Saint Mary's College Master of Social Work

05/23/2026

The highest honor a graduate student at Saint Mary's can receive is the Madeleva Award. Selected from the cohort completing advanced degrees, it recognizes scholastic distinction, exceptional academic achievement, and outstanding contributions to the college community. This year's recipient, Javien Smith, was one of our own MSW students! We couldn't be more proud and honored to have worked with Javien throughout his path to the MSW.
https://www.saintmarys.edu/2026-madeleva-award

05/23/2026

We are so incredibly proud of all of our MSW Graduates! We know you all are going to do amazing things!

05/07/2026

Saint Mary's BSW and MSW students get hands on experience in research. Check out Nora's research project: Regraming Su***de PreventionL Addressing Research Gaps and Practice Needs in Older Adults.

05/03/2026

Tonight Dr. K and Liz had the absolute honor of attending the Dismas House Gala with current MSW student, Sierra. Dismas House does so much for our community and we hope this is the beginning of a beautiful, long partnership.

04/21/2026

Has your state joined the Social Work Compact yet? As of today, 32 states have enacted legislation and 5 have legislation pending. Visit https://swcompact.org/ to learn more and get your FAQs answered.

04/08/2026

Join MHAM for their 2026 SpringSummit on Radical Partnerships. A great way to learn and connect with others!

Get tickets online for 2026 Spring Summit here.

04/07/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Oliver Davis on receiving the Charlie Howell Award for Solidarity Day.

Solidarity Day in South Bend, IN, is celebrated annually on Easter Monday alongside Dyngus Day to promote community unity, reflection, and political engagement. Established in 1971, by Charlie Howell, a local South Bend resident and long-time advocate for the Decomcrat party who was passionately involved in the South Bend Community. Solidarity Day historically highlights the involvement of the African American community in local politics, often featuring festivities and political campaigning across the city.

03/28/2026

Saint Mary's MSW Program Director of Field Education had a great time connecting with the community today at the Pop Up Pregnancy and Family Village. We played a fun game to learn coping skills for stressful situations, and had lots of micro conversations about stress and coping. Overall we saw 14 families, with 14 kiddos and 20 parents or parents to be!

03/26/2026

Like to bake? Like to eat desserts and yummy baked goods? Join MHAM in April to help raise money as they continue to help support our community!

03/16/2026

Congratulations to Dr. K, on presenting at the California Society for Clincal Social Work

Sibling Abuse: Reporting, Intervention & Treatment
Presenter: Frances Kominkiewicz

Participants are provided with two sibling abuse case scenarios or examples of real-life situations that are differentiated primarily by the outcomes. Each is similar in case details with the exception of the referral after the reports for sibling abuse were made. Participants have an opportunity to apply the presentation discussion in making determinations in their own professional environments. The presentation then focuses on the variables found in the research that impact sibling abuse reporting, intervention, and treatment. These include a discussion of the definitions of sibling abuse applied in reporting sibling abuse; the training of mandated reporters, and practitioners (McDonald & Martinez, 2019) in understanding and interpreting state law regarding child abuse; the age of the sibling who was harmed; and the age and caretaking responsibilities of the sibling perpetrating the harm. Sibling abuse training is discussed, including sibling abuse assessment, for professionals and mandated reporters as employment of specific disciplines can impact sibling abuse investigation (Kominkiewicz, 2004). Training for parents and caregivers includes an understanding of recovery, resiliency, and reconciliation in working with sibling abuse. Training for parents and caregivers who may minimize or normalize children’s violent conflicts (McDonald & Martinez, 2016) should also understand the importance of recovery, resiliency, and reconciliation in training. Much research is focused on child sexual abuse; however, limited resources are provided to addressing sibling sexual abuse (McCoy, Sonnen, Mii, Huit, Meidlinger, Coffey, May, Flood, & Hansen, 2021), and this is an important aspect in reforming policy regarding sibling abuse.

clinical social work licensure, vendorship, parity with other professions, confidentiality of client records and therapists’ treatment notes, and informed consent for consumers of mental health services.