CSSW and Cohen Veterans Network Form Partnership to Strengthen Field of Veterans’ Mental Health
Columbia University School of Social Work (CSSW) and Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) have entered into a partnership to develop the next generation of clinicians and researchers with expertise to advance the field of veterans’ mental health. CVN will sponsor annual stipends for CSSW students in the School’s M.S. and Ph.D. programs. The sponsored students will receive specialized training and will complete internships in the provision of mental health services to U.S. military veterans and their families.
CSSW’s Dean Jeanette Takamura said of the partnership: “We are honored to be working with Cohen Veterans Network to fill critical gaps in the qualified staffing of clinical and research positions within the field of mental health for veterans. In joining this effort, we recognize that those who have put the needs of our country ahead of their personal comfort and safety are owed a tremendous debt. Columbia School of Social Work is privileged to help our nation’s veterans obtain the mental services they deserve and to profit from the latest research on these services.”
She added that she is “delighted that this partnership arose from the close collaboration of two CSSW faculty members who themselves are veterans.” Steven Schinke, the D’Elbert and Selma Keenan Professor at CSSW, served in the U.S. Air Force with postings domestically and on Okinawa. Anthony Hassan, an Adjunct Professor at CSSW, also served in the U.S. Air Force on Okinawa, and in many other distinguished positions, including a tour at the Air Force Academy.
For the past 118 years, CSSW has been developing leaders in social work practice and research whose work enhances well-being and promotes human rights and social justice at the local, national and global level.
Established by Steven A. Cohen as part of his long-term commitment to improve the quality of life for recently returned veterans and their families, CVN supports initiatives that aim to strengthen mental health outcomes for those who have served in the United States Armed Services (including the National Guard and Reserves) and their parents, siblings, spouses or partners, children, and caretakers.
For more information about CSSW’s partnership with CVN, contact:
- Steven Schinke, D’Elbert and Selma Keenan Professor, CSSW; schinke@columbia.edu; 212 851-2276.
- Anthony Guido, Communications Manager, CVN; Guido@CohenVeteransNetwork.org; 203 569-0284.
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Related link: Why Is It So Hard for Veterans to Seek Treatment for PTSD, and What Impact Does It Have on Their Families? (news report on CSSW’s 2/23/16 Online Event)
Photo credit: Welcome Home Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans!, by Ed Schipul via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).
