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Julie Clockston
Associate Professor of Social Work
Social Work
[email protected]Office Hours
By Appointment
Biography
Dr. Julie Clockston (She/Her/Hers) is a proud alumna of MSU Denver where she earned both her BSSW and MSW. President of The National Association of Social Workers (NASW Colorado); Doctor of Social Work DSWResearch Interests
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I am interested in research that focuses on utilizing a community-based participatory action research approach through qualitative, mixed methods involving public and private partnerships and social work.
I am interested in developing approaches to enhance the quality of life for all people, mostly lower socio-economic individuals residing in America. As a result, my professional goal is to become an established researcher for individuals and families with developmental and intellectual disabilities. I plan to seek opportunities to enhance my understanding of innovative research methods and increase my capacity to apply mixed methodologies to a given research question. Moreover, I intend to use my experience to influence positive outcomes for individuals involved in the human service system and the CPS department through community participatory research by adopting a care perspective system. My commitment to research, community advocacy, and teaching social work reflects my readiness to undertake this task.
Teaching Interests
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My teaching style involves empowering learners to do their self-work by exploring and investigating themselves. This exploration and development of personal values and perceptions promote growth as a social worker. I encourage learners to assess who they are as they concurrently increase their knowledge of social work values, concepts, and ethics.
My teaching philosophy's primary goal is to support learners in enriching their interpersonal and academic skills as they increase their knowledge and understanding of social work practice across all service delivery levels. Additionally, the pedagogy that I follow supports the learner through a variety of teaching methods. My teaching philosophy fosters connecting coursework to practicums, internships, or fieldwork. Social work education is an exciting opportunity to practice, grow, and to learn. It is my philosophy that this helps learners to develop strengths and inform where they can improve.
Internships provide an opportunity for students to integrate the academic courses they have worked through, such as policy, program development, cultural diversity, inclusion, and courses focused on children, youth, and families, integrative clinical, or macro work.
I enjoy teaching students and facilitating their learning through courses such as Human Behavior in the Social Environment; Environmental Social Work; Generalist Social Work Practice; Advanced direct clinical social work practice with individuals and families; Behavioral/ Mental Health Client Engagement and Assessment; Behavioral/ Mental Health Interventions; Health-related social work practice with individuals and/or families; Policy; Power, Privilege, and Oppression; Research Methods; Program and Practice Evaluation; Group Work; Family Work; Social Work Supervision; Organizational Leadership; Community Organizing; Field Seminar; Philosophy and ethics of social work; and social work with various populations including LGBTQ; Children/Youth, Adults, Older People, Late Life; Individuals living with developmental/intellectual and cognitive disabilities; Parents living with cognitive disabilities; Criminal Justice; Veterans; Trauma-Informed Social Work and people faced with Severe Mental Illness.
Class discussions about ethics and best practices are imperative while transferring knowledge into applicable practice. I love helping learners develop their plans of action and turn their learning plans into deliverables for their site. It is always enjoyable for me as a professor to work with students and their placement as an interdisciplinary team member and guide students through what can be challenging as they form professionalism and integrity for social work and self.
I strive to help learners identify areas for evaluation and improvement. Also, to ensure that they understand the true essence of trauma-informed practice and implement self-awareness and self-evaluation to ensure that they are checking personal biases and acting in the best culturally competent manner. Learners need to understand that to do-no-harm, one must strive to show acceptance of all. It is also essential for learners in the field and other courses to value their self-care, which can be extremely challenging for today's adult learners.
Together we work on the best practices and identify core competencies. As a professor, I look forward to working with learners and other faculty as needed to provide help with appropriate field placements, training, supervision, necessary documentation, and I am available for connection and consultation with field liaisons and off-site field supervisors or instructors. In addition, I believe in educating and fostering the practice of program evaluation and research. I help learners connect the importance of policy and macro practice regardless of where their passion lies.
I was charged with preparing and delivering lectures in the post-masters 18 credit hour certificate program that I completed in Education College Teaching, specializing in online instructional design. I am trained in utilizing learning management systems (LMS) and a variety of other online technologically based platforms. My philosophy of teaching is to create an environment that allows for supervised exploration. I believe that the most significant learning occurs in situations that are both meaningful and realistic. I am learner-centered, so I focus on creating a dialogue with learners and helping them discover. I hold weekly office hours and review sessions, write and grade exams, and am always accessible to learners by audio platforms, phone, or email. I found it an energizing challenge to be an eclectic practitioner as well as an instructor. I balance my instruction by knowing when to interfere, give feedback, or gently nudge learners in the right direction, and when they would learn more from my silent observation. I embrace every teaching opportunity possible, and I have worked enthusiastically and effectively with learners at various levels.
Education
Other in Doctor of Social Work Public Service Leadership
Capella University
Other in Andragogy
Capella University
MSW in Social Work
Metropolitan State University of Denver
BSW in Bachelor of Science in Social Work
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Other in General Studies
Community College of Denver
Published Works
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Boyce, E., Clockston, M. J., Cottrell, S. B., Sullivan, F. A. (2025). Advances in Social Work, "An autoethnographic exploration of Design Justice as a framework for anti-racist, equitable curriculum design.".. Advances in Social Work Carol Hostetter, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW, Editor https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork.
Cottrell, S. B., Boyce, E., Clockston, M. J., Corvino, A. P., Sullivan, F. A., Taylor, A., Baranski, M. A. (2025). Design Justice: Engagement and Equity in Pedagogy. Springer Nature Publisher ,
Boyce, E., Clockston, M. J., Cottrell, S. B., Sullivan, F. A. (2024). An autoethnographic exploration of Design Justice as a framework for anti-racist, equitable curriculum design. Advances in Social Work, 24(3), 609-627. https://doi.org/10.18060/27598.
Clockston , J. (2023). Ch 4. Social Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Social Work pg. 90-120 . Cognella Academic Publishing , https://titles.cognella.com/introduction-to-social-work-9781793567222
Clockston, M. J. . Human Service Professionals and Parents with Cognitive Disabilities . .
Clockston, M. J. . ICWA and Child Welfare . .
Clockston, M. J. (2023). In J. Ritter, Introduction to Social Work: Social workers effecting change in our world. Cognella Publishing ,
Clockston , M. J., Darnel , L., Retrum , J., Taylor, A., Greathouse, T. (2022). Metamorphosing White Supremacist Organizational Practices: Stages of Liberatory Engagement. [Manuscript submitted for publication].