Kathleen Sheridan Russell, LCSW, DSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Doctorate of Social Work
Responsibilities
In my role as a clinical social worker at the Simms/Mann Center in Westlake Village, I provide psychosocial support for our patients and their family members. I am committed to identifying the specific needs of each individual and then developing a plan that is tailored to meet their needs. This may include individual counseling, making referrals to other Simms/Mann services, or reaching out to community resources and organizations. My goal is to provide support and guidance to our patients and family members as they navigate their cancer journey.
I am thrilled to be part of the Simms/Mann team, all of whom are committed to providing exceptional and compassionate patient care.
Training & Professional Experience
After receiving my master’s degree in social work from Columbia University in New York, I worked as an inpatient oncology social work at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This provided me with hands on experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team with a range of cancers and different treatment modalities. I then moved to the United Kingdom where I continued working in the field of psychoncology. First doing outreach work with cancer screening including developing, planning, and coordinating health care services for homeless women. Next, I developed and facilitated a cancer support group program, planned and coordinated mobile cancer awareness exhibitions, while continuing to provide individual counseling to cancer patients at large British nonprofits.
While working, I was also pursuing my doctorate in social work at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London. I conducted a qualitative research study at the Royal Marsden Hospital entitled “Psychosocial Concerns and Individual Anxieties in Fathers with Testicular Cancer”. This study inspired me to produce a cancer awareness video encouraging fathers and sons to talk about male cancer.
When I returned to the US, I spent seven years at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center where I provided counselling and support to patients, supervised other social workers, conducted training seminars, and piloted and implemented the collaborative care model of practice into the Cancer Support Service Department.
I am excited to now be joining the UCLA Health community.
Selected Professional Publications and Presentations
“Collaborative Team Approach: Caring for the Head and Neck Cancer Patient” Presentation at the 2021 American Speech and Hearing Association Convention. Online conference. November 2021.
“Implementing the Collaborative Care Model: A Pilot Project”. Presentation at the 2019 Florida Oncology Social Work Conference in St. Augustine, Florida.
“Fathers with Cancer: Encouraging Communication and Awareness”. Presentation at the 2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology in Washington, DC, USA.
Russell, K.S. (2015). “Qualitative interviewing in sensitive settings: Giving fathers with cancer a voice” in Relationship Based Research in Social Work: Understanding Practice Research, Rush, G. and Julkunun, I. (eds). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
“Client self-reported satisfaction of face-to-face counselling compared to phone counselling.” Presentation at the 2009 International Psycho-Oncology Society Conference, London, UK.
Personal Interests
I love spending my free time hiking and skiing with my family and friends, walking my dogs, and writing -having recently published my first children’s book.