Where They Are, We Are

IWU Social Work Program Prepares Students to be Ambassadors for Christ and Instruments of Healing

When people find themselves in unthinkable circumstances, the best-case scenario is when specially trained people are deployed to walk alongside them. We call them social workers, and each year IWU sends dozens of graduates out into the field to do this important work. They are practicing all across the country, even overseas, helping both children and adults navigate various forms of trauma.

They advocate for people in many situations that call for immediate intervention.

Jordan Dager (’17, ’21) is currently providing home-based therapy with Lifeline Youth & Family Services in Indianapolis, Indiana. She serves families in a four-county area, working mostly with children through daily in-person visits. Jordan’s job is to guide conversations, supervise visits between children and parents, and help kids to understand their feelings and respond in appropriate ways.

The need for educated, well-prepared social workers has risen exponentially in the global wake of the pandemic. The strains hit the highest levels of government, various aspects of communities, and family dynamics at home. It continues to be no respector of position or personality. Throughout lockdown last year, Jordan conducted virtual visits as much as possible, but some situations required her there in person.

“Lockdown has not been good for mental health at all. We see that in numbers—the rise in suicide, overdosing, and drug usage is insane right now,” Jordan said. “We’re seeing a lot more domestic violence from the lockdown as well, which has caused more removals and more trauma.”

The increase in Department of Child Services (DCS) cases is a heavy load for social workers, and it’s only one element of the fallout. Plenty of work needs to be done in other areas, like building strong training programs, improving mental health in adults, building a strong network of foster families, and more.

Jordan says one of the greatest needs right now is a robust community of well-equipped social workers. But not all social work programs are created equal. At IWU, Jordan says the most meaningful distinction for her is continued relationships with social work professors—mentors with listening ears.

“This is not an easy profession by any means, but the training I got helps me separate what’s going on in the field and what’s going on at home. Katti Sneed and Lori Reaves have been great mentors, and I still communicate with them often.”

For as long as she can remember, Jordan always thought she’d be an elementary school teacher. Her senior year of high school, she volunteered at a food bank and in a children’s program, and it opened her eyes to a specific need here in the U.S. By the time she arrived at IWU for freshman year, she had already decided to change her major to social work. Now she still works with children but instead of teaching them how to read, she’s showing them unconditional love, being a listening ear, and giving them tools they can use for the rest of their lives.

Like Jordan, our social work grads are impacting the world for Christ, going into places and situations many of us never realize are happening. And where our graduates are, we are, too.

Jordan Dager graduated from IWU with her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees in 2017 and 2021, respectively. In the future, she wants to work on becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She’s also been inspired by her instructors at IWU and loves the possibility of teaching college IWU social work program level social work.

Written by Jerry Pattengale ‘79