TSSW faculty help shape military and veteran social work curriculum
Over the past two years, Tulane School of Social Work faculty members contributed to and co-authored the "Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) EPAS Specialized Curricular Guide for Military and Veteran Social Work." Published in October 2024, this guide offers essential frameworks and best practices for integrating military and veteran-focused content into social work education programs. It aims to better prepare future social workers to serve this unique and underserved population.
We recognize the contributions of six Tulane School of Social Work faculty members to this scholarship:
- Adjunct Professor Samuel Odom, PhD, MPH, MSW, ACSW,
- Adjunct Professor Stephanie Felder, PhD, LCSW, CEM, CAC-II,
- Adjunct Professor Allyson O'Connor, DSW, LCSW-BACS, ACSW,
- Adjunct Professor Indira Harris, DHSc, MSW,
- Clinical Assistant Professor Kathy Levy-Oquelí McGraw, PhD, MPH, LCSW-BACS, LAC, LPP, and
- Senior Professor of Practice Jeffrey S. Yarvis, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, BCD.
"The military and veteran community is an often misunderstood and underserved population facing the many grand challenges in social work plus the challenges of living in the military community or reintegrating into the larger society," said Dr. Yarvis. "Despite the numerous challenges facing the military community, there was a time when few schools of social work drew attention to and trained culturally competent social workers to meet their needs."
For nearly 20 years, Tulane School of Social Work has been a pioneer, leader, and facilitator with strong representation on the military social work steering committee.
Dr. Jeffrey Yarvis
The launch of the guide was marked by a special recognition at the CSWE Annual Program Meeting (APM) in Kansas City, where competency chairs and task members were celebrated for their work. The event highlighted the importance of this guide in shaping the future of social work education, particularly for those working with active-duty military personnel and veterans.
"I’m so grateful for the chance to be part of this meaningful project that will help shape the future of social work education for those providing services to active military members and veterans," shared Dr. McGraw.
This Specialized Curricular Guide is an important step forward in addressing the specific needs of military families and veterans, providing social work educators with the tools and resources necessary to better support their students in this specialized area.
"In the early 2000s, other social workers and I established the first military social steering committee and presented to CSWE, NASW, and SSWR over the next few years on meeting the needs of the military and veteran community and prepare culturally competent social workers for this important work to address the health equity work that is needed," said Dr. Yarvis. "Today, we have a robust community that has expanded to include first responders, and we convened at the most recent CSWE to update the military EPAs for the third time. For nearly 20 years, Tulane School of Social Work has been a pioneer, leader, and facilitator with strong representation on the military social work steering committee."
