Simmons College School of Social Work
300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115
Office: Room: P-408A
Phone: 617/521-3948; FAX: 617/521-3980
Email: hugo.kamya@simmons.edu
B.A., University of Nairobi
M.Div., Harvard University
M.S.W., Boston College
Ph.D., Boston University
421: Social Work Practice I & II
424: Advanced Clinical Practice (Master's)
558: Human Services in Developing Countries: Uganda
616: Narrative Therapy Approaches
630: Advanced Clinical Practice (Doctoral)
902: Trauma Certification Program
I am proud to be part of a distinguished group of colleagues at Simmons College School of Social Work. As a professor, I teach courses in clinical practice, trauma and narrative therapies at both the masters and doctoral levels. My professional identity weaves together several backgrounds and narratives. Originally from Uganda, I came to the United States over twenty years ago. I studied at Harvard University, Boston University, Boston College, and began a career in the interrelated practices and trainings of social work, psychology, and theology.
I have integrated several realms of teaching, research, clinical, and social justice work. I have practiced in community mental health settings with a variety of populations. My teaching, research, clinical work and larger systems interventions greatly enrich each other. In 1995, I participated in a network assembly for the Children's AIDS Project at Boston Medical Center. This work helped me begin to combine social network and community work with consulting for organizations working with children affected by HIV. My commitment to providing collaborative family services to children living in HIV-affected families has been very rewarding, particularly in Uganda, where I bring students and colleagues to interact and work with people in HIV/AIDS clinics, and where I continue to do research on child and granny headed families, and children of war. My work in Uganda has culminated in serving on the Makula Fund for Children, an organization which provides tuition, medical attention and breakfast to children living with HIV. In 2004, I received a U.S. State Department Grant to conduct service learning Citizens Exchange project between U.S. and Uganda citizens. As a member of CSWE, I serve on the Global Education Commission, and have chaired the track for International Issues.
My current research, clinical practice and teaching, revolves around trauma, child mental health and international practice. This includes interpersonal, community and political violence, abuse and war trauma. Recently, this work has expanded to include the impact of war on children and families in war conflict zones including Northern Uganda, where I travel annually with students and professionals examining family and community services for survivors of war and political violence. I work extensively with Sudanese and other African refugees and immigrants as well as former child soldiers; and I am frequently called upon as an expert witness in refugee asylum cases. My interests also include spirituality, narrative and group work. I continue to consult to, and develop collaborative partnerships with, agencies and organizations and to present nationally and internationally, and to do research, train, write and publish on these topics, and on multicultural, diversity and cultural competence issues.
Since coming to the Simmons School of Social Work, I have worked to build community and international partnerships. Recent work has culminated in work on the Simmons Suicide Prevention and Education Initiative (SSPEI) research project where as co-principal investigator. The SSPEI project examines suicide among immigrant populations. In 2008, I became the Principal Investigator of the study on community based services for Somali immigrants that examines social, cultural and human capital toward family functioning and well-being.
I serve on a number of boards in the Greater Boston area. I am a founding member of the Boston Institute for Culturally Affirming Practices (BICAP), for which several colleagues and I are engaged in a number of writing, teaching, and social justice projects. In 2003, the American Family Therapy Academy recognized my work with an award for Distinguished Contribution to Social and Economic Justice.
Kamya, H. (2010). Underlying principles of helping in the HIV field. In Poindexter, C. (Ed.). Handbook of HIV and social work: Principles, practice, and populations. (pp. 31-40). London: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kamya, H. (2009). The impact of war on children: How children make meaning from war experiences. Journal of Immigrant and refugee Studies, 7, 2, 211-216.
Kamya, H. & Poindexter, C. (2009). Mama Jaja: The stresses and strengths of HIV-affected Ugandan grandmothers. Social Work in Public Health, 24, 1-19.
Kamya, H. (2008). Healing from Refugee Trauma: The Significance of Spiritual Beliefs, Faith Community, and Faith-based Services. In Froma Walsh (Ed.). Spiritual resources in family therapy. 2rd edition. New York: Guilford Press.
Kamya, H. & Mirkin, M.(2008). Working with immigrant and refugee families. In Monica McGoldrick and Kenneth Hardy (Eds.). Revisioning Family Therapy: Race, culture and gender in clinical practice. 2nd edition. (pp. 311-326). New York: Guilford Press.
Kamya, H. (2007). The stress of migration and the mental health of African immigrants. In Shaw-Taylor, Y.l & Tuch, S. (Eds.). The other African American, (pp.255-280). New York: Rowman & Littlefied Publishers.
Kamya, H. (2007). Narrative therapy and culture. In E. Aldarondo, (ed). Advancing Social Justice through clinical practice, (pp.207-220). Mahwah, NJ: ALE Press.
Kamya, H. (2006). Women, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and human rights. In Kasiram, M., Partab, R. & Dano, B. (Eds.). HIV/AIDS in Africa: The not so silent presence, (pp.33-41). Durban, South Africa: Publishers Print Connection.
Kamya, H. (2005). African immigrant families. In McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (Eds.) Ethnicity and family therapy (pp.101-116). New York: Guilford Press.
Kamya, H. (2005). The impact of war on children and families: Their stories, my own stories. In AFTA Monograph. Touched by War zones, near and far: Oscillations of despair and hope. Spring, vol.1, 1.
Kamya, H. "Suicide Among Somali Immigrant Populations" presented to the Suicide Prevention Program staff at the Massachusetts Department of Public. Boston, MA. March 2010.
Kamya, H. & Dean, R. "Trauma Work and Suicide Prevention with Homeless Youth" and "Suicide Among Somali Immigrant Populations." Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA, March 23, 2010.
Kamya, H. "Cultural and racial micro-aggressions in Clinical Practice." Andover-Newton Theological Institute, Newton, MA, March 2010
Kamya, H. Expert Review Panel: "HIV/AIDS Prevention and Screening and Referral Services." MA Department of Public Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. March 2010
Kamya, H. "Enhancing Effective Partnerships in Global Social Work" presented at the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. San Antonio, TX. November 2009.
Dean, R, Kamya, H, Mirick, R., & White, R. "Are social workers ready for suicide prevention: Four MA graduate schools of social work share their experiences." The Simmons Suicide Prevention Education Initiative team at the 8th Annual Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference, Sturbridge, MA. May 20th, 2009.
Kamya, H. "Culturally Responsive Approaches to Spirituality and Peace Psychology." Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. Boston, MA. September 16, 2009.
Kamya, H. "Tapping spiritual resources in healing and resilience." American Family Therapy Academy. New Orleans, June 2009.
Kamya, H. "Are social workers ready for suicide prevention?: Suicide among immigrant populations." Sturbridge, MA. May 2009.
Kamya, H. "How We are Transformed by Accompanying Others on Their Journeys Toward Healing and Transformation." 18th Annual Culture Conference. Multicultural Family Institute, entitled Trauma, Survival, Healing and Transformation. Piscataway, NJ. April 2009.
Kamya, H. "Religion, coping and subjective well-being: Lessons from Katrina and Internally Displaced Persons camps in Uganda." March 2009./P>
Kamya, H. War trauma: "Cross-cultural bereavement and treatment implications." University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA. February 2009
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