Katherine McCarthy
- Ph.D., MSW, LCSW
- Senior BSW Program Director & IU Indianapolis BSW Program Director / Associate Professor
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IU Indianapolis
Central Administration – All Campuses
Contact
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(317) 274-8393
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ES 4138J
902 West New York St
Education
PhD
Emphasis/Major:
Clinical Social Work
2017
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Smith College School for Social Work
Dissertation:
The Experience of Resident Assistants Encountering Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Use by a Resident: A Mixed Methods Investigation
MSW
Emphasis/Major:
Clinical Social Work
2002
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Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
BS
Emphasis/Major:
Biology/ English
1998
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University of Notre Dame
Research Interests
Enhancing social work pedagogy, young adult mental health, supporting students
Teaching Interests
Social Work Theory, Practice, Assessment, Mental Health
Awards and Honors
- Trustees’ Teaching Award
2020
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Indiana University School of Social Work - Doctoral Speaker at 2017 Smith School for Social Work Graduation ceremony
2017
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Smith College School for Social Work - Favorite Professor acknowledgement
2017
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IUPUI Athletics - Favorite Professor acknowledgement
2016
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IUPUI Athletics
Publications
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Glassburn, S. L., Dennis, S. R., & McCarthy, K. M. (2024). Navigating Identity Changes through the Digital Migration: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Social Work Educators. American Journal of Distance Education. Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2024.2320035
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McCarthy, K. M., Johnson, N., & Kondrat, D. C. (2024). Social Work Educators and Student Wellness Needs. Social Work Education. Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2024.2317868
When students struggle with inconsistent food or housing, social distress, or mental health challenges, this can directly impede their learning. Social Work educators in the United States were surveyed to understand what influences their sense of responsibility to address these student issues. 74% of the 116 respondents indicated that they have developed an increased sense of responsibility to address these issues over their time as educators. Student focused concerns were the most common motivation guiding this sense of responsibility, followed by personal and professional motivations. Understanding how social work educators determine how and when to address student wellness needs will continue to influence student learning and the development of future social workers.
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McCarthy, K. M., Kondrat, D. C., & Johnson, N. (2024). Supports and barriers: Social work educators addressing student wellness needs. Studies in Clinical Social Work: Transforming Practice, Education and Research. Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/28376811.2023.2299847
While the years spent in college or graduate school have traditionally been viewed as demanding, current students face financial, emotional, and mental health stressors that interfere with their success at alarming rates. Undoubtedly social issues, cultural challenges, and economic realities complicate these experiences for students. At the same time, the negative effects of stress on learning capacity can prompt a blurring of the traditional line between educator and supporter, especially for social work educators. One hundred twenty-eight social work educators responded to a survey questionnaire about what helps or hinders their efforts to support student wellness. Inductive content analyses were conducted with seven themes identified around what supports educators and five themes identified around barriers that interfere with educators in their efforts to address student wellness needs. Major factors influencing educator effects include resource availability, educator-student partnerships, wellness-centered pedagogy, environmental culture, and oppressive forces. Implications for social work educators and administrators are explored.
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Kumaria, S., Byers, D. S., McCarthy, K. M., & Moedano, C. M. (2023). Social Identity as a Factor in Bystander Responses to Bias-Based Verbal Aggression Among College Students. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma. Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2023.2204844
Bias-based bullying is a significant problem in the United States, including aggression targeting college students with minoritized social identities. Bystander responsiveness can help to buffer the effects, but social identity factors may influence how students respond to bias-based aggression among peers. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a subsample (N = 7,291) of the 2018–2019 Healthy Minds Study to test correlations between racial, sexual, and gender identities and self-reported and hypothetical peer interventions. Students who identify with minoritized sexual and gender identities, across racial identities, are most likely to report past or intended interventions while students who identify as straight, cisgender, male, and White are least likely. Specifically, students with minoritized sexual and gender identities are 32% more likely than straight and cisgender peers to report that they had intervened in the past year and 36% more likely to indicate that they intend to intervene in the future. Experiences of discrimination and belonging are significant but separate covariates. Interventions to support peer responsiveness must attend to dynamics of power, oppression, and social identity to reach more students.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2023). An unintentional case study: How synchronous meetings may influence student perception of instructors. The Journal of Educators Online, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2023.20.1.8
A close examination of student successes and failures in online teaching can inform and improve future
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McCarthy, K. M., Wilkerson, D. A., & Ashirifi, G. D. (2022). Student and Faculty Perceptions on Feedback in a Social Work Distance Education Program. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 42(4), 392-408. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2022.2102103
Online social work educators are responsible for fostering high
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McCarthy, K. M., Bragg, N. W., & Gentle-Genitty, C. S. (2022). Master Social Work Students’ Explicit and Implicit Articulation of Theory. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2022.2074184
Theories that explain Human Behavior and the Social Environment are integral to social workers’ conceptualization of their role and practice. Scaffolding the capacity to recognize, apply, and evaluate theory, however, is not easy. Learning how to comprehend and accurately apply theory can be a real struggle for graduate students enrolled in a Masters of Social Work (MSW) program. The purpose of this study was to identify and categorize patterns of how MSW students think about theory in the learning process. This qualitative analysis of 120 anonymous student responses to a case by students in an online MSW program explores the variety of theories students are explicitly identifying. The qualitative analysis offers insights into online Masters level social work students’ ways of thinking and learning about theory. Bloom’s taxonomy was applied to differentiate MSW students’ use of theory. This study also demonstrates that students are not only applying theory explicitly, but often do so implicitly, perhaps without realizing so. By exploring how students construct their understanding of theory and how they vary between implicit theory usage and explicit theory articulation, HBSE educators can identify how to best prepare these students for their future careers.
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McCarthy, K. M., Mariscal del Villar, E. S., & Wahler, B. (2022). MSW Student Concerns About Addressing Clients’ Substance Use and Misuse. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 42(1), 45-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2021.2003923
Social work educators must prioritize effective preparation of MSW students for the pivotal roles they will play in supporting clients struggling with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). Understanding what concerns MSW students have about working in the SUD field can highlight student training needs and inform learner-centered curricula. This qualitative study explored anticipated concerns held by MSW students in the mental health and addiction focus area of a Midwest university. Thirty-four MSW students beginning their final year of training answered an open-ended survey question regarding their concerns about addressing SUDs in their future careers. Findings indicated that students were largely concerned about having sufficient competence, knowledge, and skills to effectively assist clients, particularly considering client self-determination. Students recognized the emotional demands of the work, especially for those with personal SUD experiences, and the need for self-care. Students were also concerned about challenges specific to clients and barriers in the SUD field. Recommendations are presented for preparing students to manage these challenges.
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Dennis, S. R., McCarthy, K. M., & Glassburn, S. L. (2022). Grievers, skeptics, pragmatists, converts, and champions: The transition to online teaching for social work educators. Journal of Social Work Education. Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2021.2019644
Despite the surge in online social work education programs throughout the last two decades, the body of literature examining the pedagogical transition to virtual environments from social work educators’ perspectives remains nascent in form. To grow this area of inquiry, this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) examined the lived experiences of 17 social work educators across the United States who transitioned from solely on-ground instruction to partially or completely online teaching prior to July 2019. Analyses of participant interviews generated a framework that organized social work educators’ perspectives into the typologies of Grievers, Skeptics, Converts, Pragmatists, and Champions. These typologies emerged as a result of the multi-systemic forces that generated new conceptualizations of educators’ roles and identities as they transitioned into the virtual landscape. Amid the current pandemic necessitating abrupt shifts to online education delivery, this framework offers clarity to social work educators as they make sense of their own experiences adapting to online teaching.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2021). Shared Vulnerability: Transparency as Facilitator During Pandemic Learning (pp. 117-123). Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83849-2_11
This chapter explores the intentional use of transparency while teaching an online Master of Social Work (MSW) course during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. First the author recognizes how the unfolding crisis necessitated altered boundaries between herself and her students. Then the author presents four ways she used transparency to help students stay engaged and involved in the course, including changing expectations, expressing feelings, prioritizing safety and well-being, and requesting help. Finally, the author reflects upon how these Spring 2020 adjustments will inform her future pedagogy.
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Wilkerson, D. A., & McCarthy, K. M. (2021). A Social Work Distance Educator Community of Practice: Description, Outcomes, and Future. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 24(1).
The growth of social work distance education has increased the need for teaching faculty to develop as effective online instructors. We researched how faculty made use of an online practice community during a semester teaching in an online MSW program. Community of practice theory guided the development of a persistent community space for mentoring, support, and pedagogy building using moderated asynchronous discussion forums. Qualitative analysis provided a description of how faculty made use of the community, their needs for professional development, and the importance of peer support. Discussion considered motivation and the use of community for all faculty ranks.
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McCarthy, K. M., Glassburn, S. L., & Dennis, S. R. (2021). Transitioning to online teaching: A phenomenological analysis of social work educator perspectives. Social Work Education (The International Journal). Published. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1869206
Online education in social work has been proliferating and is now ubiquitous due to COVID-19. To optimize instructor pedagogical wisdom and ensure student benefit, critical reflection is needed on the transition to online education. Prior to the pandemic, 17 social work educators were interviewed about their perspectives on the transition from teaching on-the-ground classes to online. This interpretative phenomenological study identified three themes that influenced the educator’s experience: personal qualities, pedagogical beliefs, and macro and institutional factors. It is this unique mix of each participants’ pedagogical beliefs, personal qualities, and macro or institutional factors which influenced the individual educator’s experience of satisfaction. Each educator’s perspective of online teaching is arrived at through calculations of costs and benefits as they balance their own and their students’ needs within the demands and supports of their respective institutions. These perspectives can be characterized by one of four standpoints: mutual benefit, compromised learning, instructor reservations, and incompatibility. Implications include enhancing social work educators’ critical reflexivity while navigating the evolving technological context and providing administrators with points of intervention to support instructors and develop online delivery modes.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Empowering online undergraduate social work students to address their stress. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 25(1), 231-243. https://doi.org/10.18084/1084-7219.25.1.231
Effective self- regulation is a critical aspect of social work. Unmanaged stress can impair a social worker’s effectiveness. BSW students must demonstrate the capacity for cognitive and affective self- regulation to graduate, yet they may be expected to develop these skills outside of their academic program. This article describes a pedagogical strategy for encouraging proactive stress management practices in BSW students during online theory and practice courses at a Midwest public university. Students completed weekly self- care quizzes, which required them to rate their stress, create a plan to reduce this stress, and assess their efforts. Students felt this activity helped them to reflect and take action while also strengthening their relationships with their online instructor. Although this effort was employed in the years prior to COVID-19, the relevance of encouraging active stress management in the time of the pandemic and widespread virtual learning has only increased.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Nurturing the Intersubjective Capacities of Social Work Students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 40(1), 58-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2019.1693478
While navigating numerous pressures as they work with vulnerable clients and communities, social workers are expected to use their emotional responses intentionally rather than to be ruled by them. Social work accreditation competencies require that students demonstrate regulation of their own affective processes, but their ability to do so will vary. This paper explores methods that instructors can take to support students’ developmental growth through the concept of intersubjectivity within a relational theory framework.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2019). Resident Assistant Secondary Trauma and Burnout Associated with Student Nonsuicidal Self-Injury. Journal of American College Health, 68(7), 673-677. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1590374
Objective: To determine whether or not encountering students struggling with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) put resident assistants (RAs) at greater risk of burnout or secondary traumatic stress.
Participants: One hundred and fifty-five RAs at three Midwest public university campuses between March and April 2016.
Methods: RAs participated in an anonymous online survey that collected demographics, information on RAs’ experiences and thoughts related to their work, RAs’ exposure to NSSI struggle of a resident, and measurements of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress.
Results: RAs who encountered resident NSSI demonstrated significantly higher levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress than RAs who did not encounter resident NSSI.
Conclusion: College students struggle with NSSI can significantly affect the people around them. Residence life administration and college counseling centers should provide training, support, and supervision to RAs in a way that addresses and reduces the RAs’ potential distress.
Keywords: College counseling; community health; mental health. -
McCarthy, K. M. (2019). Book Review of Celebrating the Wounded Healer Psychotherapist: Pain, Post-Traumatic Growth and Self-Disclosure [Review of Book Review of Celebrating the Wounded Healer Psychotherapist: Pain, Post-Traumatic Growth and Self-Disclosure]. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 88(4), 349-351. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2019.1576472
Book Review of Klayman Farber, S., Ed. (2017). Celebrating the Wounded Healer Psychotherapist: Pain, Post-Traumatic Growth and Self-Disclosure New York,
Routledge/Taylor and Francis. -
Gentle-Genitty, C. S., Bragg, N. W., McCarthy, K. M., & Thomison, E. (2018). Exploring a Model-Driven Approach to Social Work Theory Education. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 18(6), 72-78. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v18i6.150
Accredited social work programs must use practice experience and theory to inform research and practice, policy, engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with varied constituents. Models to teach theory have been all but non-existent. This manuscript presents the S.A.L. T. model for theory assessment and shares findings when the model is applied to assess students ’ knowledge.
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McCarthy, K. M. Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Residence Halls: RA views and counselor opportunities. Journal of College Counseling. Accepted.
This interpretative phenomenological analysis explores the experience of RAs encountering and addressing resident nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). The findings elucidate common challenges in this experience. The resulting themes explore 1) RA perception of NSSI, 2) the complicated nature of NSSI, 3) peer involvement, 4) relational dynamics, 5) holding environments, and 6) balancing acts. This discussion informs treatment and consultation efforts of college counselors as they assist students and residence life staff negotiating this mental health concern.
Presentations
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McCarthy, K. M., Kondrat, D. C., & Johnson, N. (2023). Supporting Social Work Student Wellness: Supports and Barriers. CSWE, Atlanta, GA United States.
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Lyons, S. L., Morlan, M., Brennan, K., Mariscal, E. S., McCarthy, K. M., & Volker, J. (2023). State-wide Community and Academic Collaboration that Expands Mental Health and Addictions Workforce. CSWE, Atlanta, GA United States.
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McCarthy, K. M., Mariscal, E. S., & Johnson, N. (2022). Exploring the relationship between MSW student wellness and preparation for assisting individuals who misuse substances. ResilienceCon.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2022). Engaging the Whole Student. IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, Indianapolis, IN United States.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2022). A Live Instructor – Does it Matter?. CSWE, Anaheim, CA United States.
When quantitative and qualitative measures of student satisfaction in a well-regarded MSW asynchronous course dropped, this demanded further investigation. The results highlight how synchronous interactions between students and instructors do more than provide comprehension of course content.
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Johnson, N., McCarthy, K. M., & Kondrat, D. C. (2022). Exploring Social Work Educator Responsibility to Address Student Wellness. CSWE, Anaheim, CA.
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Glassburn, S. L., McCarthy, K. M., & Dennis, S. R. (2021). From Grievers to Champions: Pre-pandemic perspectives on the transition to online teaching. CSWE, Orlando, FL.
this presentation discusses an interpretative phenomenological analysis of 17 social work educators’ experiences transitioning from campus-based to online classrooms. Findings revealed five stances that social work educators hold towards online teaching: Grievers Skeptics, Converts, Pragmatists, and Champions. This pre-pandemic data can help offer insight into the experiences of current educators.
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Kumaria, S., Byers, D. S., McCarthy, K. M., & Moedano, . (2021). Building caring and accountable campus environments: Confronting the limits of bystander theory. CSWE, Orlando, FL United States.
Antiracist and anti-oppressive peer intervention is important for building caring and accountable campus environments. However, many problems emerge in attempts to translate bystander theory into action. This panel discusses three recent studies demonstrating the limitations of bystander ethics and intervention, drawing implications for the implicit curriculum in social work education.
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Glassburn, S. L., McCarthy, K. M., & Dennis, S. R. (2021). Building the Plane While Flying: Teaching Social Work online pre- and post-pandemic. ICQI – International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.
Prior to the pandemic, social work education was rapidly adopting online teaching and forcing a titanic shift in how social work educators conceive of and deliver social work curricula. This collaborative autoethnography explored the transitions that occurred for three social work faculty who began to teach partially or fully online while serving as non-tenure track lecturers completing their doctorates before and after the COVID 19 pandemic.
Data collection involved participants writing individually about their experiences prior to and subsequent to the onset of the pandemic, followed by concurrent discussion and critical dialogic reflection on the narratives. We used an analytic/interpretive approach to explore themes from the narratives. Themes include locating the social work educator identity and role in the virtual classroom, meaning-making in an online environment, and navigating new ways of teaching in increasingly automated online platforms.
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McCarthy, K. M., Glassburn, S. L., & Dennis, S. R. (2021). Tradeoffs: The Lived Experiences of Social Work Educators Transitioning to Online Teaching. ICQI – International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.
Online education is becoming a mainstay pedagogy. Appreciating the experience of social work educators’ views on transitioning to online teaching prior to COVID-19 can reveal insights into benefits and drawbacks of this pedagogy. Three social work educators interviewed 17 social work faculty members from 16 different institutions in the United States about their experiences teaching online.
This interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed three themes framing each educator’s experience of satisfaction with teaching online: personal qualities, pedagogical beliefs, and macro or institutional factors. Each educator arrived at their view of teaching online through a personal assessment of costs and benefits, or tradeoffs, resulting in one of four educator standpoints: mutual benefit, compromised learning, instructor reservations, and incompatibility. The results suggest that social work educators’ views of online education is influenced by a complex mix of beliefs, values, experience of support, and each person’s unique life situation.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2021). Nonsuicidal self-injury in the residence halls: RAs’ perspectives. National Association of Student Personnel Administrator, Virtual.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Student Burn-Out and Pedagogic Strategies. IUSSW Office of e-Social Work Education and Practice, Indianapolis, IN United States.
I served as a panelist for a discussion among IUSSW faculty about strategies to help students alleviate their burnout and stress during the pandemic.
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McCarthy, K. M., & Ashirifi, G. D. (2020). The Role of Feedback in Online Social Work Education. Council on Social Work Education, , United States.
Understanding the role feedback plays in online social work education can help to inform and strengthen educator pedagogy. This study presents qualitative findings of faculty and student perspective of the purpose of feedback in their online social work classes.
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Barbosa, I., Mariscal del Villar, S., & McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Student Engagement Rosters: Enhancing student well-being and developing pathways to student success. Indiana University , Indianapolis, IN United States.
College students face many challenges beyond the classroom that affect their availability to engage with the course content and learning activities. This workshop will focus on the benefits of using Student Engagement Rosters, which provide both prevention and intervention opportunities for faculty concerned about students in both their online and face-to-face classes. Faculty can use Student Engagement Rosters to foster personal connection, provide reinforcement, and refer to advisors when they perceive a student to need additional academic or emotional support. Earlier identification of concerns and documented communication with students can improve student learning, retention, and success.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Assignments Fostering Authentic Connections in Online Social Work Courses. Center for Teaching and Learning at IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN United States.
Online pedagogy asserts that effective teaching requires students to experience social presence within their courses. Participants will learn about three learning activities instituted by the instructor in online social work courses as a means of facilitating student growth through personal connectivity. Benefits and drawbacks will be considered.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Nonsuicidal self-injury in the residence halls: RAs’ perspectives. NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, Austin, TX United States.
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in college residence halls is one of the most challenging situations faced by Resident Assistants (RAs). This mixed methods investigation of NSSI from the perspective of RAs presents both survey research from three campuses and a qualitative analysis of six interviewed RAs’ experience encountering and addressing NSSI. Attendees will be encouraged to discuss the results and themes presented and to identify how this might alter their thinking about this community health concern.
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Dennis, S. R., McCarthy, K. M., & Glassburn, S. L. (2020). Tradeoffs: The Lived Experiences of Social Work Educators Transitioning to Online Teaching. ICQI – International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana, IL United States.
The surge in online course delivery is forcing a reconstitution of professional social work education. This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experiences of social work educators across the United States who transitioned from solely traditional face-to-face instruction to partial or completely online teaching formats. Through semi-structured interviews, the faculty participants (n=16) provided in-depth, storied accounts of how this shift is precipitating changes in their teaching role. Data analysis entailed an iterative and inductive multi-step cycle that began with line-by-line analyses and culminated with the development of an interpretive narrative (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009). Findings from the data analysis reveal shifts in pedagogical epistemology, educator identity, and the place of intersubjectivity in the teaching and learning exchange. While faculty participants identified themes of loss, they recognized benefits and employed compensatory strategies to navigate the evolving teaching landscape.
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Glassburn, S. L., McCarthy, K. M., & Dennis, S. R. (2020). Building the Plane While Flying: An Autoethnography of Social Work Educators. ICQI – International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana, IL United States.
The swift emergence of online teaching is forcing a titanic shift in how many social work educators conceive of and deliver social work curricula. This Collaborative Autoethnography explored the transitions that occurred for three social work faculty who began to teach partially or fully online while serving as non-tenure track lecturers completing their doctorates. Data collection involved participants writing individually about their experiences followed by concurrent discussion and critical dialogic reflection on the narratives. Themes from the narratives were explored using an analytic/interpretive approach and positioned within the sociopolitical context of the economics of an evolving social work program delivery landscape and the standards of social work education. Themes include locating the social work educator identity and role in the virtual classroom, meaning-making in an online environment, and finding new ways of infusing the art of teaching amid the technocratic impulses emanating from an increasingly automated online platform
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Creating immediacy and current relevance within standardized online courses. Professor, Indianapolis, IN United States.
I presented to a group of IUSSW faculty about ways to actively engage with the students in their standardized online courses.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2020). Shared Vulnerabilities: Teaching Within a Relational Theory Framework During Crisis. IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, Indianapolis, IN.
This presentation will focus on steps this instructor took to help a MSW clinical theory and practice course to stay on target amidst the upheaval of the pandemic adjustment affects. This instructor prioritized communication, vulnerability, and flexibility in helping all of us to complete the course while supporting each other.
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McCarthy, K. M., Wahler, B., & Mariscal del Villar, E. S. (2020). MSW Student Concerns about Addressing Substance Use Disorders in their Future Careers. Council on Social Work Education.
MSW programs need to find ways to educate students to effectively address substance use disorders. This study identifies common themes articulated by MSW students around their anticipated work in the substance use field. Understanding students’ concerns can inform educators’ efforts to effectively prepare students.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2019). Supporting the Stress Management Skills of Online Undergraduate Social Work Students. Council on Social Work Education, Denver, CO United States.
Effective self-regulation is a critical aspect of social work and is a practice behavior expected to be demonstrated by graduating students. This presentation will describe common stressors, self-perceived stress levels and, stress management techniques reported by undergraduate social work students taking an online general practice course.
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McCarthy, K. M., Bragg, N., & Gentle-Genitty, C. S. (2019). Theory Scaffolding of Master-Level Social Work Students. Council on Social Work Education, Denver, CO United States.
Learning to recognize and apply theory is a perennial challenge for social work students. This exploratory study uses content analysis and Bloom’s taxonomy to understand students’ efforts in applying theory to a case vignette. Findings reveal both explicit and implicit conceptualizations of theory in students’ critiques of the case scenario.
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Wilkerson, D. A., McCarthy, K. M., & , . (2019). Improving Instructor Feedback to Students of a Fully Online Program: Using an Online Community of Practice Approach for Faculty Development in the MSW Direct Program. IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, Indianapolis, IN United States.
Traditional methods for supporting on-the-ground teaching faculty like classroom observation, fail to translate to distance education -especially with asynchronous delivery. Obtaining consultation also adds to time demands for teaching online. Barriers include logistical demands for scheduling time and travel. In addition, many adjunct faculty reside outside of Indiana. To address these limitations, we developed a faculty program that was be administered online and from within our department. We aimed to build faculty teaching expertise using the resources from within our own teaching community of adjuncts, lecturers, tenure-track, and tenured professors.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2019). “I would have never guessed.”: RAs encountering nonsuicidal self-injury. Association of College and University Officers – International, Toronto, Canada.
Resident Assistant (RA) encounters with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) use by their residents can be a stressful situation. This researcher conducted anonymous online surveys of RAs at three public universities in the Midwestern United States with follow up interviews of select respondents about their experiences addressing NSSI. The statistical and qualitative results can inform how supervisors and administrators develop polices to best support their RAs and the struggling residents.
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Berlin, K. L., Bayliss, A. J., Jones, J. F., Herzog, P. S., McCarthy, K. M., Bertrand, D. G., Beckman, W., & , . (2019). IUPUI FACET Leadership Institute Project 2018-2020. Indiana University Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching, Bloomington, IN United States.
A report update on our team’s efforts to develop faculty and student videos providing insight into the poverty problem within the campus student body and then empower faculty and students to:
(a)acknowledge the struggles, and (b)accurately refer, or connect, to the correct resources.
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McCarthy, K. M., Wilkerson, D. A., & Ricart, J. (2019). Empowered Online Social Work Educators: Learning from our Faculty. Social Work Distance Education, San Antonio, TX United States.
This presentation considers the challenge of asking faculty in a distance education program to teach pre-populated online courses, while also encouraging instructor individualism and teaching enthusiasm. A dilemma can exist for programs and faculty when technology designs for online social work courses must be pre-designed and built in order to ensure alignment exists between course objectives, practice activities, content, and assessment. Faculty may complain that their academic freedom has been circumscribed or take less ownership of their teaching activities. This presentation will describe efforts to empower faculty through spaces for collaboration, and opportunities to give regular feedback about course effectiveness.
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Wilkerson, D. A., & McCarthy, K. M. (2018). Building a Community of Practice for Social Work Distance Education Faculty Development. Council on Social Work Education, Orlando, FL United States.
Distance education professional development has primarily focused on instructional technology affordances rather than enhancing pedagogy. A pilot professional development program will be presented that joins faculty ranks in a community of practice to discover best pedagogical practices for social work and IPE distance education.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2018). Reflective Teaching. IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, Indianapolis, IN United States.
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McCarthy, K. M. (2016). Encouraging an Intersubjective Framework for BSW Students and Future Interprofessional Collaborators. Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA United States.
. Encouraging a BSW student’s ability to position one’s self in regards to history, bias, tendency, and personal motivation, within the expectations of the social work theory and ethics, facilitates a sense of intersubjectivity. This presentation highlights how teaching practices that nurture intersubjectivity might enhance interprofessional collaborations.
Contract Fellowship Grants
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Curriculum Enhancement Grant
David
Wilkerson
Katherine
McCarthy
Samantha
Wolfe-Taylor
Institutional Services
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Committee Member
2021
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IUPUI Honors College Advisory Committee
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Committee Member
2021
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IUPUI Undergraduate Affairs Committee
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Committee Member
2021
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BSW Curriculum Committee
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Committee Chair
2019
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IUSSW Student Awards Committee
Organized a group of IUSSW Faculty and staff across all campuses to identify and develop awards that could recognize the accomplishments of our students. -
Committee Member
2018
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Diversity Committee
Regularly attend meetings to discuss methods of promoting an inclusive atmosphere in our school through educational efforts and opportunities to identify and ameliorate issues. -
Other
2016
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Write reference letters for juniors, seniors, and graduate students in the social work program as they apply for schools or scholarships -
Organizer/Coordinator
2019
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IUSSW at IUPUI as a PAWS Pantry Shelf Sponsor
I coordinated between IUSSW at IUPUI and PAWS Pantry so that we could become a shelf sponsor. I’ve raised awareness of student needs within my school and help to coordinate the biweekly pickup of hygiene and household items by PAWS Pantry volunteers from the IUSSW dropoff location. -
Other
2018
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Each semester I’ve been coordinating with adjuncts or faculty new to the D518 course to share what’s worked for me and to help explain the course. Several adjuncts contact me with questions throughout the term that I help them to navigate. -
Committee Member
2020
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Bridge Program Development
Contributing to a committee working to develop a proposal to institute a program to support MSW students who may be underprepared for graduate work and offer them support through their training. -
Committee Member
2018
–
MSW Curriculum Committee
Attend regular meetings to stay updated on challenges facing the program and ways to enhance and strengthen curriculum. -
Task Force Member
2020
–
Grading Equity subcommittee
Member of IUSSW subcommittee to recreate our description of grades in the syllabi to align with critical thinking standards and to be more transparent and welcoming. -
Committee Member
2020
–
IUSSW Search for Student Services Coordinator & Recruitment Specialist position
-
Adjudicator/Judge
2020
–
IUSSW Scholarship committee
-
Other
2020
–
IUSSW Diversity Committee ‘White Fragility’ Book Club
Volunteered to support the Diversity Club’s effort to facilitate a book club for all interested members of IUSSW faculty and staff community to help improve racial awareness. -
Committee Member
2018
–
FACET Leadership Institute
2 year long committee working on a project to enhance faculty awareness around student issues so that they can better support them through referrals and sensitized classroom protocols. -
Committee Member
2019
–
Search Committee – IUB Associate Dean/MSW Program Director and IUPUI Senior MSW Program Director positions
Contribute to effort to appropriately select candidates for interviews for these two positions through an internal search and support welcoming and effective campus interviews for all candidates. Help make recommendations for candidates that meet criteria for the positions. -
Committee Member
2018
–
MSW Direct
Participate in regular meetings to address MSW Direct challenges and support smooth running and development of the program. -
Adjudicator/Judge
2019
–
Elite 50 judge
Attended training on judging IUPUI graduate students’ submissions for Elite 50 winners and evaluated students per Elite 50 Criteria. -
Task Force Member
2020
–
Work Group: Supporting and Enhancing Academic Quality
Identify objectives and activities that will help the school operationalize the goal of ‘Supporting and Enhancing Academic Quality’ based on the IUSSW developing Strategic Plan. -
Task Force Member
2019
–
Work Group: Strengthening Curriculum and Assessment
Identify objectives and activities that will help the school operationalize the goal of ‘Strengthening Curriculum and Assessment’ based on the IUSSW developing Strategic Plan. -
Adjudicator/Judge
2018
–
BSW Field
Served as judge for BSW Field Agency Poster Expo. -
Other
IUSSW CSWE APM Booth
I assisted at the IUSSW booth during the 2019 Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. I talked to potential applicants about our faculty positions and shared information about our school. I passed on the names of interested individuals to the respective search committee chairs. -
Attendee, Academic Ceremony/Event
IUPUI 2019 Regatta
I attended the IUPUI Regatta to assist with the IUSSW booth, welcoming community members and connecting to potential students. -
Other
2019
–
IUSSW team co-coach for Susan B Komen Breast Cancer Race for the Cure
Co-Coached team with Renee’ Betts. Sent emails (and video) encouraging participation. -
Committee Member
2013
–
BSW Curriculum Committee
Participate in monthly BSW committee meetings with faculty and staff on all IUSSW campuses, and complete subcommittee work on various tasks -
Other
2016
–
Reviewed BSW and MSW online applications to assist in selecting the best candidates for the school. -
Committee Member
2022
–
IUSSW Search for IUB BSW Program Coordinator and IUE BSW/ MSW Program Coordinator
-
Committee Chair
2023
–
IUSSW Search for Assistant Dean of Student Success
Licensure
-
LCSW
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
Licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in Indiana -
LCSW
State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
Clinical Social Work license -
LICSW
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure
Clinical Social Work license
Memberships
-
Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors
2024
to
Present
-
Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching
2022
to
Present
-
Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors
2022
to
2022
-
Council on Social Work Education
2018
to
Present
-
Council on Social Work Education
2016
to
2017
-
National Association of Social Workers
2002
to
Present
Professional Services
-
Reviewer, Journal Article
2022
to
2023
–
Journal of American College Health
-
Reviewer, Journal Article
2021
to
2022
–
Continuity in Education
-
Committee Member
2021
to
Present
–
CSWE – Council on Practice Methods and Specializations
-
Reviewer, Journal Article
2020
to
2020
–
Journal of Further and Higher Education.
-
Reviewer, Journal Article
2019
to
2022
–
Advances in Social Work
I reviewed several articles and resubmissions for Advances in Social Work.
Public Services
-
Volunteer
2019
to
Present
–
Youth Mentoring Institute (YMI)
Serving as mentor for a 11 year old female during weekly meetings at her school.
YMI is a local mentoring agency connecting students in need of additional support with community volunteers.