Maryhurst and Uspiritus are the partner organizations for this initiative and will provide students a supportive environment in which to gain significant, beneficial experience.

“The partnership of the Kent School of Social Work with KENTucky Kids is a wonderful collaboration. It offers us the opportunity to bring out-of-state students into Louisville, expand our student diversity at the University of Louisville, and bring more social workers into the area of trauma-informed care for youth. Uspiritus and Maryhurst are leaders in this type of care and our students and the community will all benefit from this endeavor,” said Kent School Dean Dr. David Jenkins.

Acceptance to KENTucky Kids is contingent on both admission to Kent School’s MSSW program and an official job offer from one of the participating residential care agencies. Students accepted to the program will receive an in-state tuition waiver and the opportunity to graduate with a MSSW in three years and with a competitive resume.

“I am excited about our partnership with Uspiritus and Maryhurst. Uspiritus and Maryhurst are the leading agencies in offering trauma-informed care to the youth in Kentucky. They came to the Kent School because they have the desire to prepare the next generation of residential care professionals. In KENTucky Kids, MSSW students who have a passion for working with youth will embark on a career in residential care through a strong graduate education that is matched with relevant agency employment and strong mentorship,” said Dr. Pam Yankeelov, Associate Dean for Student Services.

Per the role description for the Youth Counselor positions, students placed in either Maryhurst or Uspiritus will be responsible for providing a therapeutic milieu within the program setting. Youth counselors supervise the activities of clients and work as part of a team to maintain a safe and secure environment for all clients and promote growth and development. Students accepted into the program are assigned specific clients to work with as mentors and advocates. 

Maryhurst programs

Maryhurst programs include an intensive campus-based residential treatment program, two community-based therapeutic group homes and treatment foster care. Many foster care placements turn into adoptions, creating “forever families” each year. Maryhurst has established collaborative relationships with a number of community partners, one of which, MB Care, provides Psychiatric Residential Treatment Services to adolescent girls.

“I am thrilled about the upcoming partnership between Maryhurst, Uspiritus and the Kent School. It provides a unique opportunity to not only shape future leaders in the behavioral health sector, but also identity those individuals looking to make a long-term investment in the future youth of Kentucky,” said Judy Lambeth, Maryhurst president and CEO.

Uspiritus programs

At Uspiritus, youth live in family-style cottages on two Louisville campuses (Bellewood and Brooklawn) that are supervised by trained youth care workers, shift supervisors and cottage managers. Youth learn basic and advanced social skills that help build self-esteem, communication, self-awareness and healthy relationships. Staff supports youth by holding daily family meetings, setting expectations and pro-actively teaching skills needed to become successful in the community.

“This new partnership is a win, win for children and future behavioral health providers. Louisville’s Kent School gains top level students from across the nation, living, working and learning about the latest in trauma-informed care of children, and will be putting that knowledge to work in the field. We are excited to be a partner in any endeavor that helps our kids have a brighter future,” said Abbreial Drane, Uspiritus President and CEO.

Dr. Lesley Harris, Kent School’s Gerontology specialization coordinator and an associate professor, was one of a team of faculty members from multiple disciplines that lead the trip.

“Some of my most enjoyable moments throughout the trip were being able to live with the students and connect in a way that is difficult to do inside a traditional classroom environment. I learned that several of our students had never left the United States before, or had never been on a plane before, which expanded my role into more of a support person when problems arose in our journey,” Harris said.

While in Botswana, students worked in three different schools. Two of the locations were in urban Gaborone (Nanogang and Maoka Junior Secondary Schools), and the other was located in a rural town (Molepolole Junior Secondary School). Students worked in interdisciplinary teams, which included students and faculty from engineering, sports administration, public health and geography.

“For a social worker it is always important to be open minded and to broaden your horizons. Going to Botswana helped me to understand different cultures better and to see something completely different. Teaching the kids and interacting with them was an experience which will be useful for my future social work practice,” said Theresia Pachner, MSSW, Fulbright Scholar from Germany, and a May graduate. 

According to Harris, academic service learning places equal emphasis on three outcomes: student learning, service to the community and the development of collaborative and mutually respectful relationships between students and community members with whom they are engaged.

The goals of the ISLP course were to familiarize students with the intersection of service learning and social work values, explore varying perceptions of social work, focus on youth perspectives in an international context, and learn how to develop effective and culturally-appropriate social work programming and materials.

In particular, Kent’s students spent the semester researching a topic, which was given to them by the schools in Botswana. The schools’ administration selected the topic of anti-bullying, so students designed an educational program on the topic and lead the program, in partnership with community hosts, at the schools on bystander interventions.

“This trip has greatly impacted my social work education and practice by allowing myself to grow my culture competence. My experiences have also solidified my passion for the social work discipline and I loved being able to share what I do and why with the students,” said Katie Lutrell, MSSW student, Advanced Standing Program, Gerontology specialization.

Jenkins was selected as a Hartford Faculty Scholar in 2007 and an ACE Fellow through the American Council on ����ֱ�� in 2010. He has served on the Council on Social Work ����ֱ�� (CSWE) Board of Directors, co-chair of the CSWE Council on Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression, and as a member of the Council for Diversity and Social and Economic Justice, the Council for Leadership Development, and the Council on Conferences and Faculty Development.

Jenkins received his BS and MSW from Louisiana State University and his PhD from Florida State University. He took time out of his busy schedule to talk to UofL News about how he ended up at the Kent School, his goals as dean and his love of tennis. 

UofL News: What was the trajectory that led you into social work?

Jenkins: I grew up believing I was going to become a medical doctor, but learned in college that this was not a good fit for me. Not knowing much about options for study, I picked Business Administration as my new major. My father had newly acquired a business and I believed I might find some success working with him. After I had worked at the business a few years, my father decided to sell the business and I was again left wondering where to proceed. I decided to get some career testing and was encouraged to look into the field of Social Work. Having never really heard much about it, I went and interviewed a few people who were social workers. I quickly realized this was a good choice for me and soon enrolled in graduate school.

UofL News: What practice experiences did you have prior to moving into education and administrative roles?

Jenkins: My Social Work practice experience has been mostly clinical. My specialization is in family therapy.  I have often been interested in what micro practice therapies are effective and how best to intervene with clients. I worked in a marriage and family clinic, a group practice, and also in a family service center. I ran a drug and alcohol treatment facility and I also had my own counseling private practice.

UofL News: Any particular populations of interest, research areas of interest?

Jenkins: Much of my research has focused on the marginalization of individuals and families. I have a particular interest in the lived experiences of gays and lesbians in their families. A related, newer project that has been rewarding is one where we are interviewing older transgender adults about their relationships.

UofL News: What attracted you to the Kent School?

Jenkins: Actually, many things attracted me to the Kent School. I knew Terry Singer (the previous dean of the Kent School) and a couple of faculty members who all spoke highly of UofL and encouraged me to apply for the open position. I knew I wanted to find a place that valued both teaching and research and believed the Kent School did a nice job balancing these areas. I was attracted as I read that many of the faculty were extremely productive and were making an impact in their areas of research. Having a background in family therapy, I was attracted to the CFT (Couple and Family Therapy) Program at UofL. I had also visited Louisville in the past and liked the city. I was raised in the South and Louisville had a lot of the charm and feeling of my upbringing. All of these things attracted me to the Kent School.

UofL News: What have you identified so far as your general plans for the Kent School?

Jenkins: Probably the easiest way to summarize what I would like to do is to raise the profile of the Kent School. I think we have an excellent series of programs, and I want to join the efforts of the faculty and staff to strengthen each of our programs. I am convinced that more people need to know about the great things happening here at the Kent School. I’m also trying to get to know the faculty and staff better and see if my early impressions fit with what they believe needs to happen at the school.

UofL News: What do you love so far about Louisville?

Jenkins: Coming from Texas, my family and I have greatly enjoyed the summer weather. To me, this has been a mild summer. I have also enjoyed learning about and experimenting with all of the excellent places to eat. I do enjoy the friendly people of the city. Everyone has been extremely kind to us since we arrived.

UofL News: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Jenkins: My husband, son, and I are all big fans of tennis. We like to play as often as possible. We also enjoy traveling. Whether I like it or not (and I mostly like it), fixing up our home has become a big part of my spare time.