Melinda Gushwa

Melinda Gushwa is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Practice for Social Work programmes in the School of Applied Social Studies. She has more than 25 years practice experience as a social worker in the areas of child protection, medical social work, crisis intervention counselling, employee assistance counselling, child welfare training, community mental health practice, psychotherapy and clinical supervision. Her research focuses on child maltreatment fatalities, workforce development, trauma education, and innovation in social work education. Dr. Gushwa has been in academia for more than 20 years, with academic and leadership appointments at the Technological University of the Shannon Midwest, Simmons University School of Social Work, Rhode Island College School of Social Work, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Social Work and University of Wisconsin Green Bay. She is a Visiting Professor at Simmons University, where she is the PI and Director of the Institute for Trauma Treatment in Schools, a project which provides training to school-based social work students and professional staff on the topics of trauma informed practice and worker well-being.

Child maltreatment fatalities, child welfare workforce and well-being, innovation in social work education

Direct social work practice skills, crisis intervention, research & evaluation, human behaviour in the social environment, social work practice with children & families, field education