING MASCULINITY TO FIGHT AGAINST PERVASIVE SEXUAL HARASSMENT

It seems like every morning I’m waking up to new allegations of sexual assault committed by men in positions of power who have often been admired and revered by many. And always, I find myself asking why is this happening? How can these men do this? How can I help stop this? Is anyone else trying to stop this? Maine Boys to Men is, and everyday I am thankful to be interning with them and working on ending interpersonal violence.

Maine Boys to Men has been serving the greater Portland area since 1998 by facilitating direct programming with middle school boys, high school men and women, at-risk youth, adult community members, and new fathers. Our programming focuses on issues of gender roles and stereotypes, emotional engagement, healthy communication, bystander intervention, and stopping the continuum of violence. Through participation in these programs, individuals are empowered to become civic leaders and play central roles in creating change in their communities to end harassment, abuse, and interpersonal violence. One of the ways we achieve this is through community screenings and discussions on the film The Mask You Live In.

These screenings take place in various locations all over Southern Maine — specifically occurring at schools where we are engaging in programming with students. The Mask You Live In follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity. It explores the myriad of pressure and messages young boys are bombarded with that encourage them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. The film ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men.

This film is unique in that it brings the male perspective into conversations about gender role pressures and stereotypes—something that is deeply needed for beginning to create a cultural-shift. This current culture gender-based violence we live in is often devoid of this male perspective, simply blaming “all men” instead of acknowledging that the real issue is the society and culture we live in which teaches men and boys to behave in ways that are damaging to themselves and to others. The Mask You Live In demonstrates how it is our responsibility, regardless of our gender identity, to empathize, see each other as human, and partner together to create social and cultural change where all people of all gender identities are safe.

Screenings of the film are followed by a community discussion where attendees have the chance to talk about the film and these issues amongst themselves, and then ask questions of our staff and youth panel. These discussions are always full of deep, enriching conversations, personal stories, and motivation for change. It is through community events like these that we will begin to create wider social change and end the epidemic of interpersonal violence. 

Deanna C. Barry

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