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UK College of Social Work

Suicide Is an All-Too-Common Problem Among Military Populations. We’re Working to Change That.

The mental health challenges faced by active-duty, reserve, and veteran military populations have been highly publicized in recent years, largely due to the climbing rates of death by suicide in military families. According to data from the Department of Defense, suicides among active-duty service members has been increasing since 2011, and a study from Brown University found that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide.

These troubling statistics speak volumes about the mental health challenges that military personnel and their families are grappling with, which include concerns like Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), substance abuse, interpersonal violence, and depression. While combat and deployments are linked to increased risks for these mental health conditions, general military service, as well as separation from the military, can also lead to difficulties.

Unfortunately, there is often a stigma associated with admitting to feeling the effects of mental health issues and seeking help, particularly for those in the military.

Two labs housed within the  College of Social Work (CoSW) at the University of Kentucky are seeking to change this narrative and address mental health in the military head-on. The Military Behavioral Health Lab (MBH) is focused on generating empirical knowledge and testing clinical interventions to address mental health and wellness issues that affect active-duty, reserve, and veteran military populations and their families. The lab builds on CoSW’s considerable expertise in working with military populations, supporting service members and their families by addressing the barriers they may face when deciding to seek help.

In recent years, the CoSW has undertaken numerous military behavioral health (MBH) initiatives. In October 2016, a partnership was established with the Department of Defense (DoD to) offer a one-of-a-kind master’s degree. A satellite site was created within the Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston. Today, 70% of incoming Army social work officers hold a UK diploma.

One of the first projects that the lab completed after launching in 2019 looked at employing Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. Results demonstrated the positive impact that techniques such as concentration on breath, mindful awareness of physical experience, and self-compassion had on alleviating PTSD symptoms. In addition to research, the Military Behavioral Health Lab provides CoSW students with the opportunity to partner with faculty members to examine an array of behavioral health topics, as well as educate them about career opportunities within the DoD and Veterans Affairs (VA), which is the world’s largest employer of social workers.

Also on the forefront of examining military mental health and its influence on suicide rates is the Suicide Prevention and Exposure Lab (SPEL), which recently concluded a study that was funded by the Military Suicide Research Consortium. This project examined suicide exposure in the Kentucky Army National Guard, and the experience of military helping professionals (such as social workers, psychologists, & chaplains) in working with people who die by suicide.

Each participant in the study was asked about suicide exposure and how it impacted both their work and home lives. The results of the study will be released in the near future.

SPEL researchers continue to establish studies that explore the factors contributing to suicide among military populations, along with clinical social work education related to suicide.

More projects focused on addressing mental health issues for military members and their families are in the works for FY 24, as both labs continue to examine the most effective methods for improving overall health, wellness, and outcomes.

While suicide and mental health issues remain a complex phenomenon worldwide, the University of Kentucky College of Social Work is uniquely committed to developing techniques to address these issues through intentional and innovative approaches to research and intervention.

UK College of Social Work

Complex Supports for Complex Needs: The Medically Complex Training Program

The University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) has long been committed to providing innovative supports for all caregivers, regardless of context. The Medically Complex Training Program (MCTP), housed in the College’s Training Resource Center, rises to that commitment by developing, coordinating, and conducting training for foster and adoptive parents, nurses, and social workers statewide engaged in the care of children with complex medical needs.

“Medically complex” is a term used when a child has an acute or chronic medical condition, illness, or disorder, that requires ongoing specialized care, day-to-day management, and collaboration with a medical team. These medical conditions can vary widely and are typically functionally limiting and, in some cases, life-threatening. Youth with complex medical needs require extra support beyond traditional care, a need that is amplified even more for children in the foster care system. Caring for a medically complex child may include administering medications, maintaining equipment, and facilitating frequent doctor visits and hospital stays.

Because complex needs require complex responses, the MCTP provides both hands-on and virtual training led by highly qualified medical professionals who have the expertise necessary to educate caregivers on providing lifesaving and life-sustaining care. Through these trainings, the MCTP enables caregivers from various backgrounds to provide care for some of the most vulnerable youth in the state.

“What we are emphasizing with these training sessions is that medically complex children require a higher level of commitment and a higher level of care,” says Karen Bowman, Assistant Director of the Training Resource Center. “Ultimately this is about putting an emphasis on child safety. Foster youth have already gone through the traumatic experience of being removed from their home of origin. We want to make sure that caregivers have the knowledge necessary to not only protect these children, but also to advocate for them.”

The MCTP identifies high level, experienced professionals to lead the training topics, which includes faculty members at major university and hospital systems like UK, the University of Louisville, Norton Children’s Hospital, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. This year, MCTP training attendees had the opportunity to learn about an assortment of complex medical subjects such as neuromuscular diseases, transplants, diabetic technology, and blood disorders.

As the program continues to grow, MCTP is developing new ways to disseminate this important information to a more widespread audience. While the current training sessions are offered in a live online or in-person format, Bowman shares that an on-demand curriculum that will be available in in the future. “Offering this online library will allow us to move forward with customized medically complex content that can be tailored to exactly what families need in order to be successful.”

Image of UK COSW Criminal Justice backpack sitting next to open laptop

Just A Click Away: On-Demand Supports for Kinship Caregivers Available Through Growing Online Catalogue

Kinship care, a term unfamiliar to most outside of child welfare settings, describes arrangements in which children are cared for full-time by blood relatives or other adults with whom the child has a family-like relationship. Across the United States, more than 2.6 million children are in kinship care placements. In Kentucky, kinship care accounts for roughly 8% of all out-of-home placements, the second highest placement rate in the nation.

Kinship placements are preferred by most child welfare workers due to kinship’s focus on maintaining the stability of a pre-existing connection to their caregiver. This pre-existing connection between the child and the caregiver promotes the child’s well-being by minimizing the trauma of separation and significantly decreasing the chances of placement disruption. This in turn allows kinship care to provide better behavioral and mental health outcomes as compared to non-kin foster placements.

While the benefits of kinship care are widely accepted, support for kinship care providers is often lacking. Because most kinship care arrangements are made outside of the formal foster care system, kinship caregivers often do not receive the training, emotional, or financial support available to certified foster care providers.

The Kentucky Kinship Resource Center, housed at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, recognizes this disparity and actively works to provide innovative, on-demand support for kinship caregivers through the online Kinship Catalogue Training Library.

The Kinship Catalogue Training Library

The Kinship Catalogue Training Library partners with subject area experts to provide interactive, skill-based learning modules for kinship care providers. The training library is a free, innovative, and immersive resource uniquely crafted to highlight issues frequently encountered by kinship care providers, such as communication, learning styles, children’s behaviors, and healthy discipline for teens. Through the self-paced, on-demand modules, kinship caregivers can build the skills needed to provide advanced care to the youth in their homes from anywhere – whenever and wherever it fits their schedule.

Through the library, caregivers have access to essential information to better inform the care they provide to the children entrusted to them. Each module in the library provides an experience that not only teaches important key concepts, but also allows the participant to interact with the course content for greater learning, retention, and impact. These modules, while relatively short in length, are designed to engage the participant, allow them to move through the course at their own unique pace, and apply that information to “real-world” situations.

Beyond Kinship

The Kinship Catalogue Training Library serves as the model for future on-demand e-Learning tools for foster, adoptive, and kinship audiences throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. As the foster and adoptive communities of Kentucky continue to grow, it is essential that a wide range of technological resources be provided to meet the diverse needs and schedules of these caregivers. By doing so, this will help strengthen the stability of these placements, thus ensuring Kentucky’s foster children a bright, happy future with caregivers who feel seen, educated, and supported. The accessibility of the Kinship Catalogue Training Library allows it to be utilized by kinship caregivers everywhere, at any given time, and at their own pace, making it the perfect model for encouraging affordable, digital learning in a comfortable, stress-free environment for foster and adoptive caregivers across the nation.

UK College of Social Work

New Pilot Program Addresses Gaps in Support for Adults at Risk of Self-Neglect

The University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW), in collaboration with the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), is pleased to announce the launch of the Adult Protective Services Self-Neglect Adaptive Response Initiative (ARI). ARI is an integrative, transdisciplinary pilot project aimed at responding to self-neglect referrals quickly and providing a variety of support services. The comprehensive purpose of ARI is to improve the overall well-being of those referred for possible self-neglect.

Self-neglect involves older adults or adults with disabilities who cannot meet their own essential physical, psychological, or social needs, which threatens their health, safety and well-being. This includes failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, and health care for one’s own needs.

The ARI initiative will begin its pilot in Fayette County, also known as the Southern Bluegrass Service Region, and will aim to address three interconnected goals:

  1. Foster new and innovative APS self-neglect response practices and protocols consistent with contemporary needs and best practices.
  2. Support APS workers in ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable adults, while protecting their right to self-determination by utilizing the above innovative practices and protocols.
  3. Cultivate a dynamic service network and communication/information sharing infrastructure necessary for meeting the needs of those referred for APS services.

ARI staff will include a Project Manager, along with an APS Self-Neglect Assessor (SNA) who will be a full-time employee, housed in CoSW.

In addition, ARI will utilize a community-based Interdisciplinary Team and a small Steering Committee. The Interdisciplinary Team will be comprised of partner response agencies that have expertise in serving individuals referred for self-neglect, while the Steering Committee will provide insight about program policies, planning, and training.

Ultimately ARI seeks to meaningfully engage and build trust with individuals who are at risk of self-neglect, then offer them potentially life-changing assistance as quickly as possible. This wholistic approach to care will help preserve the sense of independence and self-determination that is vitally important to people, while also providing the tools necessary to help them live their healthiest lives.

UK College of Social Work

UK College of Social Work Student to Receive CSWE Community Partnership Action Award

By Laura Hennigan

The CSWE (Council on Social Work Education) Commission for Diversity and Social and Economic Justice has selected Kotomi Yokokura to receive their Community Partnership Action award.

Yokokura, a student in the College of Social Work and Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky, is being honored in the Student Project category for her work on the Take a Tampon program.

The Community Partnership Action award recognizes a social work student who has engaged in a community partnership activity that successfully promoted social, economic, or environmental justice. CSWE believes that community partnership actions are central to the advancement of social and economic justice, which is intrinsic to social work education. Dr. Kalea Benner, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, says “Kotomi’s initiative is truly reflective of our social work profession that identifies issues with a significant individual impact and then seeks solutions at the policy or macro level. This awareness and use of multifaceted levels of problem solving is key to improving wellbeing.”

Take a Tampon began during Yokokura’s freshman year, when she hosted a donation drive of hygiene products after realizing how prevalent period poverty is, and how detrimental it can be to mental and physical health, as well as academic success.

Period poverty is the lack of accessibility or affordability of menstrual hygiene products, education and associated facilities. As a result of this experience, individuals may resort to reusing old products and repurposing rags or cardboard in place of proper menstrual hygiene products. However, this ingenuity can lead to negative mental and physical health consequences, ranging from Toxic Shock Syndrome and infections to increased rates of depression and anxiety. Period poverty can also bleed into one’s academic achievement, with 84% of U.S. teens reporting that they have missed class or know someone who has missed class due to the lack of menstrual hygiene products.

Take a Tampon currently has several basket locations across campus that are stocked with free products and has provided over 1,000 menstrual hygiene products to UK students. The hope is to continue expanding access to resources with more product drives and an online donation portal at https://tatampon.wixsite.com/website.

Yokokura continues to advocate for more period poverty awareness, knowing that it is not limited to the UK campus. Conversations with Kentucky teachers and school social workers who have revealed the common concern that students throughout the state face barriers to accessing menstrual hygiene products and education. As a result of this, Take a Tampon provides menstrual education to local high school students and advocates for state legislation addressing experiences of period poverty. Yokokura has also met with state representatives and senators to advocate for free and accessible menstrual hygiene products in K-12 public schools, along with the removal of state sales taxes on feminine hygiene products.

Future plans for the Take a Tampon program include partnering with UK’s Office of Sustainability to create a plan that will provide menstrual hygiene products in bathrooms around campus by 2024. Yokokura shares that another goal is to continue expanding collaborations across Kentucky. “In partnership with the nonprofit Helping Hygiene, we hope to collaborate with high school students to provide menstrual hygiene education, promote state and local advocacy opportunities, and work alongside students to create their own hygiene product program.”

Yokokura says that receiving this award is a tremendous honor, and she is amazed at how what started as a small act of campus service has expanded into a large grassroots initiative. “Take a Tampon started as a couple of baskets and it’s amazing to see how it’s grown. Receiving this award means that Take a Tampon’s work in prioritizing student voices and proactively collaborating with the greater community has been steps in the right direction. It also helps me to see that you don’t have to wait until you have entered the professional field to make an impact; students are making meaningful contributions as well.”

The award will be formally presented at the CSWE Annual Program Meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Atlanta, GA, from October 26 – 29, 2023.

Woman holding a cup of tea

CoSW Alumni Challenged to Practice Self-Care this Summer 

 
Today is International Self-Care Day, and the College of Social Work Alumni Association (SWAA) is excited to celebrate by launching the Self-Care Summer Challenge! All College of Social Work alumni are invited to participate. 

Social work is an incredibly rewarding profession, offering many opportunities to support others and help them succeed. It also comes with a great deal of responsibility and, oftentimes, challenges. Research from the UK College of Social Work’s Self-Care Lab suggests that those working in helping professions are more likely to experience high levels of stress, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and more. Some social workers struggling with burnout may have difficulty cultivating the energy and capacity required to approach their jobs with empathy. 

That’s why making self-care a priority can be instrumental in improving the mental, physical, and emotional health of social workers and ultimately lead to improved client outcomes. There are many different ways to define self-care, but ultimately it is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.  

In 2021, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) added an amendment to the NASW Code of Ethics encouraging proactive self-care to support a healthy culture among social workers. The amendment describes self-care in social work as “a key component of ethical and professional excellence.” The same amendment also refers to scientific research showing that “proactive self-care reduces the likelihood of impairment and enhances job satisfaction and professional longevity.” 

Let’s be clear: self-care is NOT selfish! Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, which will allow you to tackle everything that life throws your way. By taking the time to invest in self-care, you’ll experience a myriad of benefits, including reduced stress, better sleep, boosted productivity, and a more positive outlook. 

The Self-Care Summer Challenge isn’t about telling you what to do or how to approach your own self-care. Rather, we want to create a space for you to be motivated, inspired, and supported to engage in self-care activities that work for you.  

Sound good? Then let’s get started! Join your fellow social work alumni in the Self-Care Summer Challenge below.

Join the Self-Care Summer Challenge!
UK College of Social Work

Dean Miller Reflects on the Value of CPS Workers During Child Protection Professionals Day

My childhood was tough.

My mother died when I was young. My father struggled with substance misuse. Substance misuse led to neglect. Neglect was compounded by abuse. And abuse led to me experiencing out-of-home care. It is an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

It was a child protective services (CPS) professional who stepped in to help. At age seven, I didn’t fully recognize or appreciate the impact of CPS. I surmise that is true for many who have interactions with CPS. But I now know and fully understand the impact of that interaction.

That CPS worker saved my life.

The work of CPS is unheralded, misunderstood, and underappreciated. They are tasked with doing an impossible job. They respond to allegations that most of us couldn’t fathom. Neglect. Physical Abuse. Sexual Abuse. And yes – child fatalities. When societal efforts to ensure the wellbeing of children fall apart, we (literally) call CPS workers to pick up the pieces.

Let me be clear, there is always room for improving child protection systems. When an entity, such as CPS, is tasked with allaying and/or assuaging every instance of child maltreatment, veritably, things will go wrong. Without question, we should all work to ensure that children and families receive the best, most innovative services available. Period. And we should also ensure that we support those tasked with delivering that service.

July 7th is Child Protection Professionals Day.

It is a day to reflect on what has been and envision what could be. But most importantly, it is a time to honor and celebrate CPS workers.

Today, as was the case yesterday, and as will be the case tomorrow, a CPS worker will step in to save the life of a young person. The work is not ideal. The work is never perfect. And frankly, it is almost always messy. But – make no mistake – that work is certainly necessary.

I choose to celebrate Child Protection Professionals Day not because the system is perfect – but because I know the alternative. If not for CPS, I wouldn’t be writing this today. 

So, to all those working to protect young people: THANK YOU.

UK College of Social Work

How the Field of Social Work Is Adapting to Modern Technologies Like Virtual Reality, A.I.

This article was originally published at Fortune.com.

A field that’s traditionally people-focused is now adapting to and embracing new technologies, including virtual reality and even artificial intelligence. That doesn’t mean that social work will be turned over to the bots; rather, several universities are looking for ways to incorporate these emerging technologies into their curricula to adapt to the modern reality we live in—with the ultimate goal of expanding services to people in need.

Tech advancements in social work can better prepare students for the realities they face in the field upon arriving on someone’s doorstep, oftentimes acting as the lifeline people desperately need when experiencing a potential crisis in life. In February, for example, the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work began using virtual reality (VR) in child welfare investigation simulations. Students wear VR goggles and virtually assess a home environment to determine a child’s safety, or investigate implications of neglect or abuse.

“We really started to lean into looking at different ways to prepare students; a lot of times people can learn just by delivering content in different ways,” Justin “Jay” Miller, dean of Kentucky’s College of Social Work, tells Fortune. “We do a lot of virtual reality simulations, which is really a good way for students to gain the experience they need before they get out into other contexts.”

Fortune sat down with Miller to learn more about how the school is preparing its advanced-degree students to become well-equipped social workers in this new tech era. 

Virtual reality in social work curriculum 

At the time of his appointment in 2019, Miller was the youngest dean in the country, and this has actually been an advantage. Because he was introduced to technology at an early age, this contributes to why implementing VR in the school’s social work curriculum for advanced degrees seems like a natural progression to Miller. “The tech and A.I. space is just where we are. There’s no sense in running from it. We try to lean into it.”

Miller understands the need for a capable social worker’s intervention; in fact, he once needed the help of a social worker at a younger age—and this experience reinforces his dedication to finding ways to continue to advance the field’s mission. “If these tech avenues afford us the opportunity to ensure social workers are more prepared to enter the field, we owe it to them, to ourselves, and to society at large to incorporate these tools.”

A couple of years ago, Miller started the eService Initiative, which he says focuses on recognizing that the future of social work research, education, and practice is going to be tech-focused. The ways in which social workers are educated, as well as how they will perform their roles in the field, is “fundamentally going to change,” says Miller.

Yet, the primary role of a social worker acting as a person’s support system is still at the core of the profession.

“The work social workers are doing and the programs we’re using to educate social workers—it’s so much more than quizzes, tests, and reading chapters,” says Miller. “You’re training people to intervene in someone’s life, often at times when they’re at their lowest, and that’s not something we should take lightly.”

New technologies aid social workers

While some people may have an aversion to implementing technology in a field that’s traditionally more people-focused, there are ways these tools can be used to aid social workers in performing their role. “The biggest difference between people is not race and not gender, it’s generational,” says Miller. “I think it’s really time to shape the way we think about contemporary education and what it means in terms of the tech engagement space.”

What’s more, there’s a role for technology in providing access to treatment—particularly the use of telehealth services via Zoom or other video platforms, Mirean Coleman, clinical director at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), tells Fortune. Cognitive behavioral therapy software can also expand access to at-home treatment, she adds.

As technology continues to influence and enhance the way social workers function in their roles, some uncertainty remains. “But all of these things make you wonder: Where are we headed?” she adds.

How VR is shaping the future of social work care

In February, a team at the University of Kansas developed a virtual therapy system, which they say addresses many of the issues of remote counseling, while also providing mental health care workers—like clinical social workers—with real-time data on brain activity. A signal that the demand for remote counseling has not vanished since the height of demand a couple years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As these new technologies continue to become more commonplace in the school’s social work curricula, the University of Kentucky also aims to provide students with a clear understanding of its precautions and ethical concerns.

“We’re looking at parts of the curriculum where we can deliver and model how to use the tech, then spending time training students around what it is, things you need to be aware of, and ethical use,” says Miller. “If it’s a virtual reality clinical visit, what does that look like?” he continues. “It’s the same thing we went through with telehealth.”

Miller is optimistic about the role technology will play in the future of social work.

“I hope that embracing tech with regards to training social workers is a movement that everybody gets into, so ultimately it will continue to advance our practice.”

Portrait of Karen Lawrence in blue sweater

UK Social Work Researcher To Study Effects of PTSD on Dementia

This article was originally published by UKNow.

A researcher at the University of Kentucky will work to better understand the connection between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dementia.

Karen Lawrence, Ph.D., who has a master’s degree in social work, is an associate professor in the UK College of Social Work, has been awarded a five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of PTSD on cognitive aging.  

The NIH defines PTSD as an anxiety disorder that develops in reaction to physical injury or severe mental or emotional distress, such as military combat, violent assault, natural disaster or other life-threatening events. Symptoms generally interfere with day-to-day life.

The NIH defines dementia as the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Severity and symptoms can vary widely.

“In the United States, we know that one in three seniors dies with some type of dementia, whether that be Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia or frontotemporal dementia. PTSD is associated with a two-fold greater risk of developing dementia of any type,” said Lawrence.

In her study, “Cognitive Aging Trajectories in Survivors of Trauma,” Lawrence wants to investigate the impact of PTSD on cognitive decline and determine if the impact is different in men and women. To do so, she will analyze existing data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, which includes data from 42 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers across the U.S. including the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

Lawrence will also be collecting new (novel or original) data to find out if there’s an association between PTSD severity and cognitive functioning and then understand if the type of trauma matters in that relationship.

“To be diagnosed with PTSD, there are certain criteria that must be met, and that first criterion has to do with the type of traumatic event, such as threatened death or serious injury, and how it was experienced, such as directly or through witnessing it or learning about it happening to someone close to you but it wouldn’t include experiences such as job loss, exposure to news media, or the anticipation of future events,” explained Lawrence. “However, that comes into question post-pandemic because we’re seeing people with typical PTSD symptoms, but their type of trauma exposure doesn’t actually meet criterion A for the diagnosis.”

An analysis combining the results of multiple studies found a PTSD prevalence rate of 23% among the general population post-pandemic compared to 6% pre-pandemic.

“We usually associate that higher prevalence rate with first responders and combat veterans. Seeing this rate in civilians is alarming and makes it even more important to start understanding the association between PTSD and the increased risk for dementia,” said Lawrence.

Lawrence’s hypothesis is that if the other symptom criteria are met, then the association between PTSD and its effects on cognitive functioning will be present. She argues the potential findings could impact the scope of who needs intervention for PTSD treatment and if that diagnosis should also be considered a target for the early prevention of dementia. For this part of the study, Lawrence will recruit participants and collect original data sometime in 2026.

In the first two years of the grant, Lawrence will go through advanced training components as part of the NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01). It provides support for an intensive, mentored career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral or clinical sciences leading to research independence.

The NIH uses the K01 to support investigators pursuing career enhancement or career change. Lawrence’s goal is to become an expert on the effects of traumatic stress and biopsychosocial factors on cognitive aging.

“There’s a lack of understanding of PTSD in older adults, in general,” said Lawrence. “Older adults are less likely to be aware of what PTSD symptoms look and feel like. They’re less likely to seek out mental health treatment than some of us in younger generations, so PTSD is more likely to go undetected in older adults.”

Lawrence shared her empathy for people experiencing PTSD and dementia and their family members. She hopes her work can help prevent some of that pain.

“I have a military veteran family member, and so I’m sensitive to the suffering that’s caused by combat-related PTSD that we see in some combat veterans,” said Lawrence. “I’ve done a lot of research in veterans, and so to see that PTSD increases their risk for yet another potentially devastating condition pulled at me even more.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K01AG070279. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

UK College of Social Work

UK Social Work Strengthens Advising Through Investment in Professional Development

Advisors at the UK College of Social Work (CoSW) recently completed a six-week Appreciative Advising course through Florida Atlantic University. Appreciative Advising is the intentional collaborative practice of asking positive, open-ended questions that help students optimize their educational experiences and achieve their dreams, goals, and potentials.

The advisors’ participation in the course is part of CoSW’s ongoing commitment to professional development through the Investment in Ingenuity and Initiative Program, or I3. The program, created by Dean Justin “Jay” Miller, provides annual funding for eligible college staff to pursue professional development opportunities that enable them to develop the skills necessary to be successful in a modern, changing workforce.

“Our primary goal in advising is to create the best experience possible for our students,” says Wainscott. “We integrate different models depending on each student’s needs and goals, what program they’re in, and where they are in their academic journey. We wanted our advisors to have as many tools as possible in the models that we’re pulling from to enhance their advising practice and the students advising experience.”

Appreciative Advising is based on the organizational development theory of Appreciative Inquiry is designed to provide a framework for increasing adviser and student success. It is composed of six phases:

  • Disarm: Make a positive first impression with students, build rapport, and create a safe and welcoming space.
  • Discover: Ask generative, open-ended questions that help advisors learn about students’ strengths, skills, and abilities.
  • Dream: Inquire about students’ hopes and dreams for their futures.
  • Design: Students and advisors co-create a plan for making students dreams a reality.
  • Deliver: Students deliver on the plan co-created during the Design phase, and advisors are available to encourage and support their students.
  • Don’t Settle: Students and advisors set their own internal bars of expectations high.

Senior Academic Advisor Sara Green felt that the course was extremely helpful in terms of connecting with peers at other colleges, as well as learning how the concept of Appreciative Advising is universal across all programs. “This certification not only strengthened our own approach to advising, but our advising practices as a team.”

Wainscott believes that the program was very complementary to the social work skills and approach that CoSW advisors bring into their roles. “The Appreciative Advising course helped me to be more intentional about what I’m integrating into my advising practices. It gave me tools and language to use, and things to consider when I’m interacting with students…what the purpose of those interactions are and how I can use those interactions to help my students be as successful as possible.”

Advisor Kyle Phillips agrees, sharing “The Appreciative Advising course was a phenomenal experience that reiterated what academic advising is all about: building relationships with our students and helping them identify and accomplish their long-term goals. I left the course with practical ways to improve my practice and better serve my students, and I can’t wait to implement them!”