Students chat in front of Boston Children's Hospital. Photo by Caitlin Cunningham for BC News.
As Massachusetts helps lead the way in national healthcare reform, the Boston College School of Social Work is preparing students to improve the health of some of the state’s most vulnerable individuals, families, and communities.
BCSSW’s Health field of practice—one of six academic pathways that include specialized coursework and field placements—trains future practitioners to make a lasting impact in outpatient clinics, substance abuse programs, grassroots organizations, and more.
Clinical students develop strong assessment skills and learn how to integrate evidence-based interventions into their work with clients in healthcare settings. Macro students develop policy, planning, and management skills to become effective advocates at the local, state, and national levels.
We asked Scott Easton, an associate professor who chairs the Health field of practice, to give prospective students a rundown of the program.
A few years ago, BCSSW launched the Trauma Integration Initiative, a holistic program that prepares students to help clients cope with trauma while guarding themselves against its effects. How will students who choose the Health field of practice benefit from the School’s trauma-informed approach to social work?
The Health field of practice was one of the early curricular homes for TII initiatives, since trauma is inextricably linked with emotional and behavioral health. Classes are built on cutting-edge empirical and theoretical approaches to trauma, including neurobiological and ecological frameworks. They are taught by experienced practitioners who bring trauma theories and treatment modalities to life.
Beyond the classroom, students benefit from the trauma-focused lens used in field placement matching, advising, and supervision. Students can also take advantage of additional learning opportunities and events, including those that feature guest speakers who discuss topics that intersect with health, such as racial trauma and interpersonal violence. Finally, students learn from each other in practicing self-care techniques via trauma learning communities.
Clinical students who choose this field of practice are required to take Integration of Behavioral Health and Medical Care Practice. Macro students who choose this field of practice are required to take Planning for Health and Mental Health Services. What are some of the skills that students will learn from each of these courses?
Students who take Integration of Behavioral Health and Medical Care Practice acquire knowledge and a variety of skills for effective practice in healthcare settings. More specifically, they learn to conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial, trauma-informed assessments of individuals and families in the context of their response to illness.
The course also covers the impact of illness on the individual and family, including coping with and managing acute or chronic illness and end-of-life situations. Students learn about the various roles of medical social workers throughout the healthcare system with considerations to current healthcare delivery, access, and care availability for diverse populations. The effects of trauma, adverse childhood experiences, race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, and socioeconomic status are concepts that are infused in discussions on health, healthcare treatment, access, and availability.
Students who take Planning for Health and Mental Health Services are introduced to key healthcare systems in the United States and develop actionable skills to design, implement, operate, and analyze programs and systems. This includes conducting needs assessments to identify pressing issues and critically analyze existing services and supports; conceptualizing and designing solutions using evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies; setting program goals and objectives; implementing and managing programs (e.g., budgeting, staffing); and collecting data for ongoing program refinement and outcomes measurement.
Students also practice those skills and explore implications for addressing complex issues, often involving trauma, that they encounter in the field.
Scott Easton, an associate professor, chairs the Health field of practice.
Faculty in the health program include scholars, clinicians, scientists, and leaders from a variety of industries—all dedicated to improving the lives of the most vulnerable. How many different faculty teach courses in this field of practice, and what are some of their specific areas of expertise?
The faculty in the health department are outstanding and our biggest asset. We have more than 60 faculty who teach across the Health and Mental Health fields of practice, the largest number of any department at BCSSW. There are 15 full-time faculty, most of whom also are conducting exciting research on health-related topics and populations. Some examples include hospital-based workplace stressors and long-term employee health; correlates of multi-dimensional health (i.e., physical, social, spiritual, financial) for adult survivors of child sexual abuse; HIV prevention among African-American mothers through implementation science; neighborhood conditions and their effect on youth health; and econometric techniques to evaluate impacts of tobacco or nutrition policies. They bring this cutting-edge knowledge into the classroom for students’ benefit.
We also have three full-time professors of the practice who bring decades of clinical and macro practice experience to students. Their expertise includes treatment modalities (e.g., internal family systems therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, cross-cultural trauma treatment) and macro practice (e.g., design and futures thinking).
Finally, we have numerous part-time faculty who are highly respected practitioners in the Greater Boston area and bring a wealth of real-world health knowledge to dynamic classrooms.
MSW students at BCSSW gain real-world experience through field practicums with organizations that complement their goals and interests. Where are students specializing in health working now?
We have an outstanding Field Education team that has relationships with more than 600 organizations and agencies throughout the Boston area and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our students who are interested in healthcare train in community health centers, local hospitals, hospices, and many other settings. Recently, our students have been placed at leading organizations such as Boston Medical Center, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lahey Medical Center, Shriners Hospital for Children, Veterans Administration Hospitals, and more.
How about graduates—what kinds of jobs do they land after they earn their degree?
Our clinical graduates are well-prepared to work in a variety of healthcare settings that often require trauma-informed skills. Settings include hospital-based services (inpatient medicine, emergency room/crisis), long-term acute care, in-home healthcare, healthcare for unhoused individuals, skilled nursing facilities, hospice care, and grassroots organizations.
Our macro graduates are developing programs at state agencies, designing community relations initiatives at medical centers, and providing their expertise at healthcare consulting organizations. With Massachusetts leading the way in national health care reform, students are exposed to—and trained for successful careers in—the rapidly changing world of health and behavioral health.
Easton received input from Kathleen Flinton, an assistant professor of practice who co-chairs the TII; Thomas Walsh, director of the MSW program; Susan Coleman, assistant dean of field education and co-chair of the TII; Kenna Sullivan, assistant director of field education; Cindy Snell, director of Career Services and Alumni Relations; Matt Pecoraro, a part-time faculty member who teaches Planning for Health and Mental Health Services, and Justine Romano, a part-time faculty member who teaches Integration of Behavioral Health and Medical Care Practice.
