Thalia Anderen, PhD, LCSW
Higher education faculty across disciplines describe a growing pattern of troubling student behaviors that range from rudeness to threats to outright hostility. Social work educators are reporting the same trend. What happens when these incidents escalate? How do educators adapt, and at what cost?
In this episode of inSocialWork, Dr. Thalia Anderen discusses her research with social work educators who have personally experienced these confrontations. She explores what these behaviors look like, how faculty respond, the emotional and professional impacts and what institutions must do to create safer and more supportive learning environments.
Join us as we explore how faculty can navigate these challenging moments and how to address them while upholding the ethical and professional standards we teach our future social workers.
Thalia Anderen, PhD, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois, Connecticut, New York and Alberta, Canada, with more than twenty years of experience as a therapist. She is an EMDRIA certified EMDR therapist and consultant who has worked with trauma survivors and in disaster relief, including 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, the Sandy Hook school shooting and the 2013 Alberta floods. Dr. Anderen has held leadership and supervisory roles in both the United States and Canada. She previously served as program chair of an undergraduate social work program in Calgary and currently teaches graduate-level social work courses in the Chicago area while operating her practice, Anderen Counselling and Consulting, PLLC.
Show Notes
Cite this podcast – Sobota, P. (Host). (2025, December 16). Student Initiated Confrontations in Social Work Education (No. 343) [Audio podcast episode]. In inSocialWork. University at Buffalo School of Social Work.
