Lisa E. Watson, PhD, LICSW
Lisa E. Watson, PhD, LICSW
Associate Professor of Social Work / Chair, Department of Social Work
- Doctor of Philosophy, Boston College, Boston, Mass., 2014
- Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1994
- Bachelor of Arts, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass., 1990
Lisa Watson has been a social worker for more than 30 years, with a particular interest in clinical practice with children, youth, and families. She has had the opportunity to take on many different roles empowering individuals, strengthening families, and advancing human dignity across diverse communities and systems, including as a child welfare caseworker, adventure and trauma therapist, school social worker, program developer, and nonprofit administrator. Watson believes that teaching in the Department of Social Work at Springfield College is an amazing opportunity to facilitate the learning and growth of the next generation of social workers. Currently, she serves as chair of the Department of Social Work.
Research Interests
- Social Work Clinical Practice with Children, Youth, and Families
- Use of Adventure and Nature-Based Therapy for Mental Health and Physical Well-Being
- School Social Work
- Experiential Pedagogy
- Substance Use Assessment and Treatment
Courses Taught
- Adventure Therapy
- Social Work Practice with Children, Youth, and Families
- School Social Work
- Assessment and Intervention with Complex Trauma
- Assessment and Intervention with Substance Use Disorders
- Human Behavior in the Social Environment 3
Certifications and Memberships
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
- School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor (All Levels)
- Grant Funding: THRIVE Scholars Program, Principal Investigator, May 2022-May 2028. Grant funding totalling 900k over 6 years from Franciscan Children's Community Health Initiative, as part of the Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health to develop and support the THRIVE Scholars Program. THRIVE facilitates the financial support, mentoring, and training of ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse Springfield College social work students to be leaders and mental and behavioral health providers equipped with evidence-based and culturally responsive practices for addressing racial and health disparities facing children, youth, and families. Oversight of program initiatives, budget, and research.
- Fellowship and Research Support: Behavioral Health Curriculum Development Initiative Agency: SAMHSA/TA Network and The University of Maryland School of Social Work Title: The Behavioral Health Curriculum Development Initiative (BHCDI). The purpose of the BHCDI is to support social work faculty in developing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum modules to improve the knowledge, expertise, and overall preparedness of graduates of MSW and post-graduate degree programs to provide effective behavioral health services to children, youth, and young adults with behavioral health needs and their families. Period: 11/23/2016-12/30/2020 Role: BHCDI Training Fellow
- Fellowship and Research Support: NIAAA Behavioral Health Training Fellow R25 AA021714 (Contact PI: L. Lundgren) Agency: NIH/NIAAA and The Boston University School of Social Work Title: “The Alcohol and Other Drugs Education Program (ADEP) for Social Work Faculty.” The long-term objective of the Alcohol Education Program (ADEP) for Social Work faculty is to promote the use of empirically supported alcohol and other drugs (AOD) identification and treatment methods among social workers, which is consistent with the NIAAA goal to promote the use of research to treat and prevent AOD abuse and dependence. Period: 06/05/2017-06/30/2018 Role: NIAAA Behavioral Health Training Fellow
- Fellowship and Research Support: National Center for Social Work Trauma Education and Workforce Development Agency: The SAMHSA funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) implemented by The Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service and Hunter College School of Social Work Title: Core Concepts of Child and Adolescent Trauma Mental Health Learning Collaborative Purpose of the Learning Collaborative is to increase the effectiveness of clinical intervention to children, youth, and families with a trauma history through the teaching of evidence-based trauma treatment in schools of social work. Faculty participants engage in training, collaboration, and implementation of evidence-based trauma curriculum, as well as self-evaluation of the training modules and research on the curriculum development. Faculty collaborate and train with other faculty across the United States. Period: 9/06/2015 – 9/06/2016 Role: Faculty Participant
Selected Works
Presentations
- “All Eyes on Me”: Building representation of BILPOC social workers within children’s behavioral health, Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), October, 2024, Kansas City, MO
- “Adventure Therapy for Middle and High School Youth”, 26th Annual National School Social Work Conference, March29-31st, 2023, Broomfield, CO
- “Building Graduate Social Work Students’ Self-Efficacy Through an Adventure Therapy Class”, Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 67th Annual Program Meeting, November 4-7, 2021, Orlando, Florida
- “When the Personal is Political: MSW Student Research on Transgender Identity Development”, Council on Social Work Education, Denver, Colorado, October 2019
- “Surviving but Not Thriving”: Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning to Adolescence, Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Orlando, Florida November 2019
- “Behavioral Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Curriculum Initiatives: Faculty Experiences”, Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Orlando, Florida, November, 2018
- “Masculine Identity Among Transgender Men: Social Work Practice Implications”, Massachusetts NASW Western Region, Northampton, MA, September 2018
- “Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Youth At-Risk: A Trauma Informed Approach” Western New England Regional Social Work Conference, Springfield, MA, May 24, 2018
- “Transgender Identity Development: Social Work Implications”, Western New England Regional Social Work Conference, Springfield, MA, May 24, 2018
- “Fostering the Resilience of Families Experiencing Chronic Stress”, Maternal Child Health Commission Public Forum, Springfield, MA, April 2018
Publications
- Council on Social Work Education, National Task Force Steering Committee Member (2020). Specialized Practice Curricular Guide for Substance Use Social Work Practice, ISBN 978-0-87293-201-2
- Kayser, K., Watson, L.E., Andrade, J.T. (2007). Cancer as a “We – Disease”: Examining the Process of Coping from a Relational Perspective. Families, Systems, & Health, Vol. 25, No. 4, 404-418.
