Verizon Scholars in the UTSA Dept. of Social Work aid domestic violence prevention

Verizon Scholars

(From left to right: Lydia Royer, UTSA MSW student and Verizon scholar; Shannon Kelly, MSW student and Verizon scholar;
their field instructor Elisabeth Galarza, LMSW, Community Resource Manager, Dream Center, Bexar County Family Justice Center; Cristela Garcia, UTSA MSW alumna, LMSW,
field instructor and program administrator for the In-House Wellness Programs; UTSA MSW student and Verizon Scholar Brandy Head.)

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(Dec. 2, 2015) -- Four master’s students in UTSA’s social work program are working with local social service agencies to aid in the prevention of domestic violence in San Antonio. The students are the first recipients of the Verizon Domestic Violence Prevention Scholarship, which was created as a result of the Verizon Foundation’s first major gift to UTSA in December 2014. 

Since August, the Verizon Domestic Violence Scholars have worked with social service agencies and with UTSA faculty in the College of Public Policy to address domestic violence issues in the community through prevention and screening initiatives, victim services coordination, assessments and counseling.

Students Lydia Royer and Shannon Kelly are interning with the Bexar County Family Justice Center. Brandy Head is interning with the Center for Healthcare Service’s In-House Wellness Program at Haven for Hope. Annette Glaz is interning with the Women’s Services and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

Under the guidance of Amy Chanmugam, associate professor of social work and UTSA liaison for the Verizon Domestic Violence Prevention Scholars program, the students have been providing services to their clients and researching best practices for domestic violence cases. Through internship opportunities, the students are learning the skills they need to help prevent and treat domestic violence issues as future social work practitioners.

The students are tasked with completing projects to benefit the agency. Chanmugam said the students are making a visibly positive impact on their community agencies’ goals through their internships. 

“Each student is completing a project that will continue to benefit the community agency after she leaves,” Chanmugam said. 

Royer, for example, has been researching  new trauma-informed practices and receiving guidance from her agency-based supervisor, Elisabeth Galarza, on how to integrate materials into the curriculum for support groups in the Bexar County Family Justice Center that are centered on child and adult survivors of domestic abuse. These materials, Chanmugam said, are a valued new resource for the groups.

Glaz is collaborating with nurses and other hospital staff in the Women’s Services and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio to fill the need in the health care community for domestic violence education and information. She provided education to these health care practitioners on the importance of domestic violence intervention in health care settings, particularly in women’s services, and instructed them on screening, intervention practices, and available resources.

Glaz is conducting research about domestic violence against pregnant women. She is hoping to make contributions that prevent violence against this unique demographic.

“A government task force identified the need for health care providers to receive consistent information and education on domestic violence,” Glaz said. “I am thankful to the Verizon Foundation for allowing me to develop advanced skills and have the opportunity to raise awareness about the need for domestic violence education in the community and in the health care workforce.” 

The UTSA Department of Social Work is focused on educating transformative, culturally competent social workers who serve their communities. The department maintains strong partnerships and frequently collaborates with a wide range of government and non-government social service organizations to provide its students and faculty with research opportunities and community change efforts that strengthen services to clients.

Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.8 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities.
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Learn more about the UTSA Department of Social Work, housed in the College of Public Policy. For more information about the Verizon Domestic Violence Scholars program, contact Amy Chanmugam.

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