MSW Student Develops New Internship Focused on TBI Recovery

 Published March 7, 2023                                                                                 By Darlene Muguiro                                                                                               UTEP College of Health Sciences

Jorge Rossell, a spring 2023 candidate for the Master of Social Work degree, traversed a challenging path prior to entering higher education. Yet, the former Army officer believes that his experiences led him directly to where he needed to be to discover his passion.

During a tour of duty in Afghanistan, CPT (retired) Jorge Rossell was on a convoy delivering supplies for fellow soldiers. Suddenly, the convoy was attacked, and he was forced upward from the blast, hitting his head against the top of his Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. Immediately after the incident and during the remainder of the rest of his Army officer career following the attack, he began experiencing symptoms of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and sought services at the Ft. Bliss Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic. Eventually, he was medically discharged, and retired from the Army after 19 years of service.

Rossell says that the next steps in his professional journey were easy to identify.

“As I was transitioning out and going through the medical board, getting ready to retire, I knew that I wanted to go into the UTEP MSW Program because I had dealt with many therapists at Ft. Bliss who were helping me to deal with my recovery journey,” he said. “And I knew that after I graduated, I wanted to come back to work as a therapist in the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at Ft. Bliss.”

Rossell says that he spoke with his provider at the TBI Clinic about his career goals, and the two explored the possibility of Rossell completing the internship requirements for his MSW degree at the clinic.

“They had basically never had a UTEP MSW student intern there,” he said. “So, we went back and forth in discussions. Eventually, I had his full support, and we created a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).”

Rossell took the lead on the Department of Social Work’s end in creating the MOU with the Ft. Bliss Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, and soon began his internship at the site. Rossell now manages a caseload of patients under the supervision of a practicing social worker who is also the deputy director of behavioral health at Ft. Bliss, as well as his immediate supervisor, who holds a doctorate in psychology, with a specialization in neuroscience. With the MOU in place, future generations of UTEP MSW students will have the opportunity to explore this career path through an internship experience.

Rossell says that his work at the TBI Clinic incorporates both micro- and macro-level aspects of social work practice. While he consults one-on-one with patients, he recognizes the importance of family dynamics and the systems of care that are necessary for recovery. He also believes that exposure to patients’ stories assists him as he continues his own recovery process.

“I have to be patient-centered and understand their lived experiences, but I can’t disclose too much personally. At the same time, it definitely helps me,” he said. “Thankfully, before I began my internship, I also went through a process of mind-body, holistic recovery. My provider will also let me know if he thinks I should process what I hear from patients on my own time at a later point.”

Ft. Bliss recently received additional funding to establish a second TBI site at William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC). Rossell was invited to be a guest speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony held on December 1, 2022 for the new Intrepid Spirit Center location at WBAMC, where he shared his experiences as both a former patient and current healthcare provider. He has already received an offer of employment at the new facility, where he will coordinate a cognitive behavioral program for TBI survivors experiencing insomnia. He foresees continued growth in the need for social workers in the armed forces, particularly in the area of TBI recovery.

"These clinics are so important to me, seeing how I was a patient for two years, where I received the treatment that was necessary for me to go back to school,” he said. “Being a social worker and serving soldiers and their families is extremely rewarding, and being in this role is what I’ve always wanted.”

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Go Miners!

For more information about the Master of Social Work degree, visit: www.utep.edu/chs/sw