Overview of Loyola University Chicago's presence at the 2013 Symposium of the International Association of Social Work with Groups (IASWG) in Boston, MA.

1. Loyola University Chicago
Revitalizing our Heritage:
A Bridge to the Future
Boston, MA
June 6-9th, 2013

2.  Attracted participants from all over the world
 Focused on group work education, practice,
research
 Included lectures, presentations, town hall
meetings, and social gatherings

4.  Founded in 1979, IASWG is the premier
international association for social workers
and allied helping professionals engaged in
group work.
 IASWG, formerly known as AASWG, recently
modified its name to reflect its international
orientation.
 The purpose of this non-profit, member-driven
organization is to promote excellence
in group work practice, education, field
instruction, research and publications.

5.  This year Loyola celebrates our 100th student presenter
at the IASWG Symposium!
 25 faculty, students, and recent alums participated in
the Boston Symposium
 20 students and recent
alums attended
 19 of these presented
papers or posters

6.  The number of Loyola University Chicago’s
student participants far exceeded that of
any other institution!

7. Number of Students/Recent Alums Attending and Presenting at IASWG
Presenters Non-Presenter Attendees
5
4
4
8
7
2 1 1
3 6 10 5 16 12 19 19 19
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Minneapolis
Minnesota
San Diego
California
Jersey City
New Jersey
Cologne
Germany
Chicago
Illinois
Boston
Massachusetts
Garden City
New York
Montreal
Canada
Long Beach
California

8.  Students had the option to enroll in Professor Shirley Simon’s
SOWK 662: Professional Development class.
◦ This course facilitated students’ understanding of:
 What it means to be a professional social worker
 The role of social work’s professional associations
◦ Students in 662 also
 Gained an in-depth experience with one professional
association
 Learned how to prepare and submit an abstract for a
professional association conference
 Gained confidence speaking in front of large groups
 Developed a personal area of professional expertise
 Learned to write for professional publications

9.  Students were able to volunteer
to offset symposium cost.
 Volunteering served as a
wonderful opportunity to get
better involved with the
symposium and IASWG
community.

10.  All students presenting at the symposium received financial
support from Loyola University Chicago.
 Financial support came from the Provost’s Office and the
Social of Social Work.

11.  Students, Faculty, and Alums:
◦ Presented workshops, papers
and posters
◦ Attended workshops
◦ Networked with peers
and fellow IASWG attendees
◦ Explored Boston

12.  Shirley R. Simon and Teresa Kilbane, Paper
“Social Work Dissertations Focusing on Group Work: An Historical Analysis”
 Shirley R. Simon, Panel Discussion
“Challenges & Opportunities for Applying Group Work Principles to Enhance Online
Learning in Social Work”
 Kay Goler Levin, Workshop
“Back to the Future
(With Apologies to the Movie)”
 Kay Goler Levin, Workshop
“Traditional Social Work with Groups
Training: New Places to Practice!”
 Ann M. Bergart, Workshop
“Teaching about Interracial Conflict:
Learning from Our Successes
and Failures”

14.  Natalie Beck, MSW Student, Paper
Presentation
"Special issues in group work with
queer, female survivors of sexual
violence”
 Chris Leach (Presenting for co-authors
Joy Ziemke of Loyola, and
Graham Golden of SSA), MSW
Student, Paper Presentation
“Theological reflection and social
change: Implications for enhancing
group social work practice”
 Biswas Pradhan, MSW Student
(With Professor Asis), Paper Presentaiton
“Ethnic nonprofit organizations during the economic recession: An
examination of the role of organizational capacity and leadership
building among ethnic groups for long-term sustainability”

15.  Virgina Collins, Poster Presentation
"Enhancing recovery in peer mentors by fostering leadership in adolescent milieu groups"
 Santiago Delboy, Poster Presentation
“Recovery in relationships: Combining 12-step programs and group therapy to treat
addiction”
 Timothy Feltman, Poster Presentation
“The allies: Group psychoeducation and psychotherapy for LGBTQA adolescents”
 Hannah Green, Poster Presentation
“Integrative psychoeducational groups: Bridging the gap between finding and maintaining
employment”
 Amanda Groves, Poster Presentaiton
“Movement as a metaphor: A psychoeducational dance movement therapy group for at-risk
adolescents”
 Brandon Haydon and Natalie A. Hock, Poster Presentation
“North America's First Nations People: Repairing historical trauma through culturally
competent group interventions”
 Sonya Jacobs, Poster Presentation
“Addressing anti-semitism: Group work strategies to respond”
 Jeremy Lynch, Poster Presentation
“Benefits and challenges of support groups for postsecondary students with disabilities”
 Colette Valrie, Poster Presentation
"Group work intervention addressing trauma and PTSD symptoms in preadolescent and
adolescent students"
 Sam Villasenor and Sarah Burnette, Poster Presentation
“Decentralizing authority: The necessity of a culturally competent approach to group work”

16. Student and Recent Alumni Presentations at the Symposium

17.  Mitzi Beno (with Kasia Olcon, LSW),
Paper Presentation
"How sweet the sound: Meeting spirituality
needs in a group through musical
intervention”
 Kathryn Berg (with Professor Simon),
Paper Presentation
“An Exploratory Study on Collective Ritual as
Clinical Intervention: Interviews with Group
Workers about the Use of Ritual in Groups
with African-American Women”
 Sarah Hessenauer, Paper Presentation
“From classroom to practice: Using role plays
to bridge classroom learning to practice”
 Sarah Spunt, Paper Presentation
“School based substance abuse prevention via
group work with multi-tier preventions”

18.  “Everyone at IASWG was
incredibly open, friendly
and welcoming. I got the
sense at every talk and
event I went to that I was
wanted and appreciated…
I found my community!”
-Jeremy Lynch

19. “I felt valued and appreciated
throughout the entire conference. I was
able to take my professionalism to the
next level… and I look forward to next
year in Calgary.”
-Colette Valrie

20.  “I truly appreciate the
opportunity to meet so many
wonderful professionals.
Presenting at IASWG gave me
confidence to pursue presenting
at future conferences, and a
valuable network of peers and
support.”
-Sarah Hemphill

21.  “I am really glad I had a
chance to participate in
this class and the
conference…I would
definitely recommend
this experience to
others, because the
connections I created
with other Loyola
students are invaluable”
-Ida Sefer

22. “Mentoring students throughout the
process from idea to abstract, acceptance,
and presentation is the essence of
teaching. It has been a privilege to witness
the impact of this transformative
experience.”
- Shirley Simon

27. • Attend the next Symposium:
• XXXVI IASWG International Symposium
• June 5-8, 2014 in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada
• Present in Calgary
• Abstracts are due January15th.
• For more information: www.iaswg.org
• Email Shirley Simon at
ssimon@luc.edu
• Enroll in the Professional Development
Course
• Email Shirley Simon at ssimon@luc.edu