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Watch the latest installment of our Mental Health Series, The Struggle Is Real. This September, our conversation focused on “The Lived Experience” and the important role individuals with lived experience play in strengthening the social service workforce and the communities we serve.

Led by  Dr. Tracy R. Whitaker, DSW, ACSW and Dr. Gloria Cain, Ph.D., LMSW, the discussion highlighted an innovative public-private collaboration in the nation’s capital: the Peer Case Management Institute, which trains individuals with lived experience of homelessness to become case managers.This conversation also considers a critical part of creating truly inclusive workplaces: ensuring that individuals with lived experience enter environments that value their perspectives, recognize the unique obstacles they may encounter, and protect and promote their mental wellness.

Howard University School of Social Work recognizes 988 Day on September 8, 2026, by highlighting efforts to expand mental health education, suicide prevention training, and access to crisis resources across campus. Through professional training and institutional advocacy, Associate Professor JaNeen Cross, Ph.D., and Professor and Dean Emerita Sandra Edmonds Crewe, Ph.D., MSW, ACSW, have advanced mental health education and resource awareness through their SAMHSA-funded grant work. Their efforts are helping prepare individuals across academic disciplines and professional roles to recognize mental health concerns, respond with greater confidence, and connect people to the appropriate support.

The Howard University School of Social Work welcomed 150 new Master of Social Work students and five first-year doctoral students this fall, beginning an academic journey that will challenge them to deepen their knowledge, strengthen their professional practice, and consider what it truly means to be #Howard-Prepared.

Held in person for students in the school’s flagship program and virtually for students in the online program, Fall 2026 MSW orientation connected incoming students with faculty, staff, alumni, University leadership, academic resources, and one another. Across both experiences, students were introduced not only to the expectations of graduate education, but also to the intellectual and professional tradition that distinguishes social work education at Howard. Read More