Mark Smith

Teaching Philosophy

A foundation of social work practice is the ability to skillfully use ourselves in the helping relationship in order to facilitate desired changes identified by the client. My teaching efforts and my interactions with students reflect core convictions I hold which are congruent with those of contemporary social work practice. These core convictions include an unshakable belief in the basic goodness of people, the importance of respecting the dignity and worth of all people, the importance of continuously working toward justice, and the moral imperative of engaging in practices that encourage personal liberation. In my classroom the focus is on collective learning, and I am constantly striving to help students learn ways to engage both clients and colleagues in reflective dialogic conversations wherein all parties interactively negotiate, understand, and reflect on themselves and each other.

Profile

Professor Smith joined the Barry faculty in 1997 and teaches courses in policy and practice. He received a BS in Early Childhood Education and taught elementary and pre-school before earning an MSW from San Francisco State University in 1990. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the Barry University School of Social Work. Professor Smith's extensive professional practice background includes inpatient psychiatric hospital work, medical/hospital social work, HIV/AIDS, crisis response, grief work, and child/adolescent/family therapy. His professional interests include emerging postmodern practice, narrative approaches, group work, participant/ qualitative research, identity development, sexual minorities, and gay youth.

Selected Professional Activities

Degrees Awarded:

• 2006: Doctorate of Philosophy, Social Work
  Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida
  Dissertation Title: The Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Rapid Assessment Instrument Measuring Hardiness in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons
• 1990: Masters in Social Work, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
  Degree focus: “Developmental Enhancement”
  Masters Thesis: “Where Policy and Practice Meet: Interrelationships Between San Francisco Public Schools and San Francisco Mental Health Department, 1988-1990.”
• 1978: Bachelors of Arts in Education
  University of South Carolina, Spartanburg
  Degree focus: “Early Childhood Education”

Memberships and Professional Affiliations:

• National Association of Social Workers, (member since 1989).
• Academy of Certified Social Workers, National Association of Social Workers. (member since,1994).
• Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups. (member since 1998.)
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Florida.
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker, North Carolina.
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker, California.

Training, Presentations, Papers, Colloquia, Workshops

• 27th International Symposium, AASWG, Jersey City, NJ. From Rubble to Resilience: Groups for Helping Families and Communities Increase Resilience and Capacity Following Major Disasters. (June 27. 2007)
• 1st Annual Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work Education. A Three-Tiered Framework for Teaching Disaster Knowledge and Skills: Social Justice, Definitions of Disaster, and Prevention/Resiliency Promotion Strategies. (January 10 – 12, 2007).
• Annual Program Meeting, Counsel on Social Work Education, Chicago, Illinois, A Social Justice and Prevention Oriented Framework for Infusing Disaster Related Knowledge and Skills. (February 19, 2006).
• Annual In-service Training, Miami-Dade School Social Workers Miami Dade Public School District: Using Collaborative Approaches to Help Multi-Stressed Families & Children (May 18, 2004).
• Beulah Rothman Memorial Lecture, Groups with Younger Adolescents: Integrating Our Knowledge with Effective Practice Strategies and Skills, (January 19, 2005).
• 25th International Symposium, AASWG, Boston, Groups with LGBTQ Adolescents: Who They Are, Why Groups Work, What Narrative Approaches Offer. (October 18, 2004.)