The Education and Training of Military Social Workers: Interview with Dr. Anthony Hassan

Episode 68: Today's Social Work Podcast, The Training and Education of Military Social Workers, is the first of a two-part series. Part II, is a discussion of Cultural considerations in military social work. I'm doing this two part series because whether you agree or disagree with America n's involvement in what has now become the longest continuous combat engagement in its 235 year history, "There is an urgent need to understand and engage with the military service members, veterans, their families, and their communities in effective [social work] practices" (CSWE, 2010, p. 2). I hear some of you right now; I'm reading your thoughts: you don't work for the Veterans Administration; you're not contracted by the military to provide services; you don't wear the uniform and serve in the armed forces. And yet, according to my guest, Anthony Hassan, you could still be a military social worker. According to a 2011 Rand report, "Since October 2001, approximately 2 million U.S. troops have deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Many of these previously deployed individuals have since left the military or retired, and most previously deployed National Guard and reservists have returned to their home communities" (p. iii). These "community dwelling veterans" seek services where they live - in their communities. So, for all of you who work in communities - and that's everyone - chances are you're providing services to veterans and their families. And that's the main focus of today's military social work. And yet, most of us, unless we work directly with the military, have no idea what might be required for effective practice with this population. By all accounts, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have exacted a significant toll on community dwelling veterans and their families. In response to this need, in 2010, the Council on Social Work Education published guidelines for educational competencies for advanced social work practice in military social work. The authors of these guidelines explained, "with no end in sight and the ultimate results of these wars uncertain, we are now challenged with both a military that is exhibiting the stress-related consequences of these long and multiple combat deployments and a rapidly growing veteran population in need of a wide range of combat-related physical and mental health care services. Every community in the United States has been affected, and service delivery systems are trying to respond. Military social work, as a field of practice and research, is critical to our relevance as social workers, to the advancement of new career options, and in our leadership among the helping professions. This does not mean that we endorse war or aggression, but rather that we extend meaningful help to those who have been affected. This is a moment in history when we can reassert our central influence as a pivotal healing profession in the midst of wartime and in the aftermath by promoting a vigorous social work research agenda and appropriate training to effectively prepare military social workers" (CSWE, 2010, p. 2). In order to better understand both the training and education of military social workers, I spoke with a man who is on the forefront of the current reconceptualization of military social work. My guest, Anthony Hassan, is a retired Air Force officer with 25 years of experience in military social work. He served during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 on the first-ever Air Force combat stress control and prevention team embedded with an Army unit. He led the largest military substance abuse and family advocacy programs in the Pacific which were recognized as benchmark programs and training sites for all other Pacific bases. He chaired the committee responsible for creating the Council on Social Work Education's model for advanced social work practice in military social work (CSWE, 2010) which I quoted a few minutes ago. And, if those bona fides aren't enough, he is currently the director of the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families at the University of Southern California's School of Social Work. In today's Social Work Podcast, Anthony and I talked about the how the definition of military social work has changed over time, how educators and practitioners can use the CSWE guidelines, opportunities for advanced training at the master's and doctoral level in military social work at USC's school of social work, and online certificate programs for non-USC students. We talked about the use of a "virtual patient" as part of the training program. We talked about the central role that the profession of social work could and should play addressing the issues faced by active duty military, community dwelling veterans, and their families. We talked about the kinds of jobs that military social workers do. We ended our conversation with some resources for listeners wanting to know more. A couple of notes about this interview. Anthony and I spoke for an hour and a half. Our conversation about education and training actually happened in the second half of our interview. Because I'm presenting it as "Part I" there are a couple of times when he makes reference to information that we discussed in the beginning of the conversation... which is now Part II. I hope that's not too confusing. Another thing that stands out about this interview is that, for the first time, I invited listeners of the social work podcast who are fans on the social work podcast Facebook page, to submit questions for Anthony. The response was fantastic. There were over 20 questions, most of which I couldn't ask. But those that were suggested on Facebook I identified as such. So, thank you to everyone who posted questions - you'll recognize your contribution to this interview. And I'll definitely be asking folks to submit questions for future podcasts. Finally, as with all my remote interviews, this one was done using Skype. Anthony was in Los Angeles and I was 3,000 miles away in Philadelphia. And now, without further ado, on to episode 68 of the Social Work Podcast, The Training and Education of Military Social Workers: An Interview with Dr. Anthony Hassan.