BUSSW Professor Mark Gianino Appointed to AASWG Board

BUSSW Clinical Assistant Professor Mark Gianino has recently been selected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups (AASWG), the leading international association for social workers and allied helping professionals involved in group work. Members were appointed through a selective nomination process.

“AASWG focuses on the theory and learning of social group work…and is targeted to social work practitioners as well as those who work in agencies,” says Gianino. As a member of the Board, Gianino will be given the opportunity to become highly involved with the Association – to contribute to its growth and development, and to help advance social group work practice, research and education.

Social work groups serve as sources of healing, action, learning and social justice. Group work is used for a variety of purposes, including problem-solving, support for behavioral change, individual growth, coping with life transitions, skill acquisition, socialization, and empowerment. “Social group work has a long history,” says Gianino, “and now we see it everywhere…from hospitals and schools to clinical agencies and intervention-based programs. More and more, a range of research methods are being delivered through group methodology.”

Gianino feels there is an increasing need for social work students to become educated in group work and group methods. “BUSSW, in fact, is one of the first schools that offered social group work as a required course for students to take in their first year. BUSSW students not only have the opportunity to learn research-based theory, but how to build cohesion and implement intervention, and even how to work with problematic group members.”

Founded in 1979, AASWG is a member-driven, non-profit organization that aims to promote excellence in group work education, field instruction, practice, research and publication. Its goals are realized through a program of advocacy and action at both the international and local levels.

Learn more about Professor Gianino’s work.

About BUSSW:
Distinguished by its urban mission and clinical and macro practice focus, Boston University School of Social Work is committed to educating masters’ and doctoral level students who will become leaders in a multicultural environment. The School offers the MSW and PhD degrees, as well as continuing professional education, and its nationally recognized faculty has been ranked 8th in productivity among schools of social work with doctoral programs. Located in a diverse and academically rich community, the School offers almost unlimited opportunities for urban social work practice and research. Visit bu.edu/ssw for more information.

About Boston University:
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 30,000 students, it is the fourth largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 colleges and schools along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes which are central to the school’s research and teaching mission.