Carmen Rickman, LCSW-C, is a doctoral candidate (DSW) at the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work. She received her master’s degree from Spalding University’s School of Social Work in 2015. Carmen holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Indiana Institute of Technology.
Carmen has worked between non-profit and for-profit agencies as a clinical therapist, development director, senior program associate, behavioral health program manager, practicum site supervisor, and adjunct instructor. Carmen has experience with child and family services, foster care and adoption, trauma therapy, project management, program development, and program evaluation. She is the owner of Introspective Solutions; a behavioral healthcare agency that provides counseling and consulting services.
As a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky, Carmen has centered her research studies on trauma, its’ impact on historically marginalized communities in child welfare, and how to address it through program design and evaluation. This doctoral journey has led Carmen to understand areas of future focus in social work practice. Her capstone project “From concept to completion: Trauma-informed approaches to program design and evaluation in child welfare serving agencies” includes leveraging the use of technology in practice and the conceptual use of theories like relational cultural theory (RCT), a theory traditionally used in direct practice, and its adaptability to mezzo and macro practice. Carmen’s research interests include systemic approaches to reducing trauma, data science and technology in social work practice, organizational wellness, and self-care. Carmen is a contributing author of the book “The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals”.