St. Catherine University Social Work

Congratulations to Kia Lee, who has been promoted to Associate Professor!

Professor Kia Lee joined St. Kate's social work students Khadra Abdi, Isel Hernandez, Maria Medini, and Kaeden Myers in participating in CSWE’s annual Fellows Forum in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of the SUDEALS program. The event brought together social work students from across the country to develop leadership and advocacy skills while highlighting the importance of federal support for the future social work workforce.

Congratulations to Dr. Habiba Ibrahim on her promotion to Associate Professor, and her award of tenure!!!

https://www.stkate.edu/newswire/news/2025-26-faculty-promotions-and-tenure

St. Catherine University announces faculty promotions and tenure | St. Catherine University Thursday, May 21, 2026 23 faculty members have been promoted and six awarded tenure as of spring 2026. Photo by Kristie Engebretson Anderson Announced at the spring Faculty-Staff Institute on May 13, St. Catherine University has promoted 23 faculty members and awarded tenure to six. “I offer heart...

This is a great prep course!

Taking your Social Work Licensure Exam soon?
Join our Licensure Exam Review Prep Course to learn key test-taking strategies, how to interpret exam questions, and how to avoid common pitfalls—so you can walk into exam day with confidence.
Perfect timing: The next prep course date is May 19!
Designed for all exam levels: Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist, and Clinical.
Multiple dates available. See all dates and register: https://bit.ly/2026LERP

Check out this great opportunity!

Want real-world experience in advocacy and politics—without leaving your home?

NASW-MN is now accepting applications for our Summer Fellowship in Political Action ☀️ This paid, fully remote, part-time opportunity (June–August) gives students and emerging professionals hands-on experience in candidate endorsements, policy discussions, and grassroots engagement.

✔️ Work with our political action committee
✔️ Help support social work candidates
✔️ Build skills in advocacy & policy
✔️ Earn a $2,000 stipend

If you’re passionate about the intersection of social work and public policy, this is your chance to get involved.

Learn More: https://naswmn.socialworkers.org/News/ID/3400/NASW-MN--Summer-Fellowship-in-Political-Action

📩 Apply by sending your resume and letter of interest to Dr. Karen Goodenough: [email protected]

WE ARE HIRING!!!

We have two faculty positions that we are hiring for, so there will be two posts. This posting is for a NEW full-time ranked faculty position. Our program is growing so we are able to bring on an additional team member!

Please share this with folks that you think may be interested.

A couple of key points:
- This is a full time position on a 9-month contract. Summers are off unless you want to teach an additional course (for extra pay)
- Clinical licensure and experience is preferred, as we would like to have someone able to teach in our clinical content courses.
- A doctorate is not required (however if applicants have a doctorate, we may be able to shift this to a tenure track position).

Asst Prof of Social Work The Social Work Department requires a full-time, licensed, faculty member with experience in clinical social work to teach required MSW practice courses and other courses (as needed) in our MSW program. This is a 9-month position that teaches the equivalent of six courses annually.Employees at St. K...

WE ARE HIRING!!!

We have two faculty positions that we are hiring for, so there will be two posts. This posting is for MSW Field Director.

Please share this with folks that you think may be interested!

A couple of key details:
- This is a 9-month full-time position spread out over 12 months. So essentially this is a .75 FTE year-round job. The language used in academic positions can be confusing as it's based off of a 9-month calendar. However the field director position has year-round responsibilities.
- We would like someone to start this summer, but the exact start date can be negotiated.

MSW Director of Field Education The Social Work Master’s (MSW Program at St. Catherine University invites applications for a full-time MSW Director of Field Education and Assistant Professor. This position utilizes a 9-over-12-month professional practice contract that carries an expectation of six course loads, throughout a 12-m...

Please join us for our Spring 2026 Continuing Education, hosted by St. Kate's Social Work Department!

This event is $25 (for 2 CEU's!), and FREE for current students.

Please click on the link to register: https://katepay.stkate.edu/C20594_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1232&SINGLESTORE=true

Navigating Non-Affirming Family:
Best Practice for Serving LGBTQ Clients and their Religious Families
Online CEU Workshop with
Sloan Okrey (they/them), PhD., LGSW
April 9, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Online

Overview: For LGBTQ people, having a supportive and affirming family is one of the most powerful protective factors against the negative mental health repercussions of discrimination. However, many LGBTQ people have complicated or ambiguous relationships with their families – especially when those families are religious.
Social Workers may find themselves working with clients who are trying to navigate these essential, but often painful family relationships. They may also find themselves working with family members who are struggling to accept an LGBTQ child or loved one. Popular wisdom might suggest that LGBTQ people should cut ties with non-affirming family members, or, alternatively, that Social Workers have an ethical obligation to prioritize the deeply-held-beliefs of unsupportive religious parents.
Bringing together research and theory, this event will explore the intersections of LGBTQ identity, faith, culture, oppression, and family relationships. We will dispel common myths, explore existing research, dive into evidence-based intervention strategies, and discuss the ethical obligations of Social Workers when working under these unique circumstances.

Learning Objectives:
1. To become familiar with the existing scholarship on lived experiences and best practice with LGBTQ people as they navigate relationships with non-affirming family members
2. To learn practical, evidence-based strategies for working with and supporting LGBTQ people with non-affirming families and/or religiously non-affirming families of LGBTQ people
3. To understand the ethical implications and obligations of Social Workers serving LGBTQ people with non-affirming families and/or religiously non-affirming families of LGBTQ people

About the Presenter:
Sloan Okrey (they/them) is an assistant professor in the Master’s of Social Work program at St. Catherine University. Sloan received their BSW (’15) and MSW (’17) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and their Doctorate in Human Development and Family Science at the University of Minnesota in 2022. They are a licensed social worker in the state of Minnesota and have practice experience working in LGBTQ community nonprofits.

Sloan has over a decade of research experience focusing specifically on the lived experiences of LGBTQ people in the context of non-affirming religious families in the United States. Their scholarship can be found through their faculty profile or ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3520-1633

Congratulations St. Kate's Social Work faculty member, Kia Lee, on your recognition from NASW-MN Chapter as Social Work Supervisor of the Year!!!

Also congratulations to one of our regular field/internship site hosts, Katy Armendariz from Roots Wellness Center, who is being recognized with the Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award for Social Justice.

Honorees are nominated by peers and members of the social work community across Minnesota.

From NASW:

Social Work Supervisor of the Year: Kia Lee – Honored for mentoring emerging social workers through NASW-MN’s Diverse Workforce Initiative and supporting BIPOC professionals pursuing licensure.

Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award for Social Justice: Katy Armendariz – Honored for her leadership at Roots Wellness Center and her commitment to culturally responsive care and advocacy for immigrant communities, especially in response to Operation Metro Surge.

Attention social work students! This looks like a great opportunity!

The White Privilege Conference is here!! Interested in this trip? All students are welcome to apply for this fully funded trip! Deadline March 6th!