Wellness Wednesday from the School of Social Work

Eileen Lenson, MSW, '78, ACSW, BCC
Lenson Life Coaching, LLC

Eileen received her Master of Social Work with a clinical field of concentration from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

She began her career working for a refugee resettlement agency then spent many years as a social worker and supervisor in medical hospitals. Drawing from her clinical expertise she also provided forensic social work as an expert witness in legal cases.

Motivated to help adolescents and adults develop skills necessary to reduce complex mental health issues she established a private psychotherapy practice in multiple states, during which time she was honored to be included for three consecutive years in the Who’s Who Among Human Service Professionals.

She has authored two books, Succeeding in Private Practice: A Business Guide for Psychotherapists and Overcoming Adversity: Conquering Life’s Challenges, and a chapter entitled “Crisis Intervention by the Hospital Social Worker with Families of Shock Trauma Patients” in Counseling and Therapy v 2. Eileen Lenson has also written articles for multiple magazines and newspapers, and most recently was a columnist for the Tasmanian Times.

Currently she provides life coaching services to individuals, couples and small business executives. She has presented on the topic of overcoming adversity to NASW state and national conferences, international cruise ships, and a local California television series.

“I discovered a pearl of wisdom in graduate school which has guided me throughout my career: ‘a little intervention, appropriately timed, can mean the difference between good and bad mental health’.”---Eileen Lenson

Honor a Deserving UMSSW Alum or Student by Nominating Them to Receive

One of Six Alumni Association Awards to be Presented in March 2023!

The University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW) has a rich history of graduating social workers and professionals in the field who embody the ethics and character that the National Association of Social Work requires. The UMSSW Alumni Association, together with Dean Judy Postmus, are proud to acknowledge its graduates who have demonstrated exemplary service to the field of social work. Click here to view the awards criteria.

Nominations are due by November 30, 2022

Daniel Thursz Social Justice Lecture:
Restorative Approaches in Policy, Programs, and Practice with John Braithwaite and Baltimore Community Panelists

Thursday, September, 29, 5:00-7:00 PM
In-person and virtual

This interdisciplinary panel will describe the history and theory of the contemporary restorative justice (RJ) movement and how restorative approaches and practices have been applied at the community, university, and state levels. Restorative approaches have their origins in the middle east, southeast Asia and indigenous practices worldwide, that promote restorative rather than punitive responses to harm.

Restorative practices engage those who have been impacted by harm in examining what happened, identifying who was affected, and deciding how to heal the harm as much as possible. Restorative systems aim to create inclusive community environments where all members are respected, and relationships are nurtured and maintained.

CEUs available

On Friday, Sept. 30 from 12-1PM, the Financial Social Work Initiative at the School of Social Work is hosting a webinar featuring Dr. Tisa Silver Canady, a collegiate financial wellness advocate, on the temporary overhaul of the limited Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) waiver.

This webinar will provide details on how to:

Evaluate your eligibility for PSLF
Determine next steps to maximize benefits during the limited waiver period, which is set to expire October 31, 2022
Submit an error-free PSLF application

This event is open to alumni, students, and the UMB community.

Wendy Shaia, MSW '01, EdD, a Clinical Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS) at the UMSSW, is the author of the new book The Black Cell. Join Dr. Shaia and fellow alumni on Saturday, October 1st from 4:00-8:00 PM to launch her new novel at Busboys and Poets, 3224 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. There will be two author readings at 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM with a special rap performance by Styler and Finessence.

Refreshments will be available for purchase from the Busboys and Poets menu. Books will be available for sale. Come and enter a raffle for a free book and giveaways! Limited in-person seating available.

At this time, SWCOS, Promise Heights and Dr. Shaia are working with community partners and funders to bring the Family Support Center into fruition. The proposed Family Support Center will offer child-centered, family-focused programs that serve parents together with their children from infancy to four years old. The programs are prevention oriented and offer early interventions in a welcoming, home-like setting. Parents may finish their education, learn job readiness skills, increase their social networks and build on their parenting skills. At the same time, infants and toddlers are provided with individualized programming to maximize their development and foster positive parent/child relationships.

Please click here to support the Family Support Center

The School of Social Work is undergoing the construction of a new website which will enhance our ability to share social work jobs within our student and alumni communities.

In the meantime, we are gathering available jobs via the following form: Post Your Social Work Job.

Jobs will be gathered into one email and sent to current students, recent graduates, and members of the alumni association on a bi-weekly basis until the new site is live.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in hiring our MSW graduates!

Community Connections is Hiring!

The mission of Community Connections is to provide behavioral health, residential services, and primary health care coordination for marginalized and disenfranchised women, men, youth, and children living in the District of Columbia, many of whom are coping with challenges including mental illness, addiction, and the aftermath of trauma and abuse. Community Connections is currently hiring Rehabilitation Specialists.

The Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Rehabilitation Specialist (RS) functions as part of a
10–12-person clinical team to deliver ACT Services to a group of consumers receiving services at the Community Connections Core Service Agency. Each RS has responsibility, under the supervision of a licensed Clinical Manager (supervisor), for working directly with a caseload of 10-12 individuals while also participating in case sharing with all consumers assigned to the team. Licensure Requirement: LGSW. All interested applicant should send resumes to Bronwen.Millet@CCDC1.org

Children's Law Center is currently has an opening for a full-time Social Worker.

This position is part of their Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program. Attorneys in the GAL program represent children who are the subject of abuse and neglect cases in DC's Family Court. Staff attorneys work closely with CLC social workers, investigators and special education attorneys to advocate, formally and informally, to advance the best interests of clients with regard to their safety, permanency, physical and mental health and education.

Read more >>

#Girldad: Understanding and Cultivating Relationships Between Black Fathers/Daughters

Instructor: David C. Miller, M. Ed, Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Social Work at Morgan State University

Although seldom acknowledged in the literature, the relationship between Black fathers and daughters is essential for building and maintaining healthy relationships. This workshop will review current trends, research and highlight critical protective factors among Black daughters. Historically, most scholarly literature about Black fathers has focused on deficits and inadequacies. Too often, draconian narratives about being uninvolved, absent, and deadbeat have been used to describe Black fathers. Although emerging research suggests that Black fathers are more involved than fathers of other races, negative stereotypes continue to lead the public discourse about Black fathers. Finally, it is vital for graduate students, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and human service workers to better understand Black fathers as proactive factors in the lives of Black girls.

CEUs Available