Job Titles
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Program Director
Social Work (B.A.) College of Adult and Professional Studies -
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences
Social Work (M.S.W.), Graduate School
Highlight
Dr. Aynsley Scheffert is an Assistant Professor of Social Work teaching in both the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work programs and serves as the BSW Program Director with Bethel University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern College in Orange City, IA in 2007 and her MSW from St. Thomas University in 2015. Following completion of her MSW degree, she worked as a hospital social worker at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and then as an individual, family and group psychotherapist at Zumbro Valley Health Center in Rochester, MN. She is trained in play therapy, DBT, CBT, ACT, Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) and psychodynamic therapeutic approaches. She is certified in Trauma-Focused CBT and Dianosing Children 0-5/DC:0-5. She specializes in clinical practice with child and adolescent trauma, prolonged exposure for PTSD in adults, ADHD, mood disorders, dual diagnosis, and severe and persistent mental illness. Dr. Scheffert earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Baylor University in May 2022. Her dissertation is entitled "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Work Students' Experiences of Loss, Grief, and Stress". Her research interests focus on trauma, loss, grief, coping, post-traumatic growth and disaster response and recovery.
Started at Bethel
2021
Education
- Northwestern College - B.A. in Music, 2007
- University of St. Thomas - M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work, 2015
- Baylor University - Ph.D. in Social Work, 2022
Biography
Dr. Aynsley Scheffert is an Assistant Professor of Social Work teaching in both the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work programs and serves as the BSW Program Director with Bethel University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern College in Orange City, IA in 2007 and her MSW from St. Thomas University in 2015. Following completion of her MSW degree, she worked as a hospital social worker at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and then as an individual, family and group psychotherapist at Zumbro Valley Health Center in Rochester, MN. She is trained in play therapy, DBT, CBT, ACT, Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) and psychodynamic therapeutic approaches. She is certified in Trauma-Focused CBT and Dianosing Children 0-5/DC:0-5. She specializes in clinical practice with child and adolescent trauma, prolonged exposure for PTSD in adults, ADHD, mood disorders, dual diagnosis, and severe and persistent mental illness.
Dr. Scheffert earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Baylor University in May 2022. Her dissertation is entitled "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Work Students' Experiences of Loss, Grief, and Stress". Her research interests focus on trauma, loss, grief, coping, post-traumatic growth and disaster response and recovery.
Courses Taught
Courses Taught
SOW313: Social Work Practice II: Social Work Practice with Individuals
SOW351: Applied Social Research Methods
SOW405: Social Work Practice III: Social work Practice with Families and Groups
SOW433/434: Senior Field II & III
SOW499: Senior Symposium Seminar
MSW Courses Developed
SOWK630: Advanced Social Work Practice II: Groups and Communities
SOWK650: Social Work Research Methods and Design I
SOWK700: Advanced Social Work Practice III
SOWK720: Advanced Social Work Research Methods and Design II
SOWK730: Advanced Social Work Research Methods and Design III
Awards
Awarded GSSW Doctoral Fellowship 2019-2020
Awarded Baylor Data Scholars Fellowship 2021
Baylor University Outstanding Dissertation Award Nomination for Garland School of Social Work
Publications
Scheffert, A., & Parrish, D (in press). Students' experiences of grief, loss and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods survey. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.
Scheffert, A. & Ellor, J. (in press). Addressing the inequality of disasters: The role of faith-based organizations in disaster response and recovery. Submitted to Social Work and Christianity
Parrish, D., Scheffert, A., & Crouch, C. (in press). I’ve always been discounted, and I don’t feel discounted here”: A Mixed Methods Study of a Restorative Community Program. Journal of Poverty
Scheffert, A. (2022). The soul of the helper: seven stages to seeing the sacred within yourself so you can see it in others: A book review. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, DOI: 10.1080/15426432.2022.2084877
Scheffert, A., Parrish, D. & Harris, H. (2021) Factors associated with social work students' academic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey, Journal of Social Work Education, 57:sup1, 182-193, DOI: 10.1080/10437797.2021.1914253
Parrish, D., Springer, D., Scheffert, A. Franklin, C. (2021). Standardized assessment measures and computer-assisted technologies for evidence-based practice. In Clinical Assessment for Social Workers: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods (5th ed.) (Eds. C.J. Jordan & Franklin, C.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Scheffert, A. (2019). Spiritual art therapy: An alternate path. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, ahead of print.
Presentations
Student Experiences of Loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study
January 2023
Oral Presentation for the Annual Conference for the Society for Social Work Research
Phoenix, AZ
Social Work Student Experiences of Change and Loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis
January 2023
E-Poster Presentation for the Annual Conference for the Society for Social Work Research
Phoenix, AZ
Coping Behavior Changes in Congregations in the United States: A National Survey
November 2022
Presented in the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) Annual Meeting
Baltimore, MD
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Work Student Stress
November 2022
Presented in the CSWE APM 2022 Conference
Anaheim, CA
Student Experiences of Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study
November 2022
Oral Paper Presented in the CSWE APM 2022 Conference
Anaheim, CA
The Impact of Social Distancing on Congregations in the United States: A Mixed Methods Study
October 2022
Presented in the NACSW 2022 Convention
Oakbrook, IL
Coping Behavior Changes in Congregations in the United States: A National Survey
October 2022
Presented in the NACSW 2022 Convention
Oakbrook, IL
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Work Student Stress
January 2022
Oral Presentation for the Annual Conference for the Society for Social Work Research
Washington, DC
Telehealth Services for Adolescent Women Involved in Juvenile Justice: A Pilot Study during COVID-19
January 2022
E-Poster Presentation for the Annual Conference for the Society for Social Work Research with Danielle Parrish & Kirk VonSternberg
Washington, DC
Justice Views in Social Work Project: Examining Views on Race and Justice
November 2021
Presented in the CSWE APM 2021 Conference with Eydie Shypulski & Shelly Smart
Orlando, FL
Examining Views on Race, Policing, BLM, Protests and Justice in Social Work
November 2021
Presented in the NACSW 2021 Convention with Eydie Shypulski & Shelly Smart
Los Angeles, CA
The Impacts of Authoritative Parenting on Adolescent Depression and Chemical Use in a National Sample
November 2021
Presented in the NACSW 2021 Convention with Wesley Furlong
Los Angeles, CA
Coping in Congregations in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic
September 2021
Presented in the Data Scholars Fellowship Presentation Symposium
Waco, TX
Childhood PTSD: The Complex World of Childhood Trauma
August 2019
Presented in the Let’s Rally! Enthusiasm, Energy, and Excellence! Region 10 IHE Conference
Rochester, MN
ADHD, Executive Functioning, and Mindfulness Interventions
October 2018
Presented in the Turn on the Light: National Conference on the Wellbeing of Children & Families,
West Palm Beach, FL
Living with ADHD: Practical Strategies to Improve Communication, Organization, and Reduce Stress
October 2017
Presented through Rochester, MN Adult Education
Rochester, MN
Childhood Anxiety
April 2017
Invited Presentation for Voices for Children April Child Abuse Prevention Brown Bag Seminar
Rochester, MN
Provider Satisfaction with an Integrative Adolescent Depression Program in a Pediatric Setting
May 2014
Presented for the Integrated Behavioral Health Department of Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
May 2014
Presented for the University of St. Thomas/St. Catherine University MSW Clinical Research Presentation Day
St. Paul, MN
Certificates and Licenses
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
MN Board of Social Work
Nationally Certified Trauma-Focused CBT Therapist
DC:0-5 (Diagnosing 0-5)
Professional Organizations, Committees, and Boards
Society for Social Work Research
North American Association of Christian Social Workers