NYU Silver School of Social Work

AI is already changing social work. Clients are turning to it for mental health advice and agencies are increasingly using it to boost efficiency. Whether you're an AI novice or tech-curious, it’s time to build your toolkit.

Join us virtually this Friday, June 26 for the first session in our 3-part Social Work in the Age of AI series. The one-hour session, titled AI Foundations For All Practice Levels, will give you a firm grasp of AI-powered models and algorithms so you can use them responsibly, question them critically, and advocate meaningfully for your clients.

And don’t stop at the basics! Secure your spot for session two: When AI Enters the Room (Focused on Clinical Applications) on July 10, and session three: Building AI Tools for Practice (A No-Code Introduction) on August 14. All sessions are from 10-11AM EDT for 1 CEU each.

Maximize your learning and savings: General admission is $50 per session or bundle all three for just $120. Discounts available for NYU Silver alumni and practicum instructors.

Learn more and register today at https://socialwork.nyu.edu/a-silver-education/continuing-education/conferences-and-events/ai-foundations-for-all-practice-levels.html.

“When I think about this campus, I feel a sense of warmth, joy, and nostalgia,” said Dismell Gabin, MSW ’26, a member of our Westchester County Campus’s final graduating class.

Last week, faculty, staff, and alumni from three decades gathered to bid a heartfelt farewell to the campus, located at Sarah Lawrence College. Since 1994, it has provided residents of Westchester and nearby counties a convenient location to earn an NYU Silver MSW education.

While the physical campus is closing as we transition to broader online access, our commitment to the Westchester community and our alumni remains unchanged.

Highlights from the celebration:
- A Lifelong Community: Attendees reflected on the unique, close-knit nature of the Westchester campus—a space where lifelong friendships were forged and thousands of students found a deeply supportive home.
- A Legacy of Leadership: Dean Michael A. Lindsey cited the important role the campus has played in the region and acknowledged the many faculty and staff members who have fueled its success through the decades. He introduced Clinical Professor Emerita Susan Gerbino, who coordinated the campus for its first 25 years.
- Honoring the late Dr. Robin Miller: After recounting a history of the campus, Dr. Gerbino shared a tribute to Dr. Miller, her partner in leading the campus from 2001 to 2016. Dr. Gerbino cited Dr. Miller’s “razor-sharp mind,” “keen sense of academia,” and “impeccable moral compass,” as well as her love of hiking and the outdoors. She urged attendees to take a walk in nature in Dr. Miller’s memory.
- Rooted in Purpose: Dr. ViniNatalie Zaninovic, MSW ’18/DSW ’26, who found her purpose at the Westchester campus, reminded attendees of its ultimate lesson: “Social work is social: it’s connectedness, seeing and lifting others’ humanity...I hope we all continue to stay rooted with one another.”

Among those who have been critical to the campus over the years are Dr. Gerbino’s successors Drs. Cora de Leon, Aminda Heckman, and Katherine Compitus, staff members Nancy Rentel, Neeta Arbeiter, Lori Stasieluk, and Caridel Hernandez, and countless faculty and practicum instructors.

Thank you to everyone who made our Westchester campus a home for growth, learning, and community for the past 32 years.

How can we prevent su***de among all of our youth?

NYU Silver Dean Michael A. Lindsey will share strategies to address inequities in youth su***de prevention in his July 9 keynote at the Youth Su***de Research Consortium’s Sixth National Conference.

The free, three-day event will bring together researchers, practitioners, advocates, and others dedicated to saving young lives.

When: July 7-9, 2026
Where: NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Online
Cost: Free
Register: youthsu***deresearch.org/conferences

has the theme “Meeting the Moment: Integrating Community, Arts, and Data Innovations to Advance Equity in Youth Su***de Prevention.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from Dean Lindsey and other leading voices in the field.

Happy Freedom Day! We join in commemorating the end of slavery and honoring the perseverance of Black Americans. This celebration provides an opportunity for every American to reflect on our progress toward freedom for all, and the collective work that lies ahead.

: It’s been said that an MSW is a degree without limits. Each year Adjunct Associate Professor Faye Zakheim introduces her Social Work Practice II students to some of those possibilities.

This past April, she invited a group of alumni and community partners to share the diverse career paths they’ve chosen and the clinical theories that shape their daily work.

Our students had the privilege of hearing from:
- Liz Roberts, CEO of Safe Horizon, the country’s largest victim service agency
- Rachel Moheban-Wachtel, MSW ’96, Owner of the private practice The Relationship Suite and a psychotherapist specializing in couples/marital counseling.
- Will Higdon-Sudow, MSW ’20, Psychotherapist at the Sexuality, Attachment, and Trauma Project

We are incredibly grateful to these leaders for sharing their experiences and inspiring the next generation of Silver students to forge their own paths.

“We cannot treat our way to child well-being,” said Professor Ramesh Raghavan. He was speaking virtually at the University of Oxford’s Child & Adolescent Mental Health Seminar Series.

Drawing on his book “Investing in Children’s Mental Health,” co-authored with health economist Daniel Eisenberg, Dr. Raghavan made the case for “social vaccines.” Those are preventative, population-level interventions that support mental wellness before problems arise.

One example is universally providing social and emotional learning programs in schools.

By prioritizing cost-effective, evidence-based programs and policies, Dr. Raghavan said, communities and governments can create environments where every child has the chance to thrive.

How are schools of social work innovating to address the critical issues shaping our profession and communities?

At last week’s National Association of Social Workers National Conference, Dean Michael A. Lindsey shared how NYU Silver is leading the charge during the plenary session titled “Educating the Next Generation: Reimagining Social Work Education.”

Among other topics, Dean Lindsey highlighted how NYU Silver is:
-Leveraging technology to meet students where they are, by offering flexible online MSW options alongside ethical AI and data science training to prepare students for modern practice.
-Fostering student advocacy by training students to analyze legislation and engage with policymakers, and sending delegations to Albany and D.C. to learn how real policy change takes place.
-Promoting civic engagement by partnering with initiatives like NYU Votes and the Voting IS Social Work campaign to ensure that all eligible voters have the information and resources needed to register and cast their votes.

Thank you to Dean Dexter R. Voisin of Case Western Reserve University, who moderated the discussion, and fellow panelists Anthony Estreet, CEO of NASW; Kirk A. Foster, Dean of UT Arlington School of Social Work; Sebrena Jackson, Dean of Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work; and Janet Shapiro, Dean of the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.

“Social work is a collaborative sport,” says Melanie Glass, MSW ’16. But ten years into her career as a clinical social worker, she was struggling with professional isolation.

“For the most part, it’s just you and the clients, all day,” she explains. “Even if you work in a clinic with other therapists, everyone is just doing their own thing.”

That need for peer support is central to Melanie’s work on NYU SMART (Silver Mental Health Access and Resource Tool), Silver’s recently launched global hub connecting graduating students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Follow Melanie’s journey from graduation through today. Discover how she sees NYU SMART strengthening the whole Silver community, and learn how you can join at https://socialwork.nyu.edu/news/2026/melanie-glass-on-why-clinicians-need-peer-support.html.

Generations of NYU Silver changemakers – from the 1970s through today – came together at last night’s Alumni Reception. We were thrilled to foster new connections and rekindle old ones as we welcomed our Class of 2026 into our powerful alumni network.

Many thanks to our Director of Alumni Relations, Naja L. Muhammad, for hosting the event. It’s one of dozens of opportunities she has coordinated this past year to engage our 20,000+ with the school and each other.

Want to get more involved with our alumni community?

🔗 Connect with Naja at [email protected]
🌐 Join NYU SMART, our online network connecting Silver-affiliated professionals. Learn more and sign up at silver.smart.nyu.edu.

“We need children and young folks to be able to articulate their feelings, so that they can say to someone ‘I am hurting, I'm in pain,’ and not be met with rejection,” said Dean Michael A. Lindsey.

On a recent episode of Conversations on the Block, Dean Lindsey sat down with Miss Pat Robinson to discuss the alarming rise in Black youth su***de and actionable steps that can be taken to address it.

Stream the conversation at

Dr. Michael A. Lindsey - NYU Silver School of Social Work "Ring The Alarm" Listen to Dr. Michael A. Lindsey - NYU Silver School of Social Work "Ring The Alarm" by Patricia Robinson on