Dr. Lydia Ogden is a licensed clinical social worker who uses her social work experience in housing, inpatient psychiatry, day treatment programs, and tele-behavioral health to inform her teaching, scholarship, and community engagement. As a researcher and practitioner, her passion lies with understanding the stories and developing the potential of persons diagnosed with serious mental illnesses, especially older adults. As an educator, she is committed to a pedagogy that actively promotes the self-care and well-being of social work students in an inclusive and holistic manner, and extending her vision of social work student and professional thriving to other professions.
Education
- PhD, Columbia University School of Social Work
- MSW, Columbia University School of Social Work
- BA, Colorado College
License/Certifications
- Massachusetts LICSW, New York LCSW
Courses
- SW 414 Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
- SW 444 Hope: Empowerment and Mental Illness
- SW 424A & B Advanced Clinical Practice
- SW 635 Qualitative Data Analysis
- SW 101 Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare
Community Engagement
Ogden conducts her research in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Office of Recovery and Empowerment. She also provides psychotherapy with a tele-behavioral health program.
Research/Creative Activities
Ogden's research is generally aimed at improving the mental well-being of those experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mental health disorders. One project involved development of an intervention that uses evidence-informed positive psychology tools to improve the experience of aging with serious mental illnesses. She also served as co-principal investigator on a project funded by the Boston Children's Hospital Community Health Initiative called the Simmons Trauma Education Project, which recruited and trained diverse trauma-specialized social workers who are committed to working with trauma-affected children and families in the Boston area post MSW graduation. Finally, she has been working on teaching and learning scholarship projects that support the mental health of social work students through integration of evidence-based self care practices into social work course material.
Other projects have ranged from collecting and analyzing life histories of older adults with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses, to using focus groups to understand barriers and facilitators to the implementation of an evidence-based substance use intervention called “SBIRT” (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment).
Her articles have appeared in Advances in Social Work Practice, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Qualitative Health Research, Journal of Social Work Education, Journal of Social Service Research, Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, Qualitative Social Work, Social Work in Health Care, and Journal of Aging Studies. She regularly presents at national and international conferences.
Publications
Selected Publications
Ogden, L.P., Fulambarker, A.J., and Haggerty, C. (accepted). The intersection of race and disability in the portrayal of the police homicide of Eric Garner: A thematic content analysis of media coverage. Journal of Social Work Education. Acceptance date: 2/12/19.
Vinjamuri, M., Ogden, L. P., and Kahn, J. (accepted) Understanding how social workers’ approaches to implementing “SBIRT” affect model fidelity. Advances in Social Work Practice. Acceptance Date: 10/01/2018.
Collin, C.R., Putney, J.M., Halmo, R., Ogden, L.P., O’Brien, K.H. (2019) “SBIRT in the field: Facilitators and barriers to MSW student use.” Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 19, 1-8.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2019.1589885
Ogden, L.P. (2018). “To fill the emptiness:” Work in life history narratives of older adults with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses. Qualitative Social Work, 17(4), 556-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325016688368
Ogden, L.P., McAllister, C., and Neely-Barnes, S. (2017). Assessment of integration of disability content into social work education. Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation 16(3-4), 361-376. https://doi.org/10.1080/1536710X.2017.1392394
Senreich E., Ogden, L.P. and Greenberg, J. (2017). A post-graduation follow-up of social work students trained in “SBIRT:” Rates of usage and perceptions of effectiveness. Social Work in Health Care, 56(5), 412-434. DOI: 10.1080/00981389.2017.1290010
Senreich E., Ogden, L.P. and Greenberg, J. (2017). The effect of instituting an “SBIRT” training project on social work student attitudes and knowledge about working with substance using clients. Journal of Social Work Education, (53)2, 260-275.
Ogden, L. P., Vinjamuri, M., and Kahn, J. (2016). A model for implementing an evidence-based practice into student fieldwork placements: Barriers and facilitators to the use of “SBIRT.” Journal of Social Service Research, 42(4), 425-441.
Ogden, L.P. (2016). Teaching note: Fostering practice self-efficacy: An exercise to promote student self-efficacy and evidence-based practice. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 21(1), 23-31.
Ogden, L.P. (2014). Interpersonal relationship narratives of older adults with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 84(6), 674-684.
Ogden, L.P. (2014). “My life as it is has value”: Narrating schizophrenia in later years. Qualitative Health Research, 24(10), 1342-1355.
Ogden, L.P. (2014). “Waiting to go home”: Narratives of homelessness, housing and home among older adults with schizophrenia. Journal of Aging Studies, 29, 53-65.
Selected Presentations
Ogden, L.P., Vinjamuri, M., and Kahn, J.K. (2018). Implementing “SBIRT” into social work fieldwork placements: A multi-year qualitative evaluation. The 64th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. November, 2018. Orlando, FL.
Bogenschutz, M., Nealy-Barnes, S. and Ogden, L. (2018). Building skills to integrate disability-competent practice in the social work curriculum. The 64th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. November, 2018. Orlando, FL.
Ogden, L. P. and Fulambarker, A. (2018). The role of media racism in discrediting police brutality as the cause of Eric Garner’s death. 5th World Conference on Remedies to Racial & Ethnic Economic Inequality. September, 2018. Vitoria, Brazil.
Ogden, L. (2018) Understanding how Black Lives Matter cases are discredited in American media: Social Justice Teaching Points for Core Social Work Curricula. The Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education, and Social Development. July 2018. Dublin, Ireland.
Ogden, L. (2018) What is the opposite of aging with a schizophrenia-spectrum diagnosis? The Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education, and Social Development. July 2018. Dublin, Ireland.
Ogden, L. (2017). Can the “Cultural Formulation Interview” be made useful for social workers? A study to examine a tool that promotes culturally sensitive communication. The 2017 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. January 2017. New Orleans, LA.
McAllister, C., Neely-Barnes, S., and Ogden, L. (2016). Assessment of integration of disability content into social work education. The 62nd Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. November, 2016. Atlanta, GA.
Ogden, L., Vinjamuri, M., and Kahn, J. (2015). Using “SBIRT”: How students approach evidence-based material and assimilate it into practice. The 61st Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. October, 2015. Denver, CO.
McGovern, J., Ogden, L., and Kolb, P. (2015). Brave new world: Cultural humility in the context of global aging. The 61st Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. October, 2015. Denver, CO.
McGovern, J., Ogden, L., and Kolb, P. (2015). Many shades of gray: Diversity in the context of aging and the life course. CUNY Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Conference. March, 2015. New York, NY.
Ogden, L. (2015). Understanding and addressing interpersonal relationship needs among older adults with schizophrenia. The 2015 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. January 2015. New Orleans, LA.
Ogden, L. and Senreich, E. (2014). Disseminating screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for substance use harm reduction in the Bronx: Evaluation outcomes after one year. The 142nd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition. November, 2014. New Orleans, LA.
Ogden, L. and Senreich, E. (2014). Teaching “SBIRT:” An evidence-based approach to working with substance using clients. The 60th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. October, 2014. Tampa, FL.
Senreich, E. and Ogden, L. (2014). Using motivational interviewing to enhance clinical effectiveness when performing brief interventions with substance using clients. The 46th Annual National Association of Social Workers NYC Chapter Addictions Institute. June, 2014. New York, NY.
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- Society for Social Work and Research
- Council on Social Work Education
- National Association of Social Workers
Awards
- John A Hartford Foundation Dissertation Award, 2012
Lydia Ogden in the News
Voices of Resilience: Exploring Psychological Clubhouses and Older Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses
A conversation with Lydia Ogden, Associate Professor in the Simmons University School of Social Work and Director of the Center for Innovation in Clinical Social Work.
Learning Real-Life Skills in Virtual Reality
"Virtual Reality is the Zoom of the future," says Assistant Professor Catherine Dumas. Simmons SLIS is on the cutting edge of using broadly accessible Virtual Reality (VR) technology as a general pedagogic tool. Dumas, along with Assistant Professor Rachel Williams...
Director of the School of Social Work Melinda Gushwa Receives Funding from Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health
Gushwa to serve as Principal Investigator and Project Director for grant that will support children's mental health workforce and diversity Simmons University is proud to announce that the School of Social Work has received a grant of $298,393 from Boston...
Simmons Releases Annual Report on Research for Fiscal Year 2019
Dear Friends of Simmons University, I am so pleased to have the opportunity to reflect on the role of research at Simmons University, and to offer this Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2019 that features the research accomplishments of faculty...
Traumatized in Life, Objectified in Death: Professor Lydia Ogden Discusses Media Coverage of the Police Homicide of Eric Garner
"Race and Disability in Media Coverage of the Police Homicide of Eric Garner," co-authored by Professor Lydia Ogden, asks clinical social workers to turn a critical eye toward media accounts of police violence, racism, and ableism in order to better treat their clients.
Shout-outs from Students and Alums
Divya Kumar '19MSW Supports Perinatal Mental Health for People of Color
Divya Kumar '19MSW is a psychotherapist at And Still We Rise therapy practice in Boston, and a co-founder of the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color. She writes about the intersections of race, trauma, and perinatal mental health...