“Valuing Relationships”: A Q&A With the Dean of the School for Social Work

Marianne Yoshioka, dean of the Smith College School for Social Work, says a big-picture item on her agenda is “telling the school’s story.”

“We have so much to offer,” adds Yoshioka, who began work last summer as dean of the SSW. “We want the world to know what we do.”

Yoshioka came to Smith from her position as associate dean for academic affairs at the Columbia University School of Social Work where she was a 19-year member of the faculty. At Columbia, Yoshioka launched professional development programs focused on diversity and inclusion and helped create social service programs for underserved populations, including Asian women who are survivors of domestic violence.

A native of Canada, Yoshioka earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Western Ontario, a master’s in social work from the University of Michigan and a doctorate in social work from Florida State University.

Yoshioka, who is Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor at Smith, will give her inaugural lecture, “The Cultural Context of Domestic Violence,” on Monday, Jan. 26, at 4:30 p.m. in Seelye 106.

Smith’s SSW was originally founded in 1918 to train social workers to help trauma victims of World War I. Yoshioka says she was drawn to the school because of its focus on clinical practice and its commitment to anti-racism work, which became part of the mission in 1994.

Here’s what else she had to say about her leadership of the school.

What sets Smith’s social work school apart?
“First and foremost, the valuing and dedication to clinical practice. There is a commitment here to theory-driven practice that is unique. Also, we recently issued a statement about our position on Ferguson that emphasizes our anti-racism commitment. A lot of other schools contacted us about wanting to put that statement up on their websites. There is an openness to social justice work at Smith that makes it a wonderful place for a school of social work. Also, being in a smaller environment there is more collegiality and cooperation. There’s a valuing of relationships here that is very different from other places.”

What new initiatives are underway at the school?
“We have just announced a new pre-doctoral fellowship that has a focus on clinical and anti-racism work. Dean Emeritus Ann Hartman is the one who began planning for the Bertha Capen Reynolds Fellowship, which is named after a pioneering alumna [Bertha Capen Reynolds, who graduated in 1908]. The program offers a $30,000 stipend, housing and benefits for a year for a doctoral student in the dissertation phase of their study. It will allow them to come into our residence and be part of our program. They can even bring their family with them. There’s really nothing else like that available in social work.”

What brought you to the SSW?
“It was a convergence of things; the right opening at the right moment. I didn’t know a lot of details about the SSW before I came, but I had a strong impression based on the school’s anti-racism commitment. I had trained as a clinical social worker, and I knew the school’s dedication to clinical practice was a good fit for me. I also liked that it was such an important moment of change at the college, with a new president and new administrators. I had a conversation with people here, and by the end of it, I was really interested in the position.”

How is the field of social work changing?
“The biggest change is that funding structures have been cut back, which has eliminated huge numbers of social work positions, particularly at the mid-career level. That is especially destructive because if you take out the mid-level practitioners, you lose this incredibly experienced training resource and everyone else becomes more strapped as they try to meet their goals with fewer people. Social work schools need to step up to do more through internships and training—the kind of training that used to happen at the agency and now needs to happen at the school. We also need to have more conversations about what it means to be a social worker. It’s really a different use of self, and it can be a big and sometimes painful transformation. Agencies used to provide a lot more support for that.”

What’s the impact of changing technology on social work?
“People now have their therapist’s email. Clients have access to the Internet so they can learn more about what organizations do or post Yelp-type critiques of agencies. That adds a layer of accountability and at the same time poses new challenges about privacy. There are more and more online support groups and programs. That means people in remote areas have better access to services. Social work schools will have to figure out how to manage training for these new services.”

What drew you to social work as a career?
“My first job after college back in the early 1980s was as a researcher interviewing pregnant teens in London, Ontario. I was really touched by their lives, and the experience opened my eyes to what was happening to them and their families. I felt invigorated by that role of intervening in people’s lives. I went on to study social work, got a Ph.D. and began working with HIV prevention groups and women living with violence. I’m still really committed to those issues. Contrary to the popular image of them as passive, women who have come through domestic violence are among the bravest people. People don’t realize the level of courage it takes to go into a completely new life.”

How has the SSW been celebrating the 20th anniversary of making anti-racism work part of its mission?
“We were at a conference in Tampa recently where we presented the history of that commitment. The Bertha Capen fellowship is also part of the anniversary. We’ve been looking at student anti-racism projects over the years and what their impact has been. The faculty will be entertaining a proposal from me for building a critical mass for diversity at the school. We have a faculty search on now, and of the more than 100 applications we’ve received, more than 50 percent are from people of color. All of this is the fruition of our anti-racism commitment. Now, we’re looking to find new ways to live that commitment. How do we reinvigorate it?”

What has surprised you most about your first six months at the SSW?
“It’s been a joyous transition for me. I’ve met so many alumni who have taken their clinical training in different kinds of directions. They are wonderful models of what clinical practice careers can look like. A 91-year-old alumna recently hosted an event for us about social work education. These are people who make you think ‘I want to do that!’”