Doctoral candidate Bonnie McIntyre is making her mark as the first Social Worker in the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics at The George Washington University Law School.
While earning her PhD in Social Work from the Catholic University of America’s National Catholic School of Social Services, Bonnie McIntyre has enhanced the Clinics in countless ways. Her position is funded by a generous grant from the Jacob Burns Foundation. In her role as Clinic Social Worker, Bonnie supports all of GW’s 13 clinics by providing support, training, and referral services for students and clients alike. Bonnie works closely with faculty to train students in vital topics such as secondary trauma and setting boundaries in their relationships with clients. She also consults with students individually about these issues and about the social service needs of their clients. Bonnie’s services also provide a direct benefit for Clinic clients, who can work with Bonnie to access vital social services such as health care, housing, and food assistance. “It is my honor and privilege to serve our clients with a strength-based, person-centered approach which takes into consideration the holistic needs of the client. Many of our clients experience social service-related needs which have either contributed to or exist as a result of the various stressors associated with their legal case. By connecting our clients with appropriate services according to their decided needs, we are able to support their sense of agency in achieving their goals beyond simply the benefits of the legal case” Bonnie said.
“In the GW Law Clinics, the social worker is an invaluable resource. The role is also extremely collaborative. Our social worker works with attorneys, clients, and even other social services providers in Washington D.C.,” said Andrea Willis-Johnson, Bonnie’s supervisor and Managing Attorney of the GW Law Clinics. Mrs. Willis-Johnson says a social worker’s skill-set helps clients address the root causes of their needs. “Recognizing that our clients have interrelated legal and non-legal needs that would benefit from having a social worker present, we encourage student attorneys across each clinic to be thoughtful about when and how to integrate our social worker into a client matter.”
Dean Laurie Kohn, Jacob Burns Foundation Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Director of the Family Justice Litigation Clinic and the Civil Access to Justice Clinic sees first hand how the addition of a social worker enhances the legal representation the clinics already provide. “Bonnie has brought a critical new element to our legal practice by supporting student attorneys in managing the challenges of poverty lawyering and by providing vital social service referrals and support for our clients.”
Bonnie’s weekly emails to students seek to provide mental health support to students and resources for clients. Dean Kohn notes, “I look forward to Bonnie’s two weekly emails. One provides reminders about self care and mental health resources; the other one compiles vital social service resources for our clients. For example, one week Bonnie will send out an email that explains D.C.’s free health care resources and provides links to organizations and government agencies; the next week, she will write about mediation techniques and the importance of breathing.”
Bonnie has written several publications on social work practice internationally and domestically. She also consults with agencies that address sex trafficking and homelessness. Bonnie holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Gordon College, and a Master’s of Social Work from Dominican University.