December 5, 2022
Ursuline College Social Work Adjunct Instructor Mae Bennett, MSSA, LISW-S recently was named Social Worker of the Year by the Ohio Chapter of the National Association for Social Workers (NASW). According to the NASW Ohio Chapter, recipients make a demonstratable difference in the field of social work.
Bennett, a Licensed Independent Social Worker with supervision designation (LISW-S) has 19 years of experience working with victims of crime and currently manages a program that provides support to survivors of intimate partner violence. In her private mental health therapy practice, Creating Hope & Healing, LLC, she utilizes her certification in EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing), a trauma-specific therapy. She holds a bachelor’s in social work from Ursuline College and earned her MSSA from Case Western Reserve University.
She acknowledges that her professional experience in trauma has been helpful during the pandemic especially when she returned to Ursuline in 2020 to teach. “During COVID the whole world experienced trauma, including college students,” says Bennett. “My background made me better able to understand the effects that the pandemic had on my students.”
Ursuline Social Work Program Director Stacey O’Brien, DSW, MSSA, LISW-S, adds, “Ursuline is fortunate to have Ms. Bennett serving in her many roles with the program including as our current Director of Field Education, occasional field instructor, and adjunct instructor. Mae’s expertise in the areas of domestic violence, trauma, and victim advocacy have contributed greatly to the Social Work Program and our students’ learning experience.”
Bennett will be officially presented with the award at a ceremony in March.
