Areas of Practice

Kelsey’s research aims to subvert social work education and practice through lenses of queer irreverence and mess. What does that mean? She is still learning the answer to that too and looks forward to learning together with her students. However, in essence, to Kelsey, this means bringing a critical lens to anything institutionalized (especially the things we are taught in social work school--which is taking place in an institution deeply tied to legacies of settler colonialism and white supremacy) and getting used to a long, messy, and engaged experience that centers community process and accountability over individual product and power gain. This process requires intentionality and prioritization, and yet the demands of MSW programs often interrupt or even inhibit this process. A parallel process forms between social work classrooms and social work settings, and therefore if we hope to share liberatory spaces in the field, Kelsey believes it is the responsibility of instructors to share liberatory spaces in the classroom. Through guest lecturing, teaching associateships, and serving as a lead instructor, Kelsey looks forward to being on this road with each and all of her students.

Kelsey has guest lectured at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, Columbia University School of Social Work, and NYU Silver School of Social Work. Throughout her doctoral program, she has prioritized honing teaching skills through the Advanced Track of Columbia’s Teaching Development Program (TDP), fellowships within Columbia’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and TAships within Columbia School of Social Work Master’s-level courses (each listed below).

Teaching Appointments

Rigor, PROP*, and Social Work Pedagogy - Spring 2023
First-Year Master of Social Work Elective Independent Course
(*PROP = power, race, oppression, and privilege)

Teaching Associateships

Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) A - Fall 2022
First-Year Master of Social Work Core Course
Course Lecturer: “Gendered Beginnings: The Birth of Gender & Being Gendered Upon Birth”

Social Work Research - Fall 2022
First-Year Master of Social Work Core Course
Course Lecture: “Queering the Pandemic via Photovoice: Experiences of Crisis Counselors in Quarantine”

Teaching Fellowships

Senior Lead Teaching Fellow (SLTF) (2023-2024)
Managed five LTFs across four Columbia University departments
Learning Community Facilitated: “Moving Forward Together: The Interdependence of Instructor and Student Motivation”
Awarded by Columbia University, Center for Teaching and Learning

Lead Teaching Fellow (LTF) (2022-2023)
Pedagogy Workshops Facilitated: “CSSW Student Teaching Development” & “Teaching While You’re Struggling”
Learning Community Member: “Difficult Knowledge & Inclusive Teaching”
Awarded by Columbia University, Center for Teaching and Learning

Teaching Assessment Fellow (TAF) (2021-2022)
Intervention Assessed: “Unveiling the Hidden Curriculum: An Innovative Approach to Teaching Professionalism in the Operating Room during the Medical Student Surgery Clerkship”
School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Awarded by Columbia University, Center for Teaching and Learning

Pedagogical Training

CTL Advisory Committee, Graduate Student Member (2023 - Present)
Columbia University, Center for Teaching and Learning

Institute on Pedagogy and Technology for Online Courses, Certified (2021)
Columbia University, School of Social Work Online Campus

Teaching Development Program, Advanced Track (2020 - Present)
Columbia University, Center for Teaching and Learning

Teaching Portfolio

Password to e-portfolio shared upon request.