Carol L Owen
Professional Details
| Title: | Visiting Associate Professor |
| Office: | AB-204 |
| Phone: | 978-542-6802 |
| Email: | carol.owen@salemstate.edu |
| Resume: | Carol L Owen [DOC 61KB] |
Professional Biography
Dr. Owen teaches within the Social Welfare Policy and Social Work Practice sequence within the School of Social Work. Within the school, she serves as on the MSW Curriculum Committee, and is Chair of the Social Welfare Policy & Services sequence, and Chair of the Health & Mental Health Concentration. She has also served on the Cultural Diversity Committee at the school, and the Civic Engagement Planning Committee at the University, where she chaired for two formative years. She received a B.S. in Education from University of Delaware, an M.L.A. (Masters in Liberal Arts) from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in Social Work from University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Work from Boston University.
Professional Interests
Dr. Owen's areas of interest include diversity, cultural competency, health and mental health policy and practice, and community-based participatory research. As a social work practitioner with nearly 3 decades of post-masters experience in community-based and clinical settings, she strives to contribute to expanded understandings and applications of cultural sensitivity through her professional and community-based collaborations with members of marginalized populations. As a clinician, she has worked extensively with immigrants & refugees, adolescents, and people with chemical addictions and severe mental health issues. Her clinical practice and advocacy work directed at improvements in the health and mental health systems are grounded in a human rights frame. As a part of this agenda, Dr. Owen teaches a course for social work students in Washington D.C. entitled Political Action and Health Care Advocacy for Social Workers.
Responsibilities
Outside of the University, Dr. Owen serves on two committees of the National Association of Social Workers-Massachusetts Chapter. As Chair of the Chapter's Legislative Advocacy Committee, she and other committee members examine legislative bills and work closely with Government Relations staff in the Chapter office and NASW-MA Executive Board to generate priority legislation around which the NASW statewide membership engages in advocacy. Dr. Owen is also involved with the planning of the NASW-MA chapter's annual Legislative Education and Advocacy Day at the Statehouse, and is a long-term affiliate of the Pioneer Valley interest group Social Workers for Peace and Justice.
Selected Publications
Dr. Owen has presented and published on topics that include: social and economic inclusion of people with physical and psychiatric disabilities, social and economic consequences of various approaches to health care reform, social work practice with trans-cultural families and individuals and newcomer populations, sociology of graduates of the public foster care system. Please see linked "resume" for more detail on these publications.
Selected Presentations
See linked "resume" for more detail on presentations.
Personal Interests
Biking; kayaking; playing with grandchildren Ingrid, Max, Nikolai, and Zeke; political advocacy in many forms