Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests
Publication Highlights
Selected Scholarly Presentations 

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Position            

• Associate Professor of Social Work
  

Academic Background         

• Columbia University - Doctorate of Social Welfare, 1994
• State University of New York at Buffalo - Master of Social Work, 1978

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College   

• Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups
• Human Behavior Across the Life Span
• Field Instruction and Seminar III and IV
• Introduction to Human Services

Teaching Philosophy            

As an instructor, my challenge is to create conditions that heighten student interest and entice them to not only learn the material but to make it their own. Involving students in figuring it out for themselves both individualizes and extends the learning and results in students absorbing more and transferring their knowledge into their personal worlds in consequential moments and contexts. Creating a positive social and academic environment in the classroom enables more meaningful learning and results in students holding on to the learning for longer term use and not merely for short term recall.

Research & Interests                 

Understanding the forces and factors associated with making ethical decisions fascinates and mystifies me at both the academic and professional levels. I am intrigued by the array of influences that enter into the decision making process, and the ways in which one's moral imagination is stimulated in resolving ethical conflicts in professional practice.

An altogether different and more recent passion has been the incorporation of technological applications in teaching social work interview skills and behaviors. I have created an innovative learning exercise in which I replay students' videotaped client interviews and add instructional comments across each segment of the interview. Each student receives individualized coaching in noting competencies and identifying areas targeted for future development.

Publication Highlights

• Mattison, M.  2006. Professional values and ethics.  In M. Mattaini, C. Lowrey, & C.Meyer (Eds.), The foundations of social work practice (4th ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
• Mattison, M. 2006. Professional ethics codes: Applications to common ethical dilemmas.  In C. Franklin, M.B. Harris, &  P. Allen-Meares, (Eds), School social work and mental health workers training and resource manual. (Chapter 100). Oxford University Press.   
• McGowan, B.G., &  Mattison, M.  2002. Professional values and ethics.  In M. Mattaini, C. Lowrey, & C. Meyer (Eds.), The foundations of social work practice (3rd ed., pp. 48-72). Washington, DC: NASW Press. 
• Mattison, M.  2000. Ethical decision-making: The person in the process. Social Work, 45 (3), 201-212.  
• Book Review of: Congress, E.  2000. Social Work Values and Ethics: Identifying and Resolving Professional Dilemmas.  Social Work in Health Care, 32(1), 96-99.   

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• Meeting Street Center, East Providence, Rhode Island, Member of the Board of Trustees, Chair, Strategic Planning Committee, 1998-present.
• "Biomedical Ethics and Professional Conduct" presented at Brown University, Department of Family Medicine, for the National Health Services Corps SEARCH Program in Rhode Island, Student Experience and Rotations in Community Health (SEARCH),  Providence, Rhode Island, Summers 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001.
• "Instructor's Narrations Interfaced with Student Videotaped Interviews: Technology Tenders New Possibilities" presented at the 22th annual Baccalaureate Program Director's Meeting, Detroit, MI, November 2004.
• Site Visitor for the Council on Social Work Education, Office of Social Work Accreditation and Educational Excellence, Commission on Accreditation, October 2004.
• In service instruction, "Confronting Ethical Dilemmas and Challenges in School Social Work," Cranston Public Schools, Cranston, RI, May 2004.
• "Ethical Conflicts and Contemplations" presented at the National Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island Chapter Annual Symposium, Warwick, RI, March 2004.
• Academic Consultant, Association of Social Work Boards, (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education Committee, Culpepper, VA, contributed to the design and content for a model ACE (Approved Continuing Education) social work ethics course for national application, May 2003.
• In service instruction, "Applied Ethical Decision-Making: The Steps, Stages, and Process of Resolving Ethical Dilemmas," Georgia State University, School of Social Work, Atlanta, GA, May 2002.

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