Katrinna Matthews believes that education is power.
As managing editor of the newly launched Continued Social Work site, Matthews says that it’s this philosophy that excites her most about launching the continuing education company’s newest professional area.
“The more a social worker knows, the more a social worker can do and the more a patient benefits, which then has the potential to impact an entire system,” said Matthews, DSW, MEd, LAPSW.
Matthews joined the Continued editorial team to lead the launch of this new continuing education site. She oversees the site’s online courses and fosters relationships with the industry’s top experts. Social work joins the Continued family of professions, which also includes athletic training, audiology, early childhood education, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology.
Matthews brings 15 years of social work experience to her role at Continued and has worked with diverse patient populations in a variety of settings, ranging from child welfare to in-center dialysis.
In addition, she has served in numerous consulting and educator roles, including professor and field director in the Master of Social Work program at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.
“The more a social worker knows, the more a social worker can do and the more a patient benefits, which then has the potential to impact an entire system.”
Her road to the social work profession started in her junior year of college. As a biology and chemistry major, she planned to go to medical school, but she wanted to take a few courses in social work because she thought it would ultimately improve her bedside manner as a physician. After one social work course, she says she “fell in love” with the profession and never looked back.
“In the field of social work, we look at a person’s issue as interconnected rather than isolated, which means a social worker’s reach has the ability to go much further than just one person at a time—we have the potential to impact an entire system,” Matthews said. “The impact is like when you throw a rock in a body of water and see the ripples—oftentimes social workers make a difference on so many levels that extend beyond what is seen in the center.”
Matthews says the goal for Continued Social Work is to deliver relevant, practical content that social workers can implement in their practices immediately. The site offers courses from leading experts on topics such as ethics, cultural competency, loss and grief, trauma, race and diversity, child abuse, and more.
“My vision is that there will be many relevant and practical tools that social workers can pull from these courses and immediately use.”
“I’m so excited to offer an online platform where social workers can go and take courses on topics that might not be readily available in their area,” Matthews said. “My vision is that there will be many relevant and practical tools that social workers can pull from these courses and immediately use.”
Matthews earned a Doctor of Social Work from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, and a Master of Education in Counselor Education from the University of Mississippi. She is a Licensed Advanced Practitioner Social Worker (LAPSW) in the state of Tennessee.
She lives near her family in Memphis, Tennessee, is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, and enjoys serving her community through various service projects.