PARTNERS USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Confronting Domestic Violence Serving Those Who Serve Us All Hot Tips for Professional Development Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
for ALUMNI DONORS FRIENDS
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From the dean
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Partners has a new look, reflecting the fresh approach we are taking in addressing the interests of our growing social work and nursing family. In addition to highlighting our research and impacts on health and social welfare, we will now also provide tips to help our members of the Trojan Family advance their careers and live fulfilling lives.
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Practicing self-care, either professionally or personally, can help us cope with stress and uncertainty. In these times of sharp political differences and frequent life-altering natural disasters, we should make selfcare a priority in our lives. It is important for us stay resilient and grounded for those we serve.
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NAL TIP S/E en DE Jo V V E b ENT L M ar OP ke S: t, a M nd EN T M or e
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Contributors Marilyn L. Flynn, PhD 2U Endowed Chair in Educational Innovation and Social Work Dean and Professor of Social Work
Graphic Design Heidi Nelson Contributing Writers Robin Heffler Michelle Marquis Dumas Printer ColorGraphics
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As always, I am grateful for the involvement and support of all of our alumni, donors and friends, and I hope you will enjoy the new direction of Partners.
Editorial Scarlett Powers Osterling Jessica Lee Joanna Scott Brian Goodman Judith Lipsett
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Finally, I am very pleased to announce plans for a new, robust alumni career and professional development program. There will be more opportunities to earn CEUs and attend events and sessions, both in-person and online. We want our social work and nursing alumni to know that they can depend on us as well as their fellow alumni for advice and guidance throughout their careers.
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Scholarships have never been more crucial to the success of our students than today. While some students are able to attend our school with full support of their families, more than three-quarters require our assistance in order to complete their graduate degree. Because students often begin their studies following work experience in the field, they come to us somewhat older, more mature – and with family responsibilities. As a consequence, they experience great stress in balancing home commitments, health crises, and classroom demands. We are therefore placing high priority on finding new funds to support them on their journey at USC. We have launched an Agents of Change Scholarship Initiative that we hope will inspire our donors and build a stronger foundation for our deserving students.
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October each year serves to connect all who work to end this scourge. Roughly 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. Elder abuse is experienced by one out of every 10 adults over the age of 60 who live at home. Children in families where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate 1,500 percent higher than the national average. Our faculty and curriculum focus on this serious social problem in each of our departments, reflecting our recognition of the central role social work plays in prevention, treatment, and policies to end domestic violence.
Š2017 USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Photography and artwork may not be reproduced without permission. If your name or address is incorrect in this mailing, or if you received a duplicate copy, please contact: 213.821.6423 or sowkadvn@usc.edu
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PARTNERS
“I have had a life that has turned me here and there and other ways that I didn’t plan on. Thank you, Lord... you must have things in mind that I didn’t.”
Serving Those Who Serve Us All by Robin Heffler
As an undergraduate attending Wartburg College in Iowa, Colonel Paul Darnauer, DSW ’70, thought he would become a minister. That is, until he realized how much he was drawn to sociology and psychology. So after receiving his bachelor’s degree, he went on to get an MSW from the University of Nebraska.
Using his social work skills to provide counseling, oversight and training took Darnauer all over the United States and the world as an officer in the Medical Service Corps. During the first decade of his career, he served in mental health programs at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Fort Leavenworth in Kansas and a hospital in Japan. Returning to Fort Sam Houston in Texas for officer training, he was offered the opportunity to pursue his doctoral degree and was accepted into the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program at USC. His next post would take him to Washington, D.C., to serve as an assistant social work consultant with the Army Surgeon General’s office. There he worked with a variety of social workers and traveled extensively, including to Korea and Germany. Later, Darnauer served in the drug and alcohol programs of the Army and the Department of Defense, and reviewed
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 1
WE HEARD YOU! Through surveys and feedback, we know our alumni need more experiences and information that will help expand expertise, extend professional networks and advance careers. Therefore, we are increasing our focus in the areas of career support, professional development and continuing education opportunities.
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In addition to workshops and events, both inperson and online, we will offer regular advice and strategies for achieving your career goals. To start, check out these tips on tapping the “hidden job market” and the Trojan Network when looking for your next position.
Colonel Paul Darnauer spent 30 years as a military social worker in the U.S. and worldwide
But he did not follow a conventional path. Notified that he was about to be drafted for military service, Darnauer responded to a bulletin-board notice that the Army was looking for social workers. The year was 1956, and it was the beginning of a 30year career as an Army social worker, a job that has become much more prevalent in recent years.
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More information can be found at: bit.ly/profdevhottips.
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medical services provided by the 7th Medical Command in Europe. In Saudi Arabia, he worked with an American organization that was helping the Saudi National Guard to run a new hospital. “I have had a life that has turned me here and there and other ways that I didn’t plan on,” said Darnauer, now 87. “And I said, ‘Thank you, Lord. I’m not sure what this is all about, but I recognize that you must have things in mind that I didn’t.’” After 30 years of service, he decided to retire from active duty. However, he did not retire from being actively engaged in life. Darnauer was vice president of an organization that provided services for children and families in central Pennsylvania. In Vermont, where he and his wife were innkeepers for four years, he served on the school board, assisting with social work-related activities. Comparing the military of his time and today, Darnauer said the issues that active duty service members and veterans face now are broader, particularly related to mental health. “With so many soldiers today going on and coming back from multiple deployments, it can be very challenging for families,” he said. “Both the military and society need to be open about the issues that members of the military and their families face. And, we need people who are interested in devoting time and care to their needs.”
USC Career Network: It is no secret that Trojans like to help other Trojans. Speak with USC alumni who have volunteered to provide career advice and networking opportunities. connectSC: Information for Trojan alumni on jobs, employers, USC career center services, workshops, events and programs via this online portal. USC Alumni Association Groups: Meet Trojans who can refer you to employers and share information about jobs and organizations. LinkedIn & Facebook: Connect with Trojan professionals and groups online to get the inside track on jobs not yet posted anywhere else. Fight Online Event Calendar: Strengthen your ties to the Trojan Network by attending an event near you. There are USC alumni events all over the world!
SUCCESS STORY
OCT OBER
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25 NASW-USC Unit: Intimate Partner Violence: An Intersectional Perspective
JAN UARY
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FEBR 27 UARY California Social th
Welfare Archives: Then and Now: Lessons Learned, A Brief History of American Social Work
Samantha Quintero (MSW ’10) volunteered as part of the 2017 USC Day of SCervice, an opportunity for USC alumni and friends to participate in service projects around the world. That day she connected with Brenda Wiewel, MSW ’80, director of the USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness, who facilitated an introduction that ultimately lead to Samantha landing a full-time job at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Recuperative Care Center in Los Angeles.
12th New Center for Psychoanalysis: Trauma-Focused Treatment Strategies
12th-18th National Nurse Practitioner Week
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22nd 2018 Edward R. Roybal Memorial Lecture
10th 7th Annual USC Alumni Day of SCervice
1st -31st Social Work Month!
Visit dworakpeck.usc.edu/alumni-events to view upcoming events and registration details.
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CONFRONTING
Seeking to understand the dynamics of partner and family violence,
Domestic Violence
while empowering the abused and responders
by Robin Heffler
As a family nurse practitioner in Baltimore eight years ago, Benita Walton-Moss saw many survivors of domestic violence. The most common injuries were bruises, cuts and scrapes, but over time the abuse sometimes escalated to rape, broken bones or concussions. Walton-Moss, now a clinical associate professor in the Department of Nursing at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, also saw victims with neglected conditions stemming from past abuse, including sexually transmitted diseases and chronic headaches due to head trauma. “Unfortunately, one of the main trends is that even after a bad episode, victims don’t have plans to leave because they lack the financial means to go anywhere else, and often have kids with the abuser,” said Walton-Moss, who teaches a course on advanced health assessment that
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includes signs of domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence (IPV). “The beginning of IPV can often be very subtle,” WaltonMoss said. “The controlling behavior can include calling some one names, or keeping them away from others. Often violence goes two ways in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. With heterosexuals, sometimes women may start, then men want to control, and usually men end up being the dominant abusers.” Another form of control can be to make victims feel confused or crazy. “A friend told me that one of the first instances of abuse she experienced was when her abuser pushed her over a chair,” said CarolAnn Peterson, an adjunct professor in the school’s Department of Children, Youth and Families. “When she asked why, he said he didn’t do it, that she tripped. Victims also learn
patterns of behavior to try to appease the victimizers, but they find that it’s never enough because the abuser will change the rules.” Sexually abused by a partner when she was a young woman, Peterson has been immersed in addressing domestic violence for 35 years, providing consultation and training on the subject. She serves as a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Domestic Violence Steering Committee, which seeks to enhance services for abuse victims in shelters. Peterson created the school’s course on domestic violence and is one of nine faculty members who rotate teaching it. “The course has evolved,” she said, “and now includes much more focus on how cultures influence relationships
and thought processes.” It also includes the topics of sexual assaults on college campuses and child abuse. For children who witness domestic violence, there can be lasting consequences. Peterson cited the National Woman Abuse Prevention Project in Washington, D.C., which found children in homes where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate 1,500 percent higher than the national average. However, scientific advances now indicate that long-term issues for children who witness IPV are not inevitable. According to Susan Hess, clinical assistant professor of field education in the Children, Youth and Families department, “We now know through neurobiology that it’s not what happened to you that determines future outcomes but how you make sense of what happened to you, so it’s important for children to have safe relationships to develop resilience.”
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“one of the main trends is that even after a bad episode victims don’t leave because they lack the financial means to go anywhere else.”
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Domestic abuse can also have an impact at the other end of the life cycle. Maria Aranda, associate professor in the Department of Adult Mental Health and Wellness, points to statistics cited by the National Center on Elder Abuse: every year an estimated five million older Americans are victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation, and for every case of elder abuse or neglect reported, as many as 23 go unreported. “There is a societal misinterpretation and denial that elder abuse can occur,” said Aranda. “People think, ‘these are adults, so how could they allow this to occur in their lives?’ There’s denial that family members would cause physical or sexual injuries to an older person, and denial puts a mask on the extent of the problem.” One sign of progress in the area of IPV has been in the way social workers, policy makers and service providers incorporate trauma-informed approaches on micro, mezzo and macro levels.
“There was and is a clear need within IPV agencies to change the paradigm from a ‘power over’ approach to a ‘power with’ approach,” said Hess. “Trauma-informed care changes the question from ‘What’s wrong with you?’ to understanding ‘What happened to you?’”
The Agents of Change Scholarship Initiative has been launched to increase the school’s capacity to provide social work and nursing students with more possibilities for financial assistance, easing their debt burden as they embark on their new careers. Additionally, more scholarship opportunities will be created to reflect our changing student population— diversity-focused and first-generation—as well as more merit-based and field of study scholarships.
Overall, Peterson said, progress has been made on a number of fronts in addressing and preventing domestic violence: better funding of shelters for IPV victims; removal of or prohibition from buying a gun in California for abusive family members; unemployment eligibility for California residents leaving a job because of abuse at work; and members of the military losing their jobs or prohibited from carrying guns if convicted of domestic violence. “As difficult and overwhelming as domestic violence can be for both victims and victim advocates, there is a light at the end of tunnel,” she said. “We just need to be united in our efforts, and know that together we can all become survivors.”
Alumna Amanda Gibson: Domestic Violence Advocate Amanda Gibson, MSW ’06, began volunteering at Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles when she was an undergraduate student. She returned more than over a decade later, eventually serving as executive director for the organization, which provides individualized, comprehensive services and shelter to battered women and their children. “In shelters, staff become like substitute family members to children and victims who can’t see their families when they’re in hiding, and are isolated,” Gibson said. “You develop very close-knit relationships that often last for years. Many young people in their 20s, whom I first saw when they were kids, still keep in touch.” Her voice trembled with emotion as she recalled “seeing that we’ve been able to stop the violence, that the kids have gone on to college, and even law school and medical school for a couple of them, and that their moms didn’t go into another abusive relationship is very rewarding.” Gibson, in turn, stayed in touch with her former teacher and mentor, CarolAnn Peterson, agreeing to teach the domestic violence course she had once taken, via the school’s Virtual Academic Center. “My goal is that by the end of class students can say ‘I’m a domestic violence advocate,’ and be confident with that title,” she said. She also teaches the importance of self-care so that social workers don’t burn out. More recently, Gibson has been involved in testing a mobile app designed to give shelters the ability to communicate their bed availability to the domestic-abuse response teams in police departments. It is the project of a new organization called Rita’s Work, which also plans to offer more training for police officers in responding to domestic violence incidents. RESOURCES
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AGENTS OF CHANGE SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE
The National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE or www.thehotline.org National Coalition Against Domestic Violence www.ncadv.org
SUPPORTING... GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES
The first phase of the Agents of Change Scholarship Initiative will focus on support for scholarships to help MSW and MSN students participate in cultural immersion programs, attend conferences and professional development events, and engage in and present research globally. These cultural and professional development scholarships will provide financial support for academic and travel expenses associated with these activities.
PROFESSIONAL DIVERSITY
The second phase will promote scholarship funds that support minority students and students from underserved and underrepresented communities. Providing opportunities for minority students to join the social work and nursing professions is very important because cultural diversity and competence are greatly needed in clinical services, agency management and policy development.
NURSES WHO LEAD
Phase three will emphasize scholarships for MSN students as they prepare to become family nurse practitioners. Support is needed for both general scholarships and bridge scholarships – which help RN’s gain the requisite science education needed prior to beginning the master’s program. Now in its second year, the MSN program is producing nurses who will address physical, behavioral, social and environmental factors. To learn how you can help us support students, please visit ignite.usc.edu/dworakpeck.
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Buried feelings can become an emotional burden, swelling into resentment that lingers for weeks, months or even years. This pattern is rarely confined to one relationship. Young often reminds her clients that “you get what you tolerate.” If you constantly stifle your opinions, needs and desires to avoid conflict, you are teaching your friends, family or work colleagues that your feelings do not matter. Setting healthy boundaries is only possible when a person recognizes the importance of their own value and needs, and refuses to accept less than what they deserve. To determine whether the relationships in your life are negatively affecting your mental health, and if you are setting healthy boundaries, Young shares her three rules for overcoming boundary issues: 1. Recognize that boundaries are a choice. Option A is to establish a boundary, opting for a short period of discomfort during which the boundary is communicated and the other person is given an opportunity to react. Option B is not to express the boundary, and by choosing this option you are really choosing resentment. Distilling the choice down to “Option A and Option B” makes the decision easier. When the choices are momentary discomfort or prolonged resentment, it is obvious that setting the initial boundary is the right choice. 2. Have a mantra. Once you recognize the need to set boundaries, devise a mantra for real-life situations that you may encounter. Practice saying that mantra over and over, in front of a mirror, until you are comfortable using it in real life. Keep that mantra in your back pocket so it can be pulled out when you need it.
MIND BODY AND WELLNESS Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships Expressing your feelings and asserting your needs are essential for maintaining healthy relationships. Cristina Young, MSW ’98, is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Greenwich, Connecticut. Young specializes in working with parents to improve family dynamics and reduce anxiety. Her clients, mostly women, share many of the same issues, including depression, anger management, anxiety and boundary setting.
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Over the years, Young has developed proven strategies to improve her clients’ abilities to set healthy boundaries — an issue that is often at the root of overall mental health and wellness.
Do I Have Boundary Issues? Those with boundary issues often report that their partner or family member does not listen to them, or that their needs are not being honored or respected. When pushback or conflict are encountered, often one retreats rather than communicating true feelings.
For example, you may be the person in your workplace who never says “no” to a new project, no matter how overwhelmed you are. Try this simple mantra: “I can’t, I’m too busy.” You may find these five simple words empower you to set boundaries in your work life and beyond. 3. Exercise the 24-hour rule. If you take the above steps but continue to struggle with boundary setting, or your desire to please is especially entrenched, try the 24-hour rule. Simply allow 24 hours before making any decision that may affect your mental health. Instead of immediately accepting any new request, say “I’m not sure if I can do that. I’ll look at my calendar and get back to you tomorrow.” Once you create distance from the issue, you will be able to take a more clear-headed approach, ultimately deciding whether saying “yes” will serve your authentic needs. If not, employ your mantra and decline the request. Almost everyone can benefit from setting better boundaries, whether in love, with family or at work. Employing Young’s key strategies is a simple way to move in a positive direction, avoiding resentment and earning respect in the process.
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THE ONLINE DOCTOR of SOCIAL WORK Social Innovation Meets Real-World Impact
ABOUT DSW@USC
Build your leadership and advanced management skills while solving real-world problems! The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work is the first among elite research universities to offer a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree online for scholar-practitioners who want to achieve greater impact in their practice. Upcoming application deadlines: October 27, 2017 March 9, 2018
To learn more about the DSW@USC program, visit msw.usc.edu/dsw. Speak with an admissions counselor at 1.877.700.4679