Fall 2017 - Winter 2018 MSU School of Social Work Newsletter MSU-Social-Work-2017-2018-Newsletter | Page 3

T
ina Blaschke-Thompson and Glenn Stutzky
are recipients of the 6 th Annual SAGE/CSWE
Award for Innovative Teaching in Social Work
Education for their Combat Veterans class, Embracing
the Stories of War. Using an immersive storytelling
approach, students in this 2-credit online class follow
post-9/11 and Vietnam combat veterans through
the military cycle from enlistment, basic training,
the experience of war, to post-war challenges. The
objectives of this class are to increase knowledge
and deepen empathy for this marginalized and often
misunderstood population.
In his introduction at the award ceremony, Josh
Perigo with SAGE Publications stated, “I was really
touched by what they did. They shed a little light on
a subject that oftentimes is pushed into the dark. They
took a very personal approach, and they left everybody
involved profoundly impacted with their project,
Embracing the Stories of War.”
This will be the first of three classes in a Social
Work with Combat Veterans Certificate program
designed for MSW students who wish to work with
this population. The second class, Sharing the Burden
of War, will focus on the societal response to war and
historical treatment of those returning from war, with
an emphasis on improving policies and programs to
better meet their needs. The third course, Healing the
Tina Blaschke-Thompson and Glenn Stutzky
Fall 2017/Winter 2018 SSW NEWS
“I feel comfortable speaking with
veterans now and make sure to
thank every veteran I see for their
service. This class enabled me
to discuss my uncle’s service in
Vietnam with him, the first time
he has spoken to anyone about it
since his return home in March of
1970. SW 491, Combat Veterans,
has truly unlocked a piece of
family history for me.”
Combat Veterans course creators
earn award for innovative teaching
—Bryan Blattert, Fall 2017 student
Wounds of War, will focus on intervention models
that have shown to be effective in helping veterans
overcome moral injury and the trauma of war.
In addition to taking these three courses, students
in the certificate program will complete a specialized
field placement related to military social work and
participate in a specialized liaison group to support
professional networking and address gaps in service
provision through sharing of ideas and resources.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs
(2016), 213 Michigan veterans committed suicide in
2014. The most suicides are among those from the
Vietnam era, which is the largest group of veteran s.
Rates of suicide, however, are highest among post-9/11
veterans; the suicide rate among veterans 30-39 years
of age is four times the national average, while the
suicide rate among veterans 20-29 years of age is six
times the national average. In addition, a recent survey
of veterans who served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan
found that 40 percent of respondents thought about
taking their life since joining the military, 54 percent
served with someone who has attempted suicide,
and 45 percent served with someone who died by
suicide (IAVA Member Survey, 2015). With at least 20
veterans committing suicide every day, the need for
mental health professionals trained to work with this
population has never been greater.
The certificate program will launch in summer
2018 and is open to students across the state. The
School also plans to offer a post-graduate certificate
option in the near future.
The Combat Veterans team members include
Tina Blaschke-Thompson, Glenn Stutzky, Emily
Brozovic, Keesa Johnson, and Christopher Irvin.
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