Meet Jennifer L.K. Charles, Ph.D. candidate
Charles is a doctoral candidate in the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her M.S.W. from Barry University after earning a B.A. from Virginia Tech. Her pre- and post-M.S.W. practice experience was in community mental health, substance abuse services and psychiatric social work. Specifically, Charles worked in a crisis stabilization unit and as an outpatient counselor with individuals living with mental illness and substance abuse challenges.
Charles’ practice experience and doctoral education have guided her research trajectory, which concentrates on the identification of and issues related to the stigma of mental illness. Her dissertation, “Measuring mental health provider stigma: The development of a valid and reliable self-assessment instrument,” focuses on the provider of services as the potential conveyor of stigma, often unintentionally and unknowingly. It is on this foundation that Charles’ research career is situated, with replication and intervention development planned for the future.
As part of her pursuit of an academic career, Charles is committed to the education of social work students at all levels. Her teaching philosophy is predicated on the belief that students come to the classroom, physical or virtual, with varying strengths, limitations and experiences. It is on these individual experiences that a collaborative effort must take place to link what the student already knows, with new information and new experiences, to equip future social workers for ethical and effective practice. Charles has taught at the B.S.W. and M.S.W. levels at VCU, and has held a lengthy interdisciplinary teaching assistantship at the university. She is interested in teaching in the various elements of the social work curriculum with a focus on research methods and statistics, as well as mental health policy and practice.
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