Mary Hoke MSW, LCSW, is an Assistant Professor of Social Work and field liaison in the Bachelor of Social Work Program at Concord University. She is a current social work doctoral (DSW) candidate at the University of Kentucky with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025. Mary received her Master of Social Work (MSW) from West Virginia University and her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Mountain State University. She was licensed as an LGSW in 2013 and received her LCSW in 2015.
Mary worked in private practice providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) therapy for several years before finding her passion in higher education. She previously held an assistant professor position at the University of Charleston in the BSW program and served as the field coordinator for the program. Mary was the Director of Counseling and Outreach Programs for 5 years at West Virginia University Institute of Technology providing counseling services, outreach to campus and community, and emergency services to students before beginning at Concord University as a full-time faculty member for the BSW program and serves as the full-time practicum faculty liaison for all BSW students and served as the chair for the Addictions minor for three years. Beyond teaching four courses a semester, Mary is an active member across campus and is involved in various committees including one to develop a Substance Use Disorders major that is now offered through the university. Mary is a long-time National Association of Social Workers member, Council on Social Work Education, BPD, and serves on the CU Practicum Advisory Board. Research interests include practice readiness, countertransference, barriers for people with disabilities, and SUDs.
DSW Showcase Student Presentation
Mary Hoke
MSW,LCSW, DSW Candidate
Identifying Students at High Risk of Countertransference Issues in Practice: A New Approach to the Gatekeeping Process
Concentration - Social Work Education
- Wednesday, April 30, 2025 -
- 1:00 pm
Abstract
It is the job of a social work educator to ensure that students become competent, empathetic, skilled workers. Many students choose social work as their major because of past experiences or traumas, leading them to want to help others (Mercer et al., 2023). Mercer et al. (2023) report that students within the social work major reported higher childhood trauma occurrences than those in other disciplines. The role of a social worker is to focus on the client’s needs and use self-reflection and self-awareness to set their own values, beliefs, and experiences aside. While this can fuel an individual’s drive to help people it can also have unintended consequences.
If a person has not identified and dealt with their own experiences or trauma they can be triggered when working with clients that share similar experiences. This can cause triggering and countertransference issues, making them ineffective helpers (Mercer et al., 2023). It falls on the social work faculty to ensure that students have the coping skills needed before entering their practicum to properly deal with triggering or countertransference issues.
This presentation will discuss how current BSW faculty are identifying students at high risk of countertransference and present a new approach to the gatekeeping process using relational theory and Chickering’s theory of Identity. The integration of questions related to past experiences during the formal admission process can assist faculty in raising students’ awareness of possible areas of concern as well as provide a framework for referrals to services or increased education on self-reflection and coping skills related to the negative effects of countertransference.