Nearly ten years ago, I first knew Dr. Mary Sewell as my social work student. Today, I have the privilege of sitting across from her as a fellow social worker, doctoral scholar, researcher, and creator of the R.I.C.K.Y. Framework. In this deeply personal conversation, Dr. Sewell shares the experiences that shaped her journey from social work practitioner to Doctor of Social Work, including the loss of her son, Ricky, to suicide and her decision to make sure that his life and his name continued to count. That commitment eventually became scholarship. Dr. Sewell's doctoral research explored culturally responsive suicide assessment among African American adolescents and led to the development of the R.I.C.K.Y. Framework: Relational Connection, Identity Affirmation, Culturally Attuned Communication, Knowledge and Awareness, and Youth Empowerment. We talk about the limitations of relying on standardized suicide assessment tools alone, the importance of listening to the language young people actually use, and what culturally responsive practice can look like when social workers make room for culture, identity, relationships, context, and lived experience. Mary also reflects on her work with Indigenous communities, including the Lakota Nation and the Havasupai Tribe, and what those experiences taught her about cultural humility, relationship, and the danger of assuming that we already understand another person's experience. This is a conversation about grief, purpose, scholarship, culture, social work, and what can happen when a social worker asks, “What do I do next?” Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, suicide assessment, and the death of a child by suicide. Please listen with care. ✨Contact Dr. Mary Sewell Here: 👉marysewell0214@gmail.com ✨Find more of Renita's offerings here: 👉 https://linktr.ee/illuminatedexpressions ✨Artistic Pathways to Clarity Journal 👉https://artisticpathwaystoclarity.my.canva.site/clarity Interested in Mastering Your Therapeutic Techniques for Dementia Caregivers? 👉 https://gamma.app/docs/Interested-in-Mastering-Your-Therapeutic-Techniques-for-Dementia--7fnyf5ydeq70qd5 ✨ Goddess of Social Work Earrings – Etsy: 👉 https://www.etsy.com/listing/1183285270/goddess-of-social-work-earrings
