Joanne Corbin, M.S.S., Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Research Sequence
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Joanne Corbin came to the School for Social Work in 2000 from the Yale Child Study Center's School Development Program where she was the director of the Child and Adolescent Development Unit. Her work aided educators in integrating developmental theory into educational practice. She has also done research on parent involvement in public schools. Her current research and practice at Smith College focuses on the experiences of children and families affected by armed conflict in Northern Uganda. She also examines the systemic work of school social workers in public schools. Her publications focus on two areas: the resettlement experiences of child soldiers in Uganda and the role of social workers in educational decision making in public schools.
In 2010 Dr. Corbin was appointed to the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Council on Global Learning, Research, and Practice.
Education
Ph.D., School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University
M.S.S., Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr College
B.A., Wellesley College
Professional Interests
One of Corbin's areas of interest is exploring the effects of forced involvement in armed conflicts on the psychosocial and cultural lives of children and adolescents in Africa. A second area of interest is assessing the role of school-based social workers in the leadership and policy-making activities of public schools.
Areas of Current Research
- Effects of a psychosocial training-of-trainers program on service providers in northern Uganda. This research evaluates the impact of a training program that Corbin developed in 2007 on the work of psychosocial service providers in the conflict affected area of Northern Uganda. The training program was designed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of local service providers working with children and families affected by armed conflict. Corbin is examining the ways the training supported the service provision in this area. She has worked with masters student, Arden O'Donnell on her thesis. O'Donnell's thesis focused on the interpersonal changes that occurred among the participants in this training.
- Resettlement experiences of individuals returning to homes of origin after 20 years displacement due to armed conflict in northern Uganda. This qualitative study was conducted in 2008 and explored the decisions that individuals and families make about leaving internally displaced persons' camps and returning to original homes and the challenges they face.
- Experiences of formerly abducted children returning to their communities: A qualitative study. This study examines the lives of individuals who were abducted during childhood and adolescence by the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda, upon their return to their communities.
- Exploration of school social work practice in the decision-making activities of public schools. This study examines the work of social workers in schools in influencing decisions about school policies, school budget, school curriculum, and school programming.
Selected Publications
Corbin, J.N. (2011). Child Soldiers in L.M. Healy and R.J. Link (Eds), Handbook on International Social Work. London: Oxford University Press.
Corbin, J. N. (2011). Review of: Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front. African Studies Review, 54 (1), pp 187-188.
Corbin, J.N. (2009). [Review of the book Living With Bad Surroundings: War, History, and Everyday Moments in Northern Uganda]. Africa Studies Review, 52(1), 188–l189.
Corbin, J. and Miller, J. (2009). Collaborative Psychosocial Capacity Building in Northern Uganda. Families in Society, 90(1), 102–09.
Corbin, J. N. (2008). Returning home: Resettlement experiences of formerly abducted children in northern Uganda. Disasters, 32(2), 316–335.
Corbin, J.(2006). School-based clinical practice and school reform: Application of clinical social work to the School Development Program. In Lightburn, A. & Sessions, P. (Eds.), Handbook of community-based clinical practice (pp. 322–335). New York: Oxford University Press.
Corbin, J.N. (2005). Increasing opportunities for school social work practice resulting from comprehensive school reform. Children & Schools, 27(4), 239–246.
Corbin, J.N. (2004). Using a group psychotherapy framework to address school violence. Counseling and Human Development, 36(8).
Corbin, J. N. (2005). Expanding the practice of clinical work. In J. Daley & C. LeCroy (Eds.), Case Studies in Child, Adolescent and Family Treatment. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Corbin, J.N. (2003). Addressing school violence: Using the framwork of group psychotherapy to explore the impact of the School Development Program on school violence. In J. Miller, I. Rodrigue Martin, & G. Schamess (Eds.), School violence and children in crisis: school and community strategies for social workers and counselors. Denver: Love Publishing.
Selected Presentations
June 2011: Exploration of school of social work practice in the decision-making activities of public schools. Keynote at American Council of School Social Work, Bloomingdale, IL.
February 2009: Returning to normal in Northern Uganda: A qualitative study of individuals' experiences to return home after armed conflict. Interdisciplinary Seminar on Conflict and Violence. Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
October 2008: Psychosocial Capacity Building in Northern Uganda, Council on Social Work Education – Annual Programming Meeting. Philadelphia, PA.
October 2008: A Content Analysis of Concentration Level MSW Research Syllabi, Council on Social Work Education – Annual Programming Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
April 2008: African Approaches for Psychosocial Healing, National Association of Social Work – MA Chapter Symposium, Boston, MA.
April 2008: Returning the Tears: Healing After War in Northern Uganda Presentation for the Small Survivors: Vulnerable Children of Uganda exhibit at The Borowsky & Open Lens Galleries, The Gershman Y in Philadelphia, PA.
October 2007: Non-western approaches for African children and families affected by armed conflict. Presentation at the Council for Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
March 2006: Resettlement Experiences of Children Forced into Armed Conflict, CSWE, Chicago, IL.
March 2005: Addressing the Disparity in Achievement Tests between White Students and Students of Color Using the Six Development Pathways, Hertford County Public Schools, Hertford, NC.
October 2004: Issues of Cultural Diversity Within Public Schools, Rhode Island Association of School Social Work, Providence, RI.
March 2004: Addressing school violence: Using the principles of group psychotherapy to explore the impact of the school development program on school violence. Child and Family Well Being Conference, Bryn Mawr, PA.
March 2004: What Do Recent MSW Graduates Know About Informed Consent? National Survey Results. Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Anaheim, CA.
