Carla Richmond, LCSW, obtained her MSW from Hunter College in 2000. In her 20 years of practice experience, she has focused on trauma treatment in a wide variety of settings including juvenile, adult, community, and mental health settings. She remains employed at UCSF's Trauma Recovery Center as Co-coordinator of Training while she leads field seminar and oversees practicum for a second-year AWELL cohort.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in social welfare?
I started on the path to social work in my first year undergrad at Columbia University. I trained and volunteered as a rape crisis counselor at a nearby hospital.That put me on the path to Women's Studies (now Gender Studies), feminism, anti violence and anti-oppression activism and social work.
What interested you in the position at UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare?
I have been a Field Instructor with the privilege of supervising Berkeley Social Welfare students for 13 years. I've been admiring [Director of Field Education] Greg Merrill and the UC Berkeley field team and knew I wanted to teach. I feel very lucky to be working with such an amazing and dedicated group of instructors.
Describe a few high points of the year.
Doing the two-part Towards Anti Racist Field Instruction training with my peers. Sitting in on the wonderful, engaging and informative topical presentations by my field seminar students. Attending weekly field instructor staff meetings that are more fun than I ever imagined, and getting to know and learn from my colleagues.
What is one skill you think every social worker needs?
Compassionate self-analysis and self-regulation. (That's two but I think they're related.)
If you had the chance to add one book to every Berkeley Social Welfare student's curriculum, what would it be, and why?
It's an article that I continue to reflect on and it would be for students and field instructors: Tema Okun's on White Supremacy Culture.