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Social work is a profession committed to working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and the community to maximize well-being and to help resolve, minimize, or prevent problems in living. Sacred Heart University’s Social Work Programs consist of individualized learning, close faculty contact and advisement, and a highly personal focus.
Social Workers practice in a variety of settings such as, schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, substance abuse and rehabilitation agencies, juvenile and adult probation, and many other public and private agencies. For more information about careers in social work, visit the National Association of Social Workers website.
Start up Your Careerwith Our Programs
FacultySpotlight
Sacred Heart University proudly recognizes our faculty for their scholarly achievement through their outstanding publishing efforts and industry experience.
Stephanie Carnes is a bilingual clinician, researcher and advocate whose work centers on the experiences of Central American and Spanish-speaking immigrant youth in public schools. Her research, supported by a Sacred Heart University EMERGE grant, explores how xenophobia and nativism shape bicultural identity development. She consults with school districts and community organizations, bringing a social justice and anti-oppressive lens to both her practice and teaching. Carnes serves on the steering committee of Social Workers for Immigrant Justice and is active in national and state school social work associations.
Pamela Valera is a public health researcher whose work focuses on the social drivers of poor health outcomes among people living with or at risk for HIV, correctional professionals, and individuals involved in the criminal justice system. She is the founder and director of the Community Health Justice Lab, where she mentors first-generation college students in health equity and implementation science. Her recent research explores the use of GPS and GIS to identify food insecurity among long-term HIV survivors, published in AIDS Care (2025). Dr. Valera also serves as a scientific reviewer for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
I knew from the moment I started my first class at Sacred Heart University that I made the right decision to join their social work program. The professors and faculty treat each student as a person and not as a number. They stand by you every step of the way through your journey. The cohorts are small which allows you to really get to know your classmates and be able to lean on each other for support. SHU worked with me to develop a schedule that allowed me to still work full-time, go to school part-time, and finish the program in three years. The field office worked tirelessly to find me internships that worked with my schedule. I am honored to be a graduate of SHU and I know that this program prepared me well for my future career as a social worker.
Interprofessional simulation brings together students from seven SHU programs
School of Social Work
Home of the
The former GE global headquarters at 3135 Easton Turnpike in Fairfield, located down the street from our Park Avenue campus, serves as SHU's West Campus - an innovation hub for the School of Social Work.
