On March 26^th, 2013, at New York City’s Lincoln Medical Center, leadership joined the social work staff in a luncheon held in their honor. Dr. Rozetta Wilmore-Schaeffer, Professor at Wurzweiler School of Social Work, delivered an inspiring discussion on resiliency and advocacy that spoke to the heart of the profession. The address was considered “highly motivational” and received a standing ovation.

Lincoln’s social workers serve as field instructors to MSW students of numerous universities in New York and train the next generation of leaders, giving aspiring social workers the perspective and skills they will need to bring hope and help to individuals and their families.

The event was well attended

On Friday April 5^th, 2013 the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, offered a grant writing workshop to community-based social services agencies. Over forty representatives from various private and non for profit organizations from  Washington Heights, Inwood, the Bronx, and other areas of New York City participated in this training.

 For the first time, a law review article considers the question: Should a history of foster care involvement serve as a legitimate mitigating circumstance for a defendant in a criminal trial? Appearing in the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review, the authors review the effects of abusive, neglectful and other traumatic experiences which have been linked to the development of a number of emotional/mental, social/behavioral, and relational problems, including—but not limited to—anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and attachment issues. Not surprisingly, research suggests that significant emotional or behavioral difficulties affect as many as 80% of children in foster care compared to only 16% to 21% of children in the general population. Relative to children from similar socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds, foster children remain at a significantly greater risk for psychological disorders. The impact of these disorders is considerable and may lead a judge or jury to see them as mitigating circumstances during the sentencing phase of a criminal trial. Such mitigating factors may justify leniency or otherwise serve to lessen the sentence for the crime with which the accused has been charged.. Whether a particular factor will be considered a mitigating one will depend upon the particular facts of the case.

Wurzweiler Alumni met October 25^th 2012 to renew friendships, reunite with professors and network. Many expressed that it was gratifying to see nearly fifty alumni, with graduation years ranging from 1976 to 2012. The Wurzweiler Alumni Council appreciated the  opportunity to inform alumni about what is happening at Wurzweiler and to share ideas on ways to enhance Wurzweiler alumni relations.

 Alumni who attended offered comments which the Alumni Council took to heart, and members of the Council will be planning both social and educational activities of interest to Wurzweiler alumni. More information will be forthcoming about these events.

 For questions or to become more actively involved, contact Gail Burkett at 212.960.0872 or Burkett@yu.edu.

The social work and human services communities are currently going through a dramatic transformation of leadership as a result of the retirement of 50% of human services executives and other leaders over recent years.  In response to this, NASW-NYC has made it a priority to encourage and give visibility to social work leadership. NASW-NYC, through its 6th Annual Leadership Awards, recognizes social workers who demonstrate exemplary leadership and a unique commitment to the improvement of social and human conditions.

Among those being honored as a Top Social Work Leader of the Profession is Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, Dean of Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work.  Dr. Hendricks is the first Latina dean of a social work program in NYC and NYS.  Dr. Hendricks is the lead author with Jeanne Finch and Cheryl Franks of Learning to Teach—Teaching to Learn:  A Guide to Social Work Field Education by the Council on Social Work Press (2005) which is widely used in Seminars in Field Instruction throughout the U.S.  She is co-editor of Intersecting Child Welfare, Substance Abuse and Family Violence:  Culturally Competent Approaches with Rowena Fong, and Ruth McRoy (2006, Alexandria, VA: CSWE Press).  Her Latest publication for CSWE Press is entitled, Women of Color as Social Work Educators:  Strengths and Survival by H. Vakalahi, S. Starks, and C. Ortiz Hendricks (2007). 

  
NASW-NYC is hosting an Awards Dinner on Thursday, December 6, 2012 at5:30 p.m. at Jing Fong Restaurant,20 Elizabeth Street. The Awards Dinner is being held to celebrate Emerging, Mid-Career and Top Social Work Leaders in NYC. 

 NASW-NYC has selected 26 honorees out of a pool of outstanding candidates.  Four top Leaders of the Profession are being honored in all, along with 10 Mid-Career Social Work leaders, and 12 Emerging leaders.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 150,000 members nationwide with 9,000 members in New York Cityalone.  NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.

On October 18th, 2012 Yeshiva University President Richard Joel joined a reception in Seattle, WA at which Wurzweiler graduate and prior scholarship recipient Joshua H. Gortler and Sarah B. Gortler – both pillars of Seattle social service – gave back to Wurzweiler School of Social Work with a generous scholarship award.

Read the full article in The Voice of Jewish Washington

 With the debates over and the presidential election around the corner, YU News sat down with Dr. Richard Caputo, professor of social policy and research and the director of the PhD program in social welfare at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, to sort through all the campaign rhetoric. Breaking down each candidate’s stance on issues ranging from Social Security and Medicare reform to income inequality and tax cuts, Caputo provides an in-depth look at some of the issues that will weigh on the minds of voters on November 6. Read the full article

On September 10^th, 11^th and 14th, the Wurzweiler School of Social Work hosted a three-day training session in grant writing sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

 The training started off with greetings from the School’s Dean, Dr. Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, and Dennis Romero, the Regional Director for SAMHSA. Professionals from over 50 community-based social services organizations in the New York area, including Washington Heights, attended.

 The training provided professionals in the social services arena the opportunity to learn  grant writing skills as well as how to gain access to information on available private, state, and federal resources. Participants had the opportunity to apply some of the concepts of grant writing to their own program needs, and the chance to share their strategies in securing funding for their programs with others.

The Wurzweiler Community Partnership Committee, which coordinated this event, will continue its commitment to enhancing community partnerships withWashingtonHeightsand other surrounding communities through events such as this in the near future.  The committee is co-chaired by Dr. Dolly Sacristan, Assistant Director of Field Work, and Elaine Schott, Vice President of the Wurzweiler Board of Overseers.

Adjunct Instructor Wendy Schudrich successfully defended her PhD dissertation this week at Wurzweiler, thereby assuming the title of “Doctor.”  The Faculty, Administration and Staff of Wurzweiler offer congratulations to Dr. Schudrich on this accomplishment.

August 30, 2012, New York, NY—Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work will offer a new Certificate in Social Practice with the Military this fall.

The American military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq has lasted over a decade, and advances in medical technology and Kevlar armor have led to unprecedented numbers of soldiers surviving battle wounds to return to civilian life in the United States. Many must learn to adapt to a life with physical injuries or disabilities, while an estimated 20% of returning service members are diagnosed with major mental health problems. This has created an overwhelming strain on Department of Defense hospitals and Veterans Administration facilities, which soldiers typically turn to for care.

 Wurzweiler hopes to relieve some of that burden by equipping its graduates to treat veterans in their agencies as well as in outpatient mental health settings and private practices.

“The goal of Wurzweiler’s Certificate in Social Work Practice with the Military is to highlight the specialized knowledge, skills and values associated with working with soldiers in the military, returning veterans and their families,” said Dr. Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, dean of Wurzweiler. “We want to educate and train social work students who will be capable of addressing the unique physical and mental challenges, as well as transitional needs, of this population.”

Students in the certificate program will take three elective courses and conduct supervised field work in an agency that serves the military, such as VAs, Vet Centers and Family Readiness facilities. Courses such as “Social Work Practice with the Military,” “Coping with Loss,” “Trauma and Interpersonal Violence,” and “Clinical Practice with the Military Family,” are designed to familiarize students with prominent issues and approaches to care, including emphases on topics such as the culture of the military, the impact of war on soldiers and their families, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and coping with loss of limbs, among others.

“We see numbers and parades, but most of us have no idea what soldiers or their loved ones go through,” said Dr. Joan Beder, professor of social work at Wurzweiler. Beder initially developed the school’s “Social Work Practice with the Military” course and will oversee the certificate program. “We also have difficulty grasping the ripple effects of someone engaged in war. At Wurzweiler, we are at the forefront of this field, training social service workers who can understand the complete gamut of experiences that men and women have in the military.”

The Certificate in Social Work Practice with the Military is one of four offered at Wurzweiler. Students can also pursue specialties in Jewish communal work, gerontology and child welfare.

To learn more, visit www.yu.edu/wurzweiler.