Charnetta Gadling-Cole is the chair of the department of social work as well as the principal investigator/project director of a U.S Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources & Services administration opioid impacted family support specialist certificate training program at Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia University Ann Arbor. She has a passion for social work on the international and macro levels, impacting policies and implementing programs based on evidence-based research. She has written several books and journal articles based on her experiences focusing on gerontology, caregiving, gender-based, and cultural issues. Gadling-Cole is also the President of Just 4 Me Consultants, LLC. LinkedIn profile
MSW Online
Please share how you got started in social work.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
Well, actually, my journey was very interesting because my undergrad degree is in psychology. Since I was in high school, I wanted to major in psychology. I told my parents I was intrigued by the mind. I earned my BA in psychology from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. After that, the jobs that I could get were primarily working in group homes. Also, I worked as a case manager for child welfare. From there, I was able to meet the director of Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services and he had his master’s in social work.
He introduced me to the discipline and shared “you get a master’s in social work, it’s like having your PhD, because it’s considered as a terminal degree.” Fast forward, the comments stayed on my mind. I said, “Okay, I’m going to get my master’s,” but I needed to get experience. So I obtained a position working in Child Protection Services. From there, I decided that I wanted to pursue my master’s degree and I was accepted into the University of South Carolina, College of Social Work. I would eventually earn my PhD from Howard University, School of Social Work. I had awesome experiences and that was my path.
MSW Online
Interesting. Would you say that the child welfare arena was a passion and a specialty for you?
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
Well, it’s so interesting. I was introduced to child welfare, as are a lot of social workers. Child welfare actually showed me that I was more interested at the macro level, developing policies and programs. The experiences pushed me to start a nonprofit organization to provide services in economically disadvantaged areas in Charlotte. I had the opportunity to receive a HUD subcontracted grant to provide services to families in the community and I decided that this is my niche. I decided to attend the University of South Carolina to focus on macro practice. It was right when they were really pushing macro social work. From then on, macro practice has been my emphasis. I’ve worked with a variety of populations, from gerontology, individuals with disabilities, and international communities. I enjoy exploring evidence-based practices. I am truly a macro social worker.
MSW Online
Tell us about your current role, and what you currently teach.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
I currently teach research and gerontology classes, but I’m an administrator now. Our Department was recently awarded a HRSA grant for an opioid impacted family support specialist certificate training program for which I was the lead author. I am the principal investigator and project director. These experiences tie into my macro focus. I have developed and taught grant writing courses which I really enjoyed. I also like teaching human behavior and social environment. However, I teach HBSE starting with older adults. Oftentimes, when we’re teaching HBSE courses, by the time we focus on the gerontology content, the only emphasis is death and dying. In our society, people are living a lot longer. We need to incorporate the importance of wellness. So, when we start from the aspect of older adults in the introduction of the class, it gives us more time for the students to recognize, “oh, this is a population I would like to work with”.
Gerontology is one of my areas of specialization. Another area is international social work. I’ve done work in Kenya, Haiti and South Africa focused on caregivers of persons living with HIV AIDS. It all ties into my emphasis on evidence-based practices, which I would say is more of my focus. I can explore any population and identify gaps of services through research and develop programs and policies.
MSW Online
What an inspiring career path.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
One thing about social work that I really like is the fact that we can impact change on different levels. You have students that want to do more (clinical) micro practice, work in the community, and some at the macro level. It’s just awesome that we can take one degree and have an impact on so many levels in society. That’s why I love social work! When I was completing my MSW degree, there were business majors who would take social work courses. They understood the importance of developing a rapport and our courses teach strategies to develop those skills. Also, I think the research niche really came to me when I was working on my PhD at Howard University. I had the opportunity to be appointed as a summer fellow at the National Institute of Health. I also had the opportunity to conduct qualitative research in Kenya, Haiti and South Africa. I feel like experiences on our journey leads us to where we’re destined to be. So far, it has been a great ride!
MSW Online
Changing the conversation a bit, but how has COVID impacted your work?
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
Well, the good thing is we were already transitioning some of our classes to be offered online. When COVID did hit, we had some that were already in place and the ability to teach virtually. I have wonderful faculty and they were able to easily transition to provide alternative teaching options. I find that there is more flexibility to conduct meetings because people are working from home, versus driving to an office. Also, I think the students, since they are already so technology driven, it wasn’t too much of a negative experience for them. They enjoy the virtual classes better because you do have that interaction but also the convenience. We don’t know how long Covid is going to last and we don’t know the ramifications related to academia. I think some programs will decide to stay online, which will require different teaching techniques. It’s a learning curve for some; but, as social workers we’re able to re strategize and keep it moving, right?
MSW Online
Flexibility is key. Tell me about what you would say to new graduates or students? What kind of advice would you have for them as they’re entering the beginning of their career?
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
I think it’s so important that they follow their passion. I feel that a lot of students pursue social work because they’ve had experiences with social workers themselves, or they have family members and friends that have. Some might want to work with the population so they can pay it forward or pave the way for those who may be experiencing similar circumstances. Once they’ve developed a focus, where they can say, “This is my path. This is something I enjoy,” then work really isn’t work. I feel it is really a calling.
There are students who want to be clinicians and they must practice self care. It can be very stressful when social workers are constantly addressing issues and concerns through counseling. Their own mental health can be impacted. They must have strong support systems and know when to take a break and when it’s time to transition. That’s the awesome thing about social work, you can transition from working directly with clients, to the administrative end. I think that’s why there is now such a push for macro social. We had so many students who were preparing to be clinicians but then they become employed by an agency and then an administrative opportunity becomes available or they’re asked to serve in a supervisory role. Oftentimes, they move into supervisory roles and become clinicians for their employees. At the macro level, we need to help develop our social workers into competent macro practitioners so they’ll understand the dynamics of running a business incorporating successful supervisory strategies. They should know how to make sure that there’s accountability implemented through quality assurance techniques. Those components are very important.
I believe that God directs our path, and we’ll land where we’re supposed to be. I encourage students to remain flexible. There are some people who must stay in a certain geographic location because they have family or they have other responsibilities. Well, the good thing with social work too, is we develop your own business and hire other social workers. It’s about just thinking out of the box, being in and enjoying the journey. Then it’s not just work, because with social work, you’ve got to be vested in the success of others as well.
MSW Online
What does the future look like for social work? Are there industries, or trends that you see, that will affect the future?
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
Well, I think there was a push, even before the pandemic, for social workers to be involved at the global level another reason why macro social work is in the forefront. We have programs now designed to teach individuals who want to be politicians how to learn the process of pursuing a political career. They can really have a voice to impact societal changes. I think there’s also an emphasis on international social work as well. Those are the two areas I’m interested in, macro and international.
These areas aren’t necessarily new because I came in the door, years ago, knowing that macro was the path for me. There’s just more emphasis on the macro track. People understand social workers need to be at the table. We’re good negotiators. We are good at navigating systems and building positive relationships. So, when we look at society and some of the policies that people aren’t happy with, or the lack of services for various groups in the community, we need to assist in making a difference through implementing policies and services.
There is also a push for social workers to collaborate more with the police officers. We were already doing police social work. We were already working in the community. We have students that are placed in some police station. I believe community-based participatory research can assist in identifying strategies to assist in developing effective, positive relationships with the police department and community mentoring.
MSW Online
That makes me think of the current push for addressing social determinants of health, and developing strategies there.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
If you’re going to be working with a health care agency, that piece is very crucial. And, we’re needed because you have those populations that have limited accessibility of services. That’s very important. Consider those individuals in the rural areas. Telehealth and telecounseling can be beneficial to those communities. You have certain areas where there’s really a lack of resources. There are also accessibility issues; some cannot even go to a hospital or clinic. Social workers must assist communities that are struggling due to lack of funding and identify resources.
Technology has been instrumental in introducing virtual telehealth meetings. This is really thinking out of the box, because the services are needed. We can provide services to our patients, our clients that were out of reach. I love it! Social work is so awesome to me, in that we can determine the needs of communities and say, “What can we do to make a difference?” From there, we can develop policies, procedures, implement programs and introduce evidence-based practices and interventions. It doesn’t matter the population group. We can always identify what’s already been done, which we do in research, then we identify the gaps, and say, “How can we modify this intervention to fit the population that we’re serving?” I think it’s awesome!
MSW Online
I can hear the passion in your voice. The joy it brings you, you can tell, it just kind of radiates from the phone and it’s inspiring.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
It doesn’t feel like a job. You’ve got to know when to put it down, though. That’s one thing COVID has done. It’s made me work an awful lot because I have so much fun. I don’t have to get dressed and drive to work. The HRSA grant we wrote, that’s our pandemic grant, because we were just working from home and getting it done. I get super excited about those types of initiatives because I know it’s going to have a positive impact. I do feel that we are destined to do certain things and we have to be willing to go where we need to go to make it happen. Everybody can’t do that, but the fact that I’m able to, that makes a difference and I do feel like your gifts will make room for you. I believe that “to whom much is given, much is required.” I’ve been privileged to have some wonderful experiences and great mentors. I’m just enjoying the journey. Right now, wherever I’m needed and wherever I’m called to be, that’s where I’m willing to go.
MSW Online
Yes, go where your gifts may take you. That’s such great advice. Thank you.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
You’re welcome. And another thing… We have such a strong impact on others as well. That’s how I look at it. I’ve had positions where I’m able to hire junior faculty and help them develop their passion for social work. I’ve also supervised counseling faculty and other areas of study such as psychology, but whatever the discipline, I appreciate the opportunity to assist them on their journey in academia. That’s really important to me as well. They can go and pay it forward.
MSW Online
Is there anything that I didn’t ask you about that you wish I would have, or anything else you’d like to share for the readership?
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
I have conducted research in Kenya and Haiti and South Africa, and co-authored the book, Caregivers of Persons Living with HIV AIDS in Kenya. From there, I was appointed as the editor of the Journal of Information Development in Africa. It’s like one thing can build to something else, and now one of the passions I have is African-American women and some of the issues we face in society. I’m the editor of an African-American women book series, so I’ve been able to identify faculty who became the editor in the book series. Two are already out and we have a third one entitled African-American Women in Academia, the Intersectionality of Race and Gender.
As a Black woman, I feel it is important that I share my experiences and continue to pay it forward for others. It all ties in to what I say about passion. That’s something I wanted to do years ago because as I was entering into The Academy, I learned you need to learn how to navigate the academic system. You can obtain an academic appointment and administrators will say, “Let me know what you need.” People appear to be very supportive, however, we need to understand that we have to really assist folks and not just say, “What do you need?” because oftentimes, they don’t know what they need.
When I came into academia, I didn’t know what I needed. I learned later, but I want to make sure we provide a path for others providing guidance proactively. I think it’s important, as administrators, that we truly support our faculty. We want them to grow and develop as scholars so they can implement the teacher-scholar model in the classroom, which is going to positively impact them, as well as have a positive impact on our students.
MSW Online
Wonderful. Thank you so much.
Charnetta Gadling-Cole
You’re welcome.