Learning Communities
The School of Social Work has designed learning communities to give students opportunities to form social and professional friendships and explore new ideas. In these groups, faculty and students explore issues affecting the communities with which they work.
Trauma informed? What does this mean and why does it matter to social work practice?
This learning community will start with defining the term trauma informed as it relates to both practice and the organizations in which we work, and ask questions about this construct. Is this definition enough? How do we move beyond being informed about trauma into a stance of being trauma responsive? How does this look different for us as practitioners and in our service delivery? Using case examples, we will learn how to look beyond staff trainings on trauma to see the details of how systems are functioning relative to experiences of trauma, and how change can happen to transform our practices to be trauma responsive.
Facilitated by: Kathleen Flinton, Sue Coleman, and Scott Easton
Open to: All students, capped at 30
Dates: Tuesday, Jan. 27 and Tuesday, Feb. 23
Time: 5 to 6 p.m.
The frequent and pervasive nature of colorism: implications for social work
This learning community will identify the ways in which colorism (discrimination of individuals with dark skin tone within and between ethnic groups) shows up in our lives on a personal, familial, community, and societal level. Facilitators will engage students through storytelling and use of social media to discuss how colorism is frequent and pervasive, and how it fluctuates depending on the context. Implications and examples of ways to include this framework within social work (clinical and macro-level) will also be explored.
Facilitated by: María Fernanda Piñeros and Tyrone M. Parchment
Open to: Black, Indigenous, Students of Color, no cap
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 9
Time: 5 p.m.
What does anti-racism and anti-oppressive social work look like for BIPOC?
This learning community will focus on exploring what anti-racist/anti-oppressive social work practice looks like for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Facilitators will also engage students through sharing their own experiences of implementing anti-racism/anti-oppressive practice. Implications for clinical and macro practice will be discussed.
Facilitated by: Samuel Bradley Jr. and Tyrone M. Parchment
Open to: Black, Indigenous, Students of Color, no cap
Date: Once a month
First meeting: Monday, February 8 at 5 p.m.
Applying solution focused practice to clinical and macro issues
This learning community will build on the Solution Focused course material and provide opportunities for students to practice Solution Focused therapy as well as the application of Solution Focused techniques and philosophy to organizational challenges. We will focus on practice and consultation during our time together.
Facilitated by: Susan Tohn
Open to: Up to 20 students who have taken, or are in the process of taking, the BCSSW Solution Focused Therapy course or the two-day course run by Solutions in Behavioral Healthcare, LLC or the two-day BCSSW continuing education course
Date: TBD
Time: TBD
LLI Learning Community
This learning community will be a space of encounter and accompaniment for LLI students as they navigate the BCSSW.
Facilitated by: Rocío Calvo and Ximena Soto
Open to: LLI students only
Crisis leadership: navigating during COVD-19
This learning community will explore the difficulties, perils, and opportunities for leading organizations in times of crisis. We will explore decisionmaking during COVID-19; global social unrest due to anti-black racism; and the need to expand the scope and practice of social work to meet these challenges.
Facilitated by: Gautam Yadama and Samuel Bradley Jr.
Open to: All students, capped at 40
Date: Thursday, April 8
Time: 11 a.m. to noon
Neuroscience and social work: translating science to practice
Have you ever wanted to learn more about our fantastic elastic brains, but are especially interested in bridging research with practice (clinical and/or macro)? Well, this is the learning community for you! From the neurobiology of trauma to sleep to spirituality, we will take a journey together as we build our understanding of the brain using the person-in-environment framework. No background in neuroscience needed.
Facilitated by: Jessica Black
Open to: All students, no cap
Date: Tuesday, March 9; Monday, March 29; and Monday, April 26
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for March 9 and March 29 and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for April 26
From MSW to Ph.D.: Where do I start?
Are you interested in learning more about doctoral studies with a group of supportive peers? Have you ever wondered what a Ph.D. might offer different from an MSW? We will walk through the steps of finding and preparing for doctoral studies, so please bring any and all questions to our introductory learning community meeting!
Facilitated by: Jessica Black and Shanta Pandey
Open to: All students, no cap
Date: Tuesday, March 9, and Monday, March 29
Time: 7:30 to 8:15 p.m.
Trauma Integration Initiative Learning Community
The Trauma Integration Initiative (TII) Learning Community is an informal space to come together to reflect on the impact that trauma work can have on us as individuals and to share support and resources. Meeting monthly over the course of the year, each LC will be a mix of presentation of a concept related to vicarious trauma and self care, and informal discussion among participants focused on skill implementation. At the end of the year, participants will have a framework for understanding vicarious trauma and a foundational skill set for managing the impact of working with trauma and trauma-impacted populations.
Meetings will be held via Zoom, and are co-led by Dean Teresa Schirmer, Dean Sue Coleman and Professor Kathleen Flinton.
Spring 2022 Dates:
- February 7, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
- March 14, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
- April 4, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
- May 2, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Please register here to get on the TII list. Zoom link will be sent the day prior to each meeting.