Dawn Belkin Martinez
Clinical Professor, Associate Dean of Equity & Inclusion
Dawn Belkin Martinez, PhD, LICSW is a clinical professor and associate dean of equity and inclusion at the Boston University School of Social Work, where she coordinates the clinical practice with families sequence. Formerly the chief social worker on the inpatient psychiatry service at Children’s Hospital in Boston and an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, she has nearly 30 years of experience as a scholar, clinical social worker, and activist in the movement for our collective liberation.
Dawn is a nationally recognized expert on anti-oppressive social work practice and was recently appointed to the coordinating committee of the International Social Work Action Network. She is the co-author of the book Social Justice in Clinical Practice, A Liberation Health Framework for Social Work (Routledge, 2014), faculty affiliate at the BU Center for Antiracism, and a founding member of the Boston Liberation Health Group, which provides training and mentorship in anti-oppressive social work practice to over 2,700 social workers across the country. As the associate dean for equity and inclusion at BUSSW, she has designed, developed, and implemented diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives, in addition to providing consulting and supervision for social justice-focused practice, both nationally and internationally.
Specialties
• Social justice in clinical practice
• The Liberation Health framework for social work practice
• Family therapy
• Clinical practice with the Latinx community
• Racial Justice
• Community organizing as a therapeutic intervention
• Substance misuse with adolescents and young adults
Research Areas
Related News
View All- BUSSW at SSWR: Presentations & Community-Building at 2025 Annual Conference
Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) will have an impressive presence at the 2025 Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) Annual Conference held in Seattle, Washington, January 15-19, 2025. BUSSW faculty, doctoral students and alumni will present their research to colleagues from across the country in dozens of program sessions, disseminating new findings that […]
- Nonprofit Quarterly: Professor Belkin Martinez & Liberation Health Model Cited as Solution to Modern Therapy Methods
Many biomedical therapy methods don’t emphasize how to address systemic inequities that affect mental health. The liberation health model, co-founded by Professor Dawn Belkin Martinez from BU School of Social Work, shows practitioners how mental health care can be reimagined by emphasizing the interconnectedness of mental health with larger issues like racism, poverty, and discrimination. […]
- BUSSW at CSWE 2024: Faculty, Staff & Alumni Present at Nation’s Leading Social Work Education Conference, Oct. 24-27
Faculty, staff, and alumni from Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) will present cutting-edge research, curriculum innovations and organizational advancements to a national audience of social work educators at the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) 70th Annual Program Meeting (APM). Held October 24-27, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo., the annual conference is the […]
Education
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BA
University of Arizona
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MSW
Simmons College
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PhD (Social Work)
Simmons College
Courses
CP 759 Introduction to Clinical Social Work Practice
CP 772 Clinical Practice with Families
CP 799 Brief and Time Effective Treatment
HB 735 Racial Justice and Cultural Oppression
Publications
Belkin Martinez, D & Fleck-Henderson, A. (Eds) (2014). Social justice in clinical practice: A liberation health framework for social work. London, UK: Routledge.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Practice in a hospital setting. In D. Belkin Martinez & A. Fleck Henderson (Eds.). Social Justice in clinical practice: A liberation health framework for social work (Chapter Eleven). London, UK: Routledge.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Liberation health theory and methods. In D. Belkin Martinez & A. Fleck Henderson (Eds.). Social justice in clinical practice: A liberation health framework for social work (Chapter One). London, UK: Routledge.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Liberation health and social justice: An introduction. In D. Belkin Martinez & A. Fleck Henderson (Eds.). Social justice in clinical practice: A liberation health framework for social work (Introduction). London, UK: Routledge.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2010). Latinos and Empowerment. In R. Furman, & N. Negi, (Eds.). Social work with Latinos. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Press.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2005). Mental health care after capitalism. Radical Psychology, 4(2). http://www.radicalpsychology.org/vol4-2/index.html
Belkin Martinez, D. (1999). Cultural issues in ophthalmic practice. In D. Albert, D. & F. Jakobiec (Eds.), Principles and practice of ophthalmology. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Co.
Presentations
Belkin Martinez, D. ( 2016). Social justice and clinical social work: The Liberation Health Framework for Practice. Symposium, Technological Educational Institute, Department of Social Work, Athens, Greece.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2016). A social justice method of practice for clinical social workers. Keynote Address, Alumni and Friends Day. Adelphi University, Garden City, NY.
Belkin Martinez, D. & Kang, H.K (2016). Social justice matters: A comprehensive curriculum for teaching clinical social work. Workshop Presentation at the Council for Social Work Education, Annual Program Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2016). Social justice methods for clinical social workers. Grand Rounds Presentation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Social Work, Boston, MA.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2015). Radical perspectives in global social work. Plenary Speaker, Social Work Action Network Annual Conference, Glasgow, UK.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2015). Liberation Health and social work: A framework for social justice focused practice. Symposium, Liverpool Hope University, Department of Social Work, Liverpool UK.
Belkin Martinez, D. & Lopez, L. (2015). Family therapy and Liberation Health. Workshop: The Meeting Point, Boston, MA.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2015). Racial justice: Our historical moment. Invited panelist, NASW-MA MLK Forum on Racial Justice. Wheelock College, Boston, MA.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Think globally. Presentation at NASW, Cultural, Ethnic, and Racial Affairs Shared Interest Group, Social Workers of Color Reception, Wheelock College, Boston, MA.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Social justice and clinical practice. Social Medicine Rounds. Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Montefiore Hospital, New York, NY.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Family therapy and social justice: A socio-political framework for clinical practice. Roundtable Presentation at the American Family Therapy Academy Annual Meeting, Athens, GA.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2014). Radical social work practice with individuals, groups, and families. Presentation at the Social Work Action Network Conference, Durham, UK.
Belkin Martinez, D. (2013, April). A framework for social work practice: The Liberation Health methodology. Workshop Presentation, Social Work Action Network Conference, London, UK.
Professional Activities and Certifications
Peer Reviewer: Critical and Radical Social Work
Member: Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Member: National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Consulting Supervisor: Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Awards and Honors
Iris Macrae Award, Simmons College School of Social Work