University of Maryland School of Social Work Alumni

01/31/2022

Don’t miss this!

Happy day! As usual, our “DON’T MISS THIS!” & 🥦🧅🥔🍊🍎 site pages are up & running!

Yet today we’ll show a few contents, one at a time to give an idea of what you’re missing if you don’t ever bother visiting.

Click https://linktr.ee/promiseheights (or our bio link) to see what’s there, like tomorrow’s University of Maryland School of Social Work welcome to prospective students.

Plus there’s a LOT more! 8^)

Coalition for Community Schools
Worthy Girls, Worthy Lives
University of Maryland School of Social Work Alumni

12/21/2020

"On behalf of the Alumni Board, we bring you season’s greetings and good wishes. With the holiday season upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year, we must acknowledge it’s been quite a year. We hope that the reflection includes memories that invoke joy, happiness, and gratefulness. We are grateful for the social work community and to you who continue to be front-line workers and a source of support for those who need you. We look forward to 2021 and hope that you will join us in March for Homecoming as well as other alumni activities we plan to host next year. May your holidays and New Year be filled with joy."
Lori James-Townes (91’)
President of the Alumni Board

12/09/2020

“In the time of crisis, social workers are the guides through challenges that reflect our resiliency and strengths to overcome and prosper in the face of adversity, especially in this pandemic. We shine a light on the beauty of the human experience in some of our darkest days.” - Jennifer A. Pope

Click here to check out our latest issue of Wellness Wednesday today: http://ow.ly/kIoQ50CH8CF

12/09/2020

The UM SSW Alumni Association, together with Dean Judy Postmus, are proud to acknowledge its graduates who have demonstrated exemplary service to the field of social work.
Know a deserving alum? Click below for award criteria and submit your nomination today! Nominations will be accepted until December 31st, 2020.
http://ow.ly/U0Zy50BsZpg

11/02/2020

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Thurz lectures! Register at http://ow.ly/JOov50Bc9Kc and use the code "THURSZ100" for free CEUs

10/20/2020

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Thurz lectures! Register at http://ow.ly/JOov50Bc9Kc

10/19/2020

Tune in tomorrow for our next installment of the Fall 2020 Critical Convo Series! We will be hearing from UMSSW Clinical Instructor Lee Westgate, MBA, MSW '06.

To register for one or more Critical Convo use the following link. http://ow.ly/dRBi50BrSgS

10/14/2020

Yesterday, we had our first Critical Convo with Lydia Watts about Defunding the Police.

Get ready for next week's conversation on The Cost of Caring with UMSSW Clinical Instructor Lee Westgate, MBA, MSW, LCSW-C.

To register for one or more Critical Convo use the following link. http://ow.ly/dRBi50BrSgS

10/07/2020

Yesterday, we had our first Critical Convo with Shawna Murray Browne, MSW '11, on Anti-racism in the workplace.

Get ready for next week's conversation on Defunding the Police and Social Work with Lydia Watts, Esq., Executive Director, The Rebuild, Overcome, and Rise (ROAR) Center, UMB.

To register for one or more Critical Convo use the following link. http://ow.ly/dRBi50BrSgS

10/02/2020

The UM SSW Alumni Association, together with Dean Judy Postmus, are proud to acknowledge its graduates who have demonstrated exemplary service to the field of social work.
Know a deserving alum? Click below for award criteria and submit your nomination today! Nominations will be accepted until December 31st, 2020.
http://ow.ly/LxOc50BsZph

10/02/2020

Don't miss our FIRST Critical Convo next Tuesday! Looking forward to this very important dialogue between Shawna Murray-Browne and Alumni Association Board of Directors President Lori James-Townes.

Here is the link to register for all of our Critical Convos: https://umbsswcpe.ce21.com/bundle/critical-convos-466

09/30/2020

Each Tuesday this October, we are creating and facilitating conversations on critical topics in Social Work. Our newly elected Alumni Association Board of Directors President, Lori James-Townes, MSW '91, will serve as host and moderator for each event. We hope you can join us for at least one Critical Convo, if not all, this fall.

Click here to register: http://ow.ly/nFH550BENYO

09/26/2020

Join us for our next Critical Convo with Lydia Wyatt on October 13!

Participants will earn 1 Category II CEU for each Critical Convo event they attend. Please note the correction of CEUS from our last Critical Convo.

To register for one or more Critical Convo use the following link. http://ow.ly/dRBi50BrSgS

09/16/2020

The UMSSW Alumni Association will host four virtual “Critical Convo” events this October. These events look to create dialogue and facilitate conversations on critical topics relating to social work education, research and the role of the profession in the community and beyond. Participants can earn 1.5 Category II CEUs for each Critical Convo event they attend. We hope you can join us for at least one if not all!

To register for one or more Critical Convo use the following link. http://ow.ly/WHun50BrSgQ

09/11/2020

Every Tuesday this October, we'll be hosting Critical Convos. On Oct. 6th, alum Shawna Murray-Browne, MSW '11, will discuss Anti-racism in the workplace. Please save the date in your calendars! Registration link is forthcoming.

09/10/2020

Today we welcome you to join us as we recognize World Su***de Prevention Day.

“Since the launch about one year ago, I have been working with several national leading su***de prevention organizations to disseminate the National Guidelines for Workplace Su***de Prevention. Today, we have engaged more than 330 workplaces and professional organizations who have taken the pledge on our website to make su***de prevention a workplace health and safety priority. Social Workers in the workplace, including but not limited to Employee Assistance social workers, are critical in this work as we strategically partner with work leaders to help guide policy and program development, in addition to providing direct clinical and crisis response services related to su***de prevention and postvention for employees and larger work groups. I will continue my work as a social work researcher and educator to further encourage workplace leaders to understand that we all have a role in working to prevent su***de.”
~UMSSW Professor & Alum Jodi Jacobson Frey, MSW'98, PhD'04

Take a look at the link below to hear Jodi speak with Bernie Dyme, President/CEO of Perspectives, Ltd. on EAPs and su***de prevention.
Link: https://youtu.be/vu_PYbr-AOk



Workplace Su***de Prevention

09/03/2020

Join us on September 15th for the first lecture of our Fall 2020 Social Justice Lecture series! Register at http://ow.ly/eEeM50Bc9LQ and use the code "THURSZ100" for free lecture (NO CEUs).

08/28/2020

Join us on September 15th for the first lecture of our Fall 2020 Social Justice Lecture series! Register at http://ow.ly/shWS50Bc9EJ and use the code "THURSZ100" to regsiter for free CEUs.

08/27/2020

The Healing Youth Alliance Mentoring Program is a partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work, the Baltimore City Health Department, Black Mental Health Alliance, and HeartSmiles, LLC. The goal of this program is to increase mental health awareness in the African American community, decrease negative stigma of mental illness, and provide direct support to train other youth with a peer-to-peer model.
We want you to be a part of the experience! Mentors receive free training and networking for Black Social Workers; an opportunity to connect and build with youth for 12 hours a year (currently only virtually); and an opportunity to expand mental health awareness in the African American community.
Please contact Orin Howard at 240-696-9200 or [email protected] for interest and inquiries.

08/21/2020

Happy Monday! Have a safe and great week!

4105918614 Sevring Baltimore City & The Surrounding Counties!

08/21/2020

Don't miss this opportunity to connect and spread mental health awareness!
The Healing Youth Alliance Mentoring Program is a partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work, the Baltimore City Health Department, Black Mental Health Alliance, and HeartSmiles, LLC. The goal of this program is to increase mental health awareness in the African American community, decrease negative stigma of mental illness, and provide direct support to train other youth with a peer-to-peer model.
We want you to be a part of the experience! Mentors receive free training and networking for Black Social Workers; an opportunity to connect and build with youth for 12 hours a year (currently only virtually); and an opportunity to expand mental health awareness in the African American community.
Please contact Orin Howard at 240-696-9200 or [email protected] for interest and inquiries.

08/19/2020

This week for Wellness Wednesday we are featuring alum Vania Iscandari, MSW '16.

"As the Family Prosperity Coordinator with Promise Heights, I have been working with families virtually to provide resources on financial supports from local, state, and federal levels. This information was circulated online and at meal sites across the city.

Additionally, I have assisted clients through weekly/bi-weekly wellness check-ins, walked clients through the arduous process of applying for benefits and programs including incentives from the stimulus package, unemployment PEBT, and rental assistance.

I’ve also had the opportunity to hold space for new mothers with B’more for Healthy Babies hosting “Finances and You” workshops. As a team, Promise Heights delivered hot meals every Friday through July 31st to families in the Upton/Druid Heights community. We continue to build and work with our community partners to assist families in need with financial education, exercises, and resources."

Working on the frontlines of this pandemic? Submit your story and photo to [email protected].

08/14/2020

The Healing Youth Alliance Mentoring Program is a partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work, the Baltimore City Health Department, Black Mental Health Alliance, and HeartSmiles, LLC. The goal of this program is to increase mental health awareness in the African American community, decrease negative stigma of mental illness, and provide direct support to train other youth with a peer-to-peer model.

We want you to be a part of the experience! Mentors receive free training and networking for Black Social Workers; an opportunity to connect and build with youth for 12 hours a year (currently only virtually); and an opportunity to expand mental health awareness in the African American community.

Please contact Orin Howard at 240-696-9200 or [email protected] for interest and inquiries.

08/05/2020

This week for Wellness Wednesday we are featuring alum Isabelle Rowe, LCSW-C, MSW '13.

Isabelle Rowe is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker as well as a writer. She has been working with children in and out of the classroom for over a decade and now works as the Assistant Director of a special needs preschool in Maryland.

Isabelle states “Children are most likely overhearing frightening commentary on the news or conversations among adults. Children are naturally curious and have a lot of questions, such as: Why is everyone sick? Why can’t I visit my friends and family? Why can’t I go to school or the playground? Why is everyone wearing masks? Will my mom, dad, or friends die? Will I die? Children’s imaginations will naturally fill in the blanks, which may cause anxiety.”

“Lucy and the Coronavirus” is a book that can help empower families to answer those complex questions and respond to their young children’s feelings about COVID-19. Lucy’s mother, a teacher, has a clear and direct way of answering difficult questions. She explains germs and medicine to her children.
Lucy’s Books are a planned series and are available in e-book and paperback formats on amazon.com.

Working on the frontlines of this pandemic? Submit your story and photo to [email protected].

07/29/2020

UMSSW is grateful for the generosity of those who donated to our Student Emergency Fund! Your support for our students facing financial challenges during these uncertain times is especially meaningful.

06/22/2020

Good morning, all! We cannot wait to see you all at today's first ever virtual Homecoming. Stop by to chat over coffee with your fellow alums at 9:30AM EST. By the way - registration will be OPEN until 10AM EST, so it is NOT too late to register using this link: http://ow.ly/NZ3z50AecmU

CEUs are available, and we have an array of talented speakers with us today to lead critical conversations about Social Work in the Workplace. Looking forward to celebrating Homecoming with you, from a distance.