Social Work Program Conference Attendance:

Julie Berrett-Abebe, PhD, LICSW and Suzanne Marmo, PhD, APHSW-C, both attended the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)’s annual program meeting in Atlanta, GA, from October 26-29.

Berrett-Abebe mentored two 2022 MSW program graduates (Arden Bush, LMSW and Isabel Mesquita, LMSW) on a peer-reviewed poster presentation The presentation was titled, "Students as Educators: Reducing LGBTQ Health Disparities through Cultivating Cultural Humility.”

“It was incredibly rewarding to mentor Arden and Isabel as part of ongoing professional development. They represented themselves and Fairfield University well and made an important contribution to the conference theme: It’s Time to Act: Defining and Reckoning with Anti-Racist Social Work Education,” said Berrett-Abebe.

Marriage and Family Therapy Program Conference Attendance:

Carissa D’Aniello-Heyda, PhD, LMFT, attended the annual National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) held in Orlando, Florida, from November 9 – 11. D’Aniello-Heyda has been a member of NCFR for ten years and is currently serving a two-year term as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Family Therapy Section of NCFR.

D’Aniello-Heyda presented two poster presentations titled, “Mindful Awareness and Caregiving Burden for Parents of Young Adults with Substance Use Disorders”, and “Participant Experiences of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Caregivers of a Young Adults with a Substance Use Disorder”.

“These posters detailed studies that I have conducted on the intersection between mindfulness, substance use, and caregiving,” said D’Aniello-Heyda.

Counseling Education Conference Attendance:

Jocelyn Novella, PhD, LPC, and Michelle Pagnotta, MA, LPC, took the spotlight at the Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES) 2023 Conference in Denver, CO, from October 11-15.

They delivered a thought-provoking session titled, "Why Can't We Get Along?: Strategies for Inter-Professional Education with Other Behavioral Health Disciplines," which addressed and explored the realm of interprofessional teaming among behavioral healthcare providers.

Additionally, they teamed up with esteemed colleagues from the Counselor Education Department Dilani Perera, PhD, LPC, and John Kiweewa, PhD, LMHC, and delivered a panel discussion titled, "From Application to Negotiation: Navigating the Counselor Educator Job-Seeking Process."

“Counselor Educators are doing great work across the nation, advocating for social justice, fairness, equity, inclusivity, and belongingness.  We were energized to be among like-minded individuals who work hard to promote wellness through prevention, intervention, and treatment,” said Perera.