Ashley Newberry MSW, LCSW, LISW, LICSW, CSW-PIP is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Doctoral Candidate in Social Work at the University of Kentucky, currently holding six state independent social work licenses throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Ashley commenced her professional career in foster care and community support for children, adolescents, and families in Northern Kentucky. Her expertise in trauma-informed practices has led her to supervisor roles, including team leads and Clinical Director positions. In these roles, she has focused on optimizing direct clinical practices to align with treatment needs while maintaining a balance with evolving program expectations to support overall clinical care best. Recognizing the complexities of trauma’s impact on clinical care, Ashley transitioned from direct clinical practice to digital health care. In this telemental health role, she provides individual clinical care with a holistic understanding of the individual’s well-being.
Currently employed with Sanford Health as a Virtual Behavioral Health Therapist, Ashley was an initial clinical team member to support the Virtual Behavioral Health Initiative, created to address the continued disparities in mental health services throughout the Midwest. Driven by professional experiences and academic interests, Ashley’s goal is to enhance care delivery through digital health care and telemental health services. With this focus in mind, the current research focus has led to the doctoral focus on trauma-informed telemental health and the Capstone Presentation of "Bridging clinical care and virtual solutions: Trauma-informed telemental health innovations to address disparities in care"
DSW Showcase Student Presentation
Ashley Newberry
MSW, LCSW, LISW, LICSW, CSW-PIP
Bridging clinical care and virtual solutions: Trauma-informed telemental health innovations to address disparities in care
Concentration - Clinical Social Work
- Tuesday, April 29, 2025 -
- 9:00 am
Abstract
As options and opportunities in mental health care access evolve, trauma-informed telemental health care is not only a technological innovation in clinical interventions but also offers potential for the necessary shift toward evolving equality in mental health services. As we explore the history and advancements of digital healthcare, it becomes clear that telemental health has the opportunity to provide unparalleled opportunities to increase access and specialization in treatment, particularly for marginalized and disenfranchised populations who may face unique challenges to services and overall care. However, this approach requires a critical lens to development, one that benefits through the utilization of trauma-informed practices, incorporating the perspective of the client and their lived experiences, and overall addressing systemic oppression embedded in traditional care models by utilizing a holistic perspective to digital mental health interventions. By integrating theoretical frameworks into digital health interventions, practitioners can better understand and respond to the psychological complexities of clients while ensuring that virtual platforms are accessible and culturally competent to unique needs in all therapeutic settings. This approach does not simply treat the symptoms of mental illness through an evolved technological perspective but has the potential to dismantle barriers in clinical care, challenge injustices in the mental health system, and build a more inclusive, equitable system in mental health practice.