Main Content
Objectives
- Implement a process for students that respond immediately to their needs with care, compassion and cultural appropriateness.
- Develop student driven goals that empowers them to access off and on campus resources, promotes growth in self-advocacy, and their rights to self-determination.
- Increase student body, faculty and staffs understanding about help seeking and reduce the stigma associated with poverty and behavioral health needs.
What is case management?
The student and case manager work together to establish a set of goals and action steps that are reasonable, measurable and specific which address barriers in the students’ life. It is a student and case manager collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy that support and improves the student’s ability to achieve their goals.
Principles of case management at UW Tacoma:
- All students may need help at one time or another, asking for and getting support is a developmental life skill
- Student centric, strength based approaches that honor students’ insight about their own life will foster self-advocacy
- Immediate and timely response to student needs
- Care, compassion, culturally sensitive approaches are paramount
- Create an atmosphere in which the university community understands emotional, social, interpersonal needs of students impact the achievement of educational goals
Our Staff
Assistant Director of Student Advocacy
Melissa Ford, LICSW
Student Support Advocates
Graduate Level Interns, MSW
Our graduate level interns provide case management services to students using advocacy and social work skills. These are graduate students who are well versed in socioeconomic factors that lead to the various hardships faced by our students and provide professional services to students under the direct supervision of the Assistant Director of Student Advocacy. Interns maintain knowledge of on- and off-campus resources so that they are able to provide students with relevant information, support, and advocacy within the community.
"We help all students, regardless of the severity of your needs. Whether you're in crisis or need support for school and life challenges. All students are welcome to receive services from this office".
