Human-Animal Bond in Colorado, part of Colorado State University’s School of Social Work, has announced three individuals and a local Fort Collins business for its annual volunteer celebration awards.
Human-Animal Bond in Colorado volunteer team Jacqueline Rusho and her rescued Great Pyrenees dog Sophie developed a special bond with senior residents of long-term care facilities.
Casey Blackwatters (she/her) is a research associate in Colorado State University’s Social Work Research Center.
Using social work research to advance equity in social work practice is a passion for CSU Master of Social Work student Sarah Grace Hafen (she/her). Hafen is the recipient of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences Research Day award for Equity and Social Justice Category-Distinction in Graduate Research, as well as the CHHS Graduate Student Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award.
In October, CSUs HABIC therapy dog program restarted at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, bringing human-animal volunteer teams to serve the mental health needs of healthcare personnel.
Lisa Williams has joined Human-Animal Bond in Colorado as an undergraduate student intern through the Bachelor of Social Work program. Learn more about her interests and experiences that brought her to HABIC:
A new internship stipend program in the School of Social Work, developed in partnership with the Early Childhood Council of Larimer County, aims to give students a clear pathway for specialization in infant and early childhood mental health as social work practitioners.
Two large studies currently underway in CSU’s Social Work Research Center (SWRC) are set to directly advance state and national policy on prevention practices for healthy child development and family well-being.
Virginia Smith has never looked back since deciding on Colorado State for her BSW degree. Following graduation this fall she’s already looking forward to graduate study, to continue following her passion for social work policy within the field of education.
Assistant Professor Shannon Hughes has received a Larimer County Behavioral Health Services Distributed Services Fund award of $150,000 to develop an academic-community partnership project that supports greater peer-based services in mental health.