Cristiano Casalini, a professor in Jesuit pedagogy and educational history, said that true accompaniment ends when dependence gives way to autonomy. Photos by Tony Rinaldo.
The goal of accompaniment鈥攖he practice of walking alongside people in their journeys of growth, healing, and professional development鈥攊s to empower rather than foster control. Accompaniment is inextricably linked to the Jesuit mission of justice. And care for others begins with care for oneself.聽
Those were the three key takeaways from a talk by Cristiano Casalini, Endowed Chair in Jesuit Pedagogy and Educational History at 艾可直播 College, who spoke at the School of Social Work鈥檚 Accompaniment in Action Lecture and Distinguished Alumni Awards celebration in 100 Gasson Hall earlier this month.
His talk dovetailed with BCSSW鈥檚 theme for the academic year, 鈥淎ccompaniment in Action,鈥� which is built on four principles that mirror the National Association of Social Workers code of ethics: walking together; kinship and shared dignity; intentional engagement; and social justice.
Flanked by a Steinway & Sons piano and a large maroon banner emblazoned with the BC seal, Casalini described accompaniment as a three-phase movement: meeting others where they are, walking alongside them, and ultimately empowering them to move forward independently. True accompaniment, he said, ends when dependence gives way to autonomy.
鈥淎ccompaniment is helping someone else get autonomy,鈥� he told Roc铆o Calvo, assistant dean of community engagement, who facilitated his talk. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helping someone else to not need us.鈥�
Calvo echoed Casalini, recalling a lesson from one of her professors: 鈥淵ou know that you have done a good job when you don鈥檛 have a job,鈥� she said. 鈥淵our job is to get fired because you have nothing to do.鈥�
Students, faculty, staff, and alumni filled 100 Gasson Hall for the Accompaniment in Action Lecture and Distinguished Alumni Awards celebration.
Casalini tied accompaniment to the Jesuit mission of justice, urging awareness of the power imbalances inherent in helping relationships. The goal, he said, is not to erase these asymmetries but to recognize and continually work to rebalance them.
鈥淭he main point of accompaniment is trying to readjust the imbalance of power between the agent of the intervention and the other person,鈥� he said. 鈥淎re you able to readjust that completely? I don鈥檛 know, but that鈥檚 the intention.鈥澛�
Calvo said that鈥檚 exactly what she and her social work colleagues are constantly working on鈥攃hecking those power dynamics, trying to find that balance, even if it鈥檚 imperfect.
Casalini acknowledged that accompaniment asks a lot of those who practice it, calling for endurance and deep commitment to offer presence and support without imposing an agenda.
He explained how Ignatius and the early Jesuits practiced accompaniment through their ministry鈥攃aring for the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, and travelers not as distant helpers, but as people who walked alongside those they served.
鈥淚gnatius pushed them to go into the city in Paris and do some work that today you would call social work,鈥� said Casalini, who has published extensively on the history of Jesuit education and pedagogy. 鈥淪tudies alone are not enough. You don鈥檛 study for the sake of studying. You study to go and help others in society.鈥�
He then told students, faculty, staff, and alumni in attendance that it鈥檚 impossible to effectively serve others without first taking care of themselves鈥攁nd offered a piece of advice.聽
鈥淲hatever helps you stay human, keep doing that,鈥� said Casalini, who is active in soccer. 鈥淗ave fun. Rest. Pray, play, reflect. Because if you鈥檙e not in shape鈥攑hysically, emotionally, spiritually鈥攜ou can鈥檛 help anyone else.鈥�
Roc铆o Calvo facilitated the conversation with Cristiano Casalini.
The principles that Casalini discussed鈥攚alking alongside others, fostering autonomy, and balancing power鈥攚ere embodied in the careers of three BCSSW alumni who were honored for their contributions to the field of social work.
Traditionally, the School celebrates two graduates at the event every year: one who earned an M.S.W. or Ph.D. 10 or more years ago, and another who earned an advanced degree between five and 10 years ago. This year, however, BCSSW introduced its first-ever Lifetime Achievement award, presented to Sue Coleman, who retired in October after 28 years of service to the University.聽聽
After joining BCSSW in 1997 as a student adviser, Coleman walked beside tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff, listening, guiding, and lifting them up when they were down.
As assistant dean of field education since 2011, Coleman directed placements for more than 500 graduate students each year, built partnerships with thousands of human service agencies, and helped shape a field education curriculum grounded in reflection, social justice, and trauma-informed care.
鈥淚t is difficult for me to hear that a lifetime achievement has been reached,鈥� said Coleman, with her particular brand of humor. 鈥淚 would like to think I have more to give than I do, and I plan to continue to practice in new ways going forward.鈥�
During a moving speech that brought several audience members to tears, Coleman shared three lessons she learned at BC: Enter the lives of those you serve with openness; build strong connections with colleagues; and continuously adapt to meet the needs of others.聽
She illustrated the third lesson through a concrete example from her career. As students graduated and became supervisors themselves, Coleman and her colleagues created programming to support their continuing education. They paid attention to the changing ways that students were learning and updated materials to be responsive to their needs and differences.
鈥淚nstilling confidence in others,鈥� she said, 鈥渆specially new practitioners, was something that really spoke to me.鈥�
From left to right: BCSSW Dean Gautam N. Yadama, Roc铆o Calvo, Jooyoung Kong, Scott Easton, BCSSW associate professor, who nominated Kong for her award, Sue Coleman, James Patterson, president of the BCSSW Alumni Board, Jennifer Lemmerman, and Erin McAleer., president and CEO of Project Bread, who nominated Lemmerman for her award.
Like Coleman, Distinguished Alumni Award winner Jennifer Lemmerman has worked tirelessly to accompany people in need for several decades.聽
As the chief policy officer at Project Bread, a 艾可直播-based nonprofit that works to address food shortages, Lemmerman is driven by one core goal: making sure no one in Massachusetts goes hungry.聽
Since joining the organization in 2019, she has secured universal free school meals in the Commonwealth and launched a pioneering statewide coalition to permanently end hunger.
鈥淲hen systems fail, social workers don鈥檛 look away. We listen, we stand beside people, and we work to change the policies and structures causing harm,鈥� said Lemmerman, MSW 鈥�08. 鈥淎ccompaniment isn鈥檛 just an approach鈥攊t鈥檚 what makes the work successful. Real change happens when we do it with people, not just on their behalf.鈥�
Jooyoung Kong, PhD鈥�16, who received BCSSW鈥檚 Distinguished Recent Alumni Award, brings the same dedication to collaboration, partnering with people who have experienced childhood trauma.
Kong, a researcher who studies how adverse childhood experiences shape health and well-being, conducts interviews that give participants a safe, respectful space to share their stories. She is dedicated to centering the voices of the individuals she works with, respecting their perspectives without pushing her own views.聽
鈥淚 aim to challenge my status quo and make each day count, working toward even small changes in the areas that matter most,鈥� said Kong, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison鈥檚 Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 most proud of is myself鈥攖rying to hold these values as a social worker and make a meaningful difference.鈥�
