About CMU

CMU Faculty

Alexander Sawatsky he/him

Professor and Chair of Social Work

Alexander Sawatsky

Program(s)Social Work

Emailasawatsky:@:cmu.ca

OfficeB344

Professor and Chair, Alexander Sawatsky, has been teaching social work since 2006.  He completed his PhD in 2015 at the University of Manitoba.  Prior to this role, Dr Sawatsky worked in the mental health sector as a therapist, case manager and program director.  He continues to practice in the field of mental health on a casual basis to remain current in his field.  From 2017 to 2023, he was director of the social work program at Booth University College (BUC) and was responsible for the program review and subsequent implementation of the new BSW curriculum.

He has served on several boards in the community, including Sara Riel, Manitoba Schizophrenia Society and was president of the Board of Directors for Peer Connections Manitoba as well as a member of the board of directors at the Manitoba Institute for Registered Social Workers and with the Manitoba College of Social Workers. Dr Sawatsky was involved in the creation of the Booth University College (BUC) Research Ethics Board and served as chair post implementation for several years.

Dr. Sawatsky’s areas of specialization include clinical practice, mental health and addictions, administration, and social policy.  He has written and published in the field of mental health policy history, anarchism and social work practice and present research is in mental health, social and political theories and social work practice. 

Currently, he is teaching as well as developing the BSW curriculum for CMU which has officially received pre-accredited status by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE)  and serving on the Intercultural Health and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and the Senate Program Committee which constitute CMU institutional service.

Areas of Teaching

Social Work

Education

MSW, PhD

Work in Detail

Research

Drumm, R.D., McBride, D., Metsch, L., Neufeld, M., & Sawatsky, A. (2005). "I'm a health nut!" Street drug user's accounts of self-care strategies.  Journal of Drug Issues. 35(3), pp 607-629.

Warkentin, B. & Sawatsky, A.  (2018). Reconciling critical social work approaches with faith based practice. Social Work and Christianity. 45(20), pp 57-67.

Sawatsky, A. (2018) The decline of community mental health under Reagan and Bush. In Moniz, C. & Gorin, S. (Eds), Mental health care and practice: A biopsychosocial perspective(pp.46-59).New York, NY: Routledge

Sawatsky, A. (2018) Clinton's efforts to respond to escalating costs and the emergence of mental health policy. In Moniz, C. & Gorin, S. (Eds), Mental health care and practice: A biopsychosocial perspective(pp.60-77).New York, NY: Routledge

Sawatsky, A. (2023) What is at the centre? Faith, social work & anarchism, Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 42:4, 477-495, DOI: 10.1080/15426432.2023.2241846

Warkentin, B.; Sottie, C; & Sawatsky, A. (2023) "It's not about imposing what I believe or what I value": Social workers' personal reflections on religion and spirituality and their influence on practice, Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 42:4, 393-410, DOI: 10.1080/15426432.2023.2255154

Sawatsky, A. (2024). Anarchism & social work. Critical Social Work.   Vol. 25, No. 1. DOI: 10.22329/csw.v25i1.8548

Sawatsky, A. (2024) Anarchist Perspectives for Social Work: Disrupting Oppressive Systems. Oxford University Press.

Community

Member, Board of Directors, Manitoba College of Social Workers (2023-Present).

 

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