Division of Social Work

College of Health Sciences

Diane Kempson

MSW Program Director and Associate Professor

dkempson@uwyo.edu

Health Sciences, room 220

(307) 766-2516

Office Hours:

Wednesday 12:15 pm to 2:15 pm. Other times by appointment via phone or zoom.

 

 

 

 

Education

B.A., Columbia College 
MSW, Florida State University
Ph.D., University of South Carolina
Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies, University of South Carolina

 

Research Interests

Unacknowledged loss/grief/bereavement, individual and cultural trauma

 

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is founded on feminist pedagogy, mandating a developing personal and critical awareness of the social construction of one's worldview.  Feminist pedagogy proposes that learning is an interactive dialogue among students and instructor, thereby creating a community of learners.  In keeping with feminist pedagogy and pivotal to social construction is an understanding that "truth" is a dialogic process, opening the way to multiple perspectives.  Also of significance is heightened consciousness about diversity and social justice and attention to caring and empowerment.

While giving consideration to diverse backgrounds and educational preparedness of students, students come to class with the expertise of their own lives, resulting in rich potential for contribution to the learning process.  This requires a strong interactive model that promotes and highlights the benefits of participatory learning.

 

Biosketch

Diane has an extensive history as a direct social work practitioner.  She has worked as a clinical social worker (child and adolescent services) in psychiatric hospitals in New York City and South Carolina.  She maintained a private practice for 20 years before venturing West to an academic position.   Her primary approach to understanding and working with people is through a collaborative family systems perspective, even when working with an individual, as no one lives on an island.  Diane enjoys teaching beginning practice classes to incoming undergraduate and graduate students.  As a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), Diane incorporates MI as a solid, evidence-based approach into her teaching that is easily learnable by students.  In addition, she maintains her passion for teaching an advances graduate course on working with children and families.

Curriculum Vitae