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Social Work

2009 MSW Students Graduate!

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Congratulations to the 2009 MSW Graduating Class!

Updated 5.20.2009

2009 Bluejeans and Birkenstocks

The Soiree for Scholarships was held on Friday, April 17, 2009 beginning at 7 pm at the Pleasant Valley Country Club. The event featured music by the B Flats and a Mexican Buffet.  To view the slideshow, go to http://web.me.com/kobalt915m/BJB2009/Welcome.html.

Proceeds benefited the Rebecca Fuller Ward Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Updated 5.8.2009

MSW Student Stephanie Unruh Goins Assist Clients in Exploring Their Creativity

 Stephanie Goins

UALR MSW student Stephanie Goins was highlighted in the GAINConnection Newsletter, Spring 2009 issue with the following story. Special thanks to Martha Curtis for providing the story to the School of Social Work. The School of Social Work is proud of Stephanie and all the MSW students for the work they do in their field placements. They make such a different in the lives of so many! 

A new 12-week group of GAIN ­clients is taking advantage of ­social work ­intern Stephanie Unruh Goins’ art back­ground and talent. 

Jim Hickman, Ms. Goins’ field instructor, is co-leader of the group that is meeting each Thursday afternoon this spring at Greater Assistance to those In Need, Inc. in downtown Little Rock. Mr. Hickman is a licensed social worker and GAIN case manager. Ms. Goins is in a first-year placement at GAIN in 2008-09 as a student in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) Graduate School of Social Work. 

GAIN is an assertive community treatment program serving adults with severe and persistent mental illness. “The group is not so much recreational time, or even painting and drawing,” Ms. Goins said. “It’s about exploring all kinds of three-dimensional art, which is what I prefer, and using art to express concepts such as feelings, strengths and hope for the future.”Ms. Goins has a minor in studio art from UALR as an undergraduate. “We appreciate Stephanie’s enthusiasm and are happy to put her talent and interests to good use while she is placed here,” said Dennis Wells, ­Executive Director. “GAIN has a long tradition of encouraging clients to express themselves through art. Over the years, some have discovered they are very talented, and art has become a creative means of expression.” Over the spring, the group of eight clients will work in mixed media, and plans are to make and decorate shadow boxes, collages, cards, flags and “dream bottles,” among other things. “We will also go on field trips, and each member will have a disposable camera with which to take photographs,” Ms. Goins said.Each week, the group will work on one project linked to a discussion of a particular topic: peace, safety, security, compassion, hope.One of Ms. Goins’ goals for the group is to help members become “grounded” in the present ­moment, rather than thinking about the past or the future—”to get them to focus on breathing and what they are seeing, sensing and feeling right now.” 

Other goals include exploring the members’ creativity and awareness. What the group does each week as a project will help the members ­focus on their strengths and bring out their positive feelings, she said. The group has as members a mixture of clients and skill levels. A few have demonstrated talent and skill in art. “But the art is about the abstract, so there’s no right way or wrong way to do things.”At a recent group, the topic was feelings, or moods, as Ms. Goins asked members to capture on paper what moods look like to them—what marks or images represent anger, sadness or other moods. 

Each member has his or her own personal box of supplies: scissors, glue, crayons and items for projects. Then there is a supply of other materials for projects: fabric, laces, ribbon, beads, ­sequins, feathers and special textured papers.  The final project will be a dream bottle, which members will decorate and in which they will put their hopes and dreams for the future.   

Updated 3.17.2009

Lobby Day a Huge Success!

UALR BSW and MSW students join forces with AR NASW to make Lobby Day a success. See the following link for pictures feom the events of the day. http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/detail.sfly?sid=1AbuWjVu4bsWGo&imageIndex=0&fid=3e4b8f7a97be000f

Updated 2.12.2009

AR NASW 2009 MSW Student of the Year

AR NASW's MSW Student of the Year

David McLeod was selected as the Arkansas Chapter National Association of Social Workers 2009 MSW Student of the Year.   The AR NASW Board of Directors was very impressed with his outstanding performance as a social work student and his sincere commitment to the profession of social work as shown by his previous involvement in such a variety of activities.  We are pleased to be able to recognize David’s outstanding achievements.
 

The award will be presented to David at AR NASW’s Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 11, 2009.  The awards ceremony will be part of AR NASW’s Annual Conference being held at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.  The luncheon will be held in the hotel at 11:45 a.m. 

AR NASW will also be honoring the 2009 Public Citizen of the Year, Annette Dove of Pine Bluff; the BSW Student of the Year, Johnathan Simpson of Jonesboro; the Elected Official of the Year, Representative Kathy Webb of Little Rock; the Agency of the Year Award, Conway Interfaith Clinic, Conway; and presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Eileen Turner of Little Rock. 
  

Updated 2.11.2009

MSWO News

Led by faculty leader Dr. John W. Miller, members of MSWO (Master of Social Work Organization) took part in the 2008 Susan G. Koman Race.  A brief slideshow captures moments of this great event and can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/DoctorJohnMiller/MSWOVolunteersAtRaceForTheCure#. 

For membership information, please contact Dr. John W. Miller Jr. at jwmillerjr@ualr.edu.

Updated 1.18.2009

Faculty News

 

Dr. Pat Wilkerson was selected as a participant in the Institute on Aging and Social Work held at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota July 13-20, 2008.  Dr. Wilkerson, along with 14 faculty members from other colleges and universities was selected to participate in the program from a large pool of applicants from across the country.  This program is supported by the National Institute on Aging, NIH Office of Behavioral and Science Research, National Institutes of Health, and the Hartford Foundation.  It is co-directed by Barbara Berkman of Columbia University and Chandra Mehrotra of the College of Scholastica.

 

The over arching goal of the program is to build and sustain a community of college faculty committed to developing an active research agenda in aging.  Program design includes the initial institute, ongoing consultation during the academic year, a mid-year meeting in February and a follow-up institute next summer.  The follow-up meetings will provide participants with an opportunity to share the drafts of their research proposals with each other and with distinguished visiting faculty.

 

Dr. Pat Wilkerson and Dr. LaVerne Bell-Tolliver’s abstract was accepted for the 2008 Annual Program Meeting (APM).  The APM is scheduled to be held October 30-November 2 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The abstract, entitled “A Good Fit:  Afrocentric Paradigm, Spirituality, and Elderly African Americans’ Life Satisfaction has been accepted as a PAPER SESSION in the Gero-Ed (Aging and Gerontology) track. 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated 10.21.2008

Psychotherapy Training Center

Psychotherapy Training Center (PTC) is a program co-sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Psychiatric Research Institute and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Social Work.
 

Evidence-based psychotherapy training courses and seminars will be offered to both students and licensed professionals who wish to advance their expertise in one or more of the areas offered through the Psychotherapy Training Center. All courses will be offered in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry, and starting in spring 2009, at the new Psychiatric Research Institute.
 

With licensing board approval, practicing professional can earn from 30-45 CEU’s for each course taken.  
 

Training courses include:
 

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: This course will start this fall and be taught by Kim Jones, Ph.D., LCSW, and will run for ten weeks. The course will start with an overview of the basic principles and concepts of psychodynamic theory, followed by an in-depth presentation of a contemporary evidence-based object relations model that can be used in everyday practice situations. The fee for this 30 hour course is $250.00.
 

• Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy: This course will start this fall and be taught by John Milwee, Psy.D., and will run for ten weeks. The course  will draw from the work of Aaron Beck, the founder and originator of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Participants in this course will learn the central concepts of cognitive-behavioral theory and therapy. A particular emphasis will be on using CBT to understand and treat clients with mood, anxiety and personality disorders. The fee for this 30 hour course is $250.00.
 

• Family Therapy: This course will start spring 2009 and be taught by Howard Turney, Ph.D., Rebecca Ward, LCSW, and LaVerne Bell-Tolliver, Ph.D., LCSW, and will run for fifteen weeks. It will provide an approach to understanding human behavior from the perspective of relationships and social context. The course will cover general systems theory and several models of family therapy. A unique component of this course will include the traditional learning model of live family interviews that will illuminate the complexity of family relations and the applicability of specific theories to resolve problems. The fee for this 45 hour course is $350.00.
 

 

The goal of the Psychotherapy Training Center is to provide quality training opportunities to both students and practicing professionals drawing on evidence-based, contemporary models of practice to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to practice effectively in a variety of settings.
 

Faculty of the PRI/UALR Psychotherapy
Training Center
 

Kim Jones, Ph.D., Director of the Psychotherapy Training Center. Dr. Jones received his doctorate from the Smith College School of Social Work and has more than 25 years of clinical social work experience. Dr. Jones is currently an Associate Professor at the UALR School of Social Work; Coordinator of the Graduate Social Work Program and chair of the clinical concentration; and a Clinical Assistant Professor in The Department of Psychiatry at UAMS. He is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the State of Arkansas.
 

Howard M. Turney, Ph.D., received his doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University (FSU) and clinical training at the FSU Marriage and Family Clinic. He holds the rank of professor and is the Director of the UALR School of Social Work. Dr. Turney is also a clinical member and approved supervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). For the past 16 years Dr. Turney has maintained a private practice and is licensed as both a Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the State of Arkansas.
 

LaVerne Bell-Tolliver, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Family Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Bell- Tolliver has more than 33 years of clinical experience, including rural mental health, child protective services and private practice. She is also a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Dr. Bell-Tolliver is currently an Assistant Professor in the UALR
School of Social Work, a registered play therapist, and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the state of Arkansas.
 

John Milwee, Psy.D., received his doctorate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He worked for and was trained as a cognitive behavioral therapist in the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research. After completing his internship in 2006, Dr. Milwee began working as a clinical psychologist in the Mental Health Clinic of the Central Arkansas Veteran’s Healthcare System in North Little Rock.
 

 

To get more information, and/or sign up for a course please contact Kim Jones (kajones@ualr.edu), or visit the website at http://www.ualr.edu/extendedprograms/. When you click on the link go to continuing education and then psychotherapy training.

Updated 6.17.2008
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