Mary Banach

Her past research examining the effectiveness of follow-up services for families who receive a diagnosis of autism or other neurological challenges for a child has resulted in both journal publications and national presentations. This area of research has expanded both to examine the benefits of interdisciplinary co-leadership of groups for parents of children with disabilities and to explore factors leading to sustainability of support groups for parents. The results of this research has also led to national presentations and published articles. Future plans entail developing and investigating mentoring programs for parents who have a child with a disability. The other area of research focuses on social work pedagogy. Specifically, she is exploring the effectiveness of using standardized clients to teach interviewing skills in social work practice classes. This research is being conducted in association with the UNH theatre department and uses theatre students as standardized clients.
Research Interests
- Law
- Social work
Courses Taught
- SW 622: Social Work Practice
- SW 623/796: Social Work Practice
- SW 640: Social Work Field Experience I
- SW 640A: Sem/Soc Work Field Exper I
- SW 796: Ind Stdy/Teaching Assistant
- SW 831: Social Work Practice II
- SW 931: Adv Generalist Practice IV
- SW 974: Social Work Supervision
- SW 992: Special Projects & Ind Study
Selected Publications
Banach, M., Foden, E., & Brooks Carter, V. (2019). Educating undergraduate group workers: increasing confidence through experiential learning. Social Work with Groups, 42(2), 158-170. doi:10.1080/01609513.2018.1478762
Banach, M. (1998). The Best Interests of the Child: Decision-Making Factors. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 79(3), 331-340. doi:10.1606/1044-3894.992
Banach, M. (n.d.). Ethical Challenges in Group Work: Potential Perils and Preventive Practices. In Handbook of Social Work Ethics and Values. Routledge.
Most Cited Publications