Master’s student Emily Hammer loves advocacy and social media. She put the two together during her internship at Akins High School, where she worked on a mental health anti-stigma campaign with students. The campaign culminated with a student-produced video about youth and mental health, and a Twitter storm directed at Texas Representative Four Price, who […]
@TexasSteveHicks: Ideas, findings, people
The wisdom of the aged
Ellen Line, a master’s student specializing in gerontology, started an oral history project this past spring at her internship with Shalom Austin-Jewish Family Service. She has interviewed older adult clients such as Miriam Simmons, who worked as a journalist during the 1920s, had a job at the Works Progress Administration during the New Deal, married […]
Let’s teach about modern slavery
Modern slavery or human trafficking affects almost 30 million people worldwide. Social workers can help survivors as social providers and advocates but, because of scant research-based information, human trafficking has been hard to incorporate into social work curricula. Professor Monica Faulkner and co-authors tackle this issue in a recent article published in Critical Social Work. […]
Transforming teen recovery in Austin
Studies indicate that 60 to 90 percent of adolescents with addiction problems relapse after treatment. In an article published in the Journal of Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, professor Lori Holleran Steiker and co-authors argue that a continuum of care model that incorporates peer support is critical for successful recovery. They also argue in favor of […]
When clients leave families behind
For large numbers of families in Mexico and Central America, immigrant remittances from the United States are the sole source of household income and are used to cover basic needs. Providing for their families back home gives satisfaction and relief to immigrants, sometimes at the cost of their own wellbeing. Social workers should be aware […]
Restorative Discipline at Texas schools
Professor Marilyn Armour is working with the Texas Education Agency to offer training in Restorative Discipline to school and administrators across the state. Restorative Discipline is a prevention-oriented approach that has proven to be effective in reducing student suspensions. Learn more at the Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue.
Replacing tradition with science when responding to campus sexual assault
The Blueprint for Campus Police guides the 600 police officers that patrol The University of Texas’s 14 campuses on how to engage with victims of sexual assault and improve the handling of sexual assault cases. The blueprint, created by the School of Social Work’s Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, uses the latest scientific […]
Friend of Field Award
As chief program officer of Communities in Schools of Central Texas (CIS), Eric has been instrumental in securing internships for social work students – more than 40 students were placed at CIS this past year alone! Thanks to Eric’s advocacy, CIS covers the cost of required background checks, which could be a barrier for students. […]
When parents have cancer
Postdoctoral fellow Farya Phillips has evaluated an intervention to help children who have a parent or primary caregiver with cancer. The results, published in Psycho-Oncology, show that after the six-week intervention children improved communication skills, reduced anxiety, felt safer at home, and improved school performance. The intervention is currently being implemented by Wonders & Worries, […]
Viva la identidad
Ethnic identity develops during early childhood and is associated with better adaptive behavior, according to new research by professor Esther Calzada focusing on Latino children. Calzada interviewed more than 600 Mexican American and Dominican American young children (4 to 5-year-old) socially and economically disadvantaged, their parents, and their teachers. She found that most children showed […]
