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Biographical Description
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I started at GSSW as student in 1995 after working in elementary education and youth treatment. I later became an MSW field instructor as the Education Director for Kids Voting Colorado (1998), and then developed the Medical Career Collaborative at the Children's Hospital (1999-2004). I taught as an adjunct at GSSW 2001-2005. Since 2006 I have been on the faculty, first as a Field Coordinator (2006-2015) and then as an Associate Professor of the Practice of Social Work coordinating our Foundation and Advanced Standing curriculum and programs (2015-2019). As of July 2019, I am serving as the Director of the Denver Campus MSW Program and oversee our Advanced Standing Programs. We had a couple of epoch years on the Denver Campus during 2019-2021 as we faced the unfamiliar terrain of a worldwide pandemic. As a predominantly in person graduate program, we pivoted quickly to a fully online program, then to a hybrid online and in person program and now, during 2021-2022 we have returned to a predominantly in person program.
While on the field team I worked with GSSW's 600+ agencies coordinating field sites, meeting individually with students, and serving on the Field Advisory Board. My work as a member of the Curriculum Committee led me to the opportunity to help develop and establish the Health and Wellness Concentration. Along with developing a number of health and wellness courses, I created GSSW's Disability Studies values course, which has become a total passion for me. From 2015-2019 my focus was on integration of our 8 required MSW foundation courses and worked with the Foundation Leads during the development of MSW@Denver, DU's online MSW program. With Advanced Standing, I help with onboarding AS students, lead the AS Seminar, and integration of AS students into the concentration year. Now as the Director, I am responsible for the overall program on the Denver Campus, and work with students, faculty, adjunct faculty and our phenomenal staff to continue to refine a quality on-ground MSW student experience. My approved sabbatical focus for the spring quarter 2022 is on Art and Justice, learning about the value and meaning of community art, and comparing the collective projects of artists, businesses, and community agencies in a variety of US cities. I aim to return with the seeds of new ideas for how GSSW can partner more effectively with our community to enhance wellbeing and artistic voice as a call for justice.
Additionally, I am one of the co-founders of Yoga for the People http://www.yogaforthepeople.org/ a non-profit which works with health and human service professionals and yoga teachers to bring sustainable yoga programs to communities in need. As a board member, I annually supervise GSSW & MSU social work interns who coordinate matching our yoga teachers to community agencies and who lead trainings for Yoga for the People. This project is run by volunteers and MSW interns, and is now 13 years old!
My past experience includes wilderness programming, youth and families, state wide voter initiatives, job-training and preventative program development. My passion is “community mind-body social work” including yoga and integration of spirit into daily practice. My skills are focused on creating programs and connections that are sustainable and enhance wellness and well being. And just to be clear, I have a "nerdy" side which manifests in a focus on assessment and lots of charts and usually way too many details, but I keep my eye on the horizon along the way.
My philosophy in life generally is summed up well with the quote “Love is neither given nor received, but rather discovered and allowed.” (The Oracle of the Goddess; Amy Zerner & Monte Farber) and my perspective on education specifically is summarized well by Robin Wall Kimmerer, "Isn't this the purpose of education, to learn the nature of your own gifts and how to use them for good in the world?"
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In Action
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Courses
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2021-2022 Courses
Taking a year off from teaching due to role as Director and going on sabbatical in the Spring 2022 quarter
2020-2021 Courses
Advanced Standing Seminar
Disability Studies
2019-2020 Courses
Professional Development Seminar
Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Wellness Promotion Across the Lifespan
Mind Body Social Work
Advanced Standing Seminar
Disability Studies
Prior courses include:
Field Seminar
Clinical Skills Lab
Community/Macro Theory and Practice
Integrated Social Work Practice for Social Justice
Program Development
Evolving Perspectives and Trends in Health and Wellness
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Resume
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Publications
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American International Journal for SocialScience. February 15 2014 EDITOR of article: Neuropsychophysiological Effectsof Chronic and Excessive Stress—the author is Ashlie Balen.
As co-lead of GSSW’s Disability Working Committee which met during 2015-2017, created and disseminated a disability survey (2016) which was taken by 586 respondents in our broad constituents, including students, staff, faculty, field instructors and adjunct professors. This survey yielded a full set of goals for improving our inclusion of PWD and publication in December 2019 of an article on the process we engaged in to develop our internal policies and practices. The article Uncovering issues of ableism in social work education: a disability needs assessment was nominated as a contender for the “Best Empirical Article” by the editors of Social Work Education.
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Research
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During the 2016-2017 academic year, I began co-investigating a research project with Professor Nicole Nicotera looking at the value of self-care guidance and workshops for foundation year students.
Our findings led to the implementation of quarterly wellness weeks and a variety of ongoing mind-body stress reduction programs throughout the year for students, staff and faculty at GSSW which are thankfully supported and integrated into programming by our administration and our Dean.
During my sabbatcial Spring 2022, I am beginning research on Community Art and Justice, Travelling and photographing art in different cities, meeting with artists and patrons, and learning about the meaning community art has for residents will begin to form some ground for new programs at GSSW.
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Gallery
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kate and phoebe1.jpgKate and daughter Phoebe practicing yoga
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Yoga for the People Fundraiser