UH Graduate College of Social Work

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - The Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) is offering SUMMER Elective Options open to all UH Masters level students during SESSION 3. To enroll, please contact: [email protected] with your name, major and course you are interested in taking. Don’t wait, spots are limited and filling up fast!

SOCW 7326 Disparities in Health | Section 11472
Session 3 Online Course with 3 required virtual synchronous meetings- see People soft for days times

SOCW 7397 Social Justice Art Advocacy | Section 14154
Online Asynchronous Session 3

SOCW 7397 Shame, Empathy and Resilience | Section 14155
Session 3 Arranged- mostly online with 4 required in person meetings- see PS of days times
Centered on Brene Browns Books and Research

Happy one-year anniversary to Dean Yarneccia D. Dyson!

The GCSW community is grateful for your leadership and we look forward to the continued progress and impact ahead.

Please be on the lookout for an official message from Dean Dyson later this week. In the meantime, we invite you to join us in celebrating this important milestone.

Today marks the beginning of the 57th year of celebrating Pride Month. While many associate the month-long observance with its roots in the 1969 Stonewall riots, it's also time to learn, appreciate, and reflect upon local LGBTQ+ history of the past, present, and future.

In Houston, there is no shortage of trailblazers who bring pride to Pride Month. From activists like Pokey Anderson and Keith McGee to organizations such as the Montrose Center and the Diana Foundation, the city's LGBTQ+ community has been safeguarded by committed advocates for decades.

Throughout June, some of these advocates — called Community Cornerstones — will be featured on this page. Many of them are partners of the Graduate College of Social Work. We also welcome thoughts from our followers (in the comments) on who you want to commend as someone who brings pride to Pride Month.

While the face of social work appears more diverse than ever, the AANHPI community is still underrepresented across the field. And as AANHPI Heritage Month celebrations come to a close, it’s important to draw attention to one ongoing challenge that the community continues to face: representation among social workers.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 17% of Asian adults experienced a mental health condition, while American Indians/Alaska Natives are 11% more likely to report having a mental illness in the last year. Despite the need for more AANHPI social workers, the demographic gap remains. In general, U.S. adults prefer seeing a practitioner of the same ethnic background as them — but there are simply not enough Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander social work professionals to check that box.

What does this tell us about AANHPI social workers? The shortage is daunting, considering the high need and low availability. Still, what this emphasizes is that authentic connections between practitioners and their clients exist. More than ever, the social work field needs diversity — and it starts with uplifting our GCSW AANHPI peers.

This year, 19 MSW students submitted outstanding nominations recognizing the practicum instructors who shaped their learning and professional growth. We are excited to recognize Erick Rainoseck, LCSW-S, ACM-SW, as the 2026 UH GCSW Outstanding Practicum Instructor of the Year!

Erick has created a practicum learning environment grounded in mentorship, compassion, advocacy, and professional development at TIRR Memorial Hermann. MSW student Ashley Benitez described his supervision as “meaningful and transformative." Erick made her feel like a valued member of the team while modeling empathy, advocacy, and equitable care for patients and families.

Ashley reflected that Erick helped turn what could have been “just another practicum placement into an experience that shaped me as a future social worker and reminded me of why I chose this profession.”

Congratulations, Erick, and thank you to all practicum instructors, families, and supporters who make practicum education possible. We cannot wait to see where the next generation of social workers goes next!

Our faculty's research is transcends beyond local, state, national, and even international social work spaces.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Sharon Borja for representing the Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) for leading an upcoming plenary session at the 2026 Diversity in Organizations, Communities, & Nations conference! The conference brings together individuals who share an interest in human differences and diversity, particularly in how they manifest in organizations, communities, and nations.

Dr. Borja will be presenting on "Ethics and Opportunities with AI for Strengthening Socio-Community Wellbeing Strategies" at the National Autonomous University of Mexico later this month. We look forward to her success at the conference and in the future direction of her research.

Join the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work in welcoming our newest tenure faculty member! Yok-Fong Paat, PhD, LCSW, from UTEP Social Work, joins the GCSW this Summer.

Her scholarship and leadership strengthen our shared path toward excellence. We are energized by the impact her research will make on the communities we serve!

On Friday, May 15th, at the University of Houston Fertitta Center, over 250 Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates and five newly minted PhDs crossed the stage, marking not just the culmination of their academic journeys, but the beginning of new chapters as leaders, advocates, and change-makers.

GCSW Dean Yarneccia D. Dyson warmly greeted the audience, noting that “Commencement is our most significant event as an academic community. It is a special occasion for each of our graduates, their families, and friends who have come to share this day with them. The road you traveled was not a singular journey, but one with others. Many of the people who supported your journey are here today.”

As graduates embark on their next chapter, Dean Dyson encouraged them to carry forward the principle of “Lift As You Climb”— to use their knowledge, voice, and position to uplift others and create pathways for those who will follow. The newly expanded GCSW alumni community stands ready to respond to the evolving challenges facing society with skill, compassion, and leadership.

Read about the commencement ceremony here: https://gcswstories.uh.edu/lifting-as-we-climb-celebrating-gcsw-spring-2026-commencement/index.html/