Department
Social Work

Program
Social Work MSW Program

Office Location
Hall Memorial Building (HMB)  S-338

Email Address
beth.betman@gallaudet.edu

Beth Betman is a native Washingtonian, who graduated from New York University with a MSW, in addition to a traineeship in the NYU, Deafness, Research and Training Institute. Her first School Social Work position was at Whitney M. Young High School's Hearing Impaired Program in the Chicago Public School s from 1976 - 1979. In 1979, she returned to Washington, D.C. to work at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. In 1996, Beth was transferred to the School Social Work position at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School where she found a passion for working with deaf children and their families in the non-verbal interventions of play therapy and sandtray therapy. During her more than 25 years at the Clerc Center, she worked with children, families and agencies to remove barriers to learning that impeded students' progress. Beth was a founding member of Advocates for Hearing Impaired Youth, a volunteer organization focusing on the needs of deaf children in foster care. She served as a gubernatorial appointment to the Foster Care Review Board in Prince Georges County, and created a collaborative effort between the Clerc Center and the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.). Foster care, adoption and the trauma often experienced by deaf children remain one of Beth's strong interests. Beth began a relationship with the Gallaudet Department of Social Work early on in her career as a supervisor for many MSW students. She collaborated and consulted with the department in the creation of School Social Work courses and taught as an adjunct before becoming a full time faculty member and Coordinator of the School Social Work Specialization in January 2006. Until starting a doctorate program in social work at the National Catholic School of Social Services in 2005/2006, Beth maintained a private practice focused on the use of play therapy and sandtray therapy with children and families. She has provided sandtray trainings to many academic classes, conferences, agencies and schools serving deaf and hard of hearing children. Her interests also include child abuse and neglect, clinical supervision and consultation, and general mental health issues impacting deaf and hard of hearing children.

Licensed Independent Social Worker (D.C.) Licensed Social Worker - Clinical (MD)