Ursuline College alumna and adjunct instructor gains high social work honor
Ursuline College faculty member Mae Bennett was named Social Worker of the Year by the Ohio Chapter of the National Association for Social Workers for her contribution to the field of social work.
An Ursuline College Social Work adjunct instructor and alumna was recently awarded a high honor. Mae Bennett, MSSA, LISW-S was recently named Social Worker of the Year by the Ohio Chapter of the National Association for Social Workers. According to the Chapter, a recipient of the honor must have made a large difference in the social work industry.
Bennett is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with 19 years of experience working with crime victims and supervision designation. She currently works managing a program that supports survivors of intimate partner violence. She runs a private mental health therapy practice called Creating Hope & Healing, LLC. She is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing which is a therapy specific to trauma. She is an alumna of Ursuline College with a bachelor’s in social work, from which she went on to earn her MSSA from Case Western Reserve University.
“During COVID the whole world experienced trauma, including college students. My background made me better able to understand the effects that the pandemic had on my students,” said Bennett in an article about her on Ursuline College’s website, as she reflected on how her professional experience in trauma had been useful during the pandemic as an instructor at Ursuline.
Stacey O’Brien, DSW, MSSA, LISW-S, the program director of Social Work at Ursuline College, spoke on Bennett’s contribution to the school, saying, “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.”
There will be an award ceremony in March at which Bennett will be officially presented with her award.
More information about Ursuline College can be found at the school’s website.