The Connection Between Clinical and Policy Work Posted on March 1, 2006 Cassandra Simmel (bio) believes that clinicians need to understand the implications of policies that may affect their clients.

After I got my Ph.D., I was awarded a fellowship through the Society for Research in Child Development where I was able to go to Washington, D.C., and work in the Office of Planning Research and Evaluation for the Administration for Children and Families, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

I specifically worked with the Children's Bureau on a lot of their large-scale child welfare-related projects, so it was just a fascinating opportunity for me. It was supposed to be a one-year fellowship, and I ended up staying for three years. It was great to be in Washington, D.C.

It was great to just get the federal perspective on policy issues, especially as they relate to research, and something I've seen in the past 10 years is just a real growth in the link between policy and research as it pertains to child maltreatment and child welfare issues. I worked on a couple of projects that were congressionally mandated, so that really opened my eyes to all of the various parties.

Now there is congressional efforts as well as federal efforts as well as just research, local researchers, involved in trying to learn more about how to enhance services for youth in the foster care system. It was very exciting to be part of that nexus.

I decided that instead of pursuing a career at the federal level that I really wanted to get back involved in doing my own local-level, state-sponsored kind of research. I really love teaching and being back in the teaching environment, so I pursued an academic job.

One thing I find is that a lot of my students are always very interested to hear about what life was like in Washington, D.C., and I just feel like I've learned so much about the policy world, and the interplay between policy and research and also clinical work. I think a lot of people think that there is no connection between being a clinician and being involved in policy.

I think that they're very interdependent especially these days as more programs are being de-funded. Things are moving in a different direction. I think as a clinician if you don't understand the implications of policy and how it affects the populations that you work with and the programs that you're working in, then you're doing yourself and you're doing your clients and you're doing the field a real disservice.

It's very exciting for me to help bridge that understanding, as well as to be able to continue with some of my own research ideas.

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