Wed 12th October, 2011
The University of Bedfordshire’s Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care has benefitted from two weeks with its first international scholar Professor William Miller.
Founder of Motivational Interviewing and a leading expert in addiction research, Professor Miller was working with the Centre to share research experience and contribute to the development of its work. The Centre’s research focuses on identifying what interventions work in social care practice and its current focus is on substance use practice in a range of social work and social care settings.
Professor Miller, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, delivered seminars and consulted on a range of research projects as well as providing seminars to students and practitioners. He ended his visit as a keynote speaker at a national conference focussing on child protection and substance use.
He said: “Tilda Goldberg represented an empirical approach to social work research and it’s exciting to see that same research tradition beginning to take root in the social work field. I think what is happening at the Tilda Goldberg Centre is right at the cutting edge of that.
“This research team is exciting and I think it’s impressive that the University has supported their development to really do ground-breaking research in social work. It’s quite a commitment and I think it will be a good investment because I suspect this team will do some really creative work and perhaps become a centre from which research in social work grows.”
Centre Director Professor Donald Forrester said: “Professor Miller is one of the leading experts in the world on addictions. We’ve been working with him to make our research methods as rigorous and innovative as possible and it’s a privilege – we’re learning from a master craftsman, after all. It’s been a learning opportunity for all of us.
Assistant Director of the Tilda Goldberg Centre, Dr Sarah Galvani added: “It’s a real testament to the University and the work the Centre is doing that someone of his experience and expertise is willing to come over and spend time with us and support what we’re doing – it’s been a fabulous opportunity for us all.”
Latest news» 2011» October» US expert hails ‘cutting-edge’ social work research centre
