For Liz Schacht, the path to a doctoral degree in social work has been shaped by frontline experience, a passion for mentoring, and a commitment to understanding how people endure and heal. A student in Southern’s DSW program, she is preparing to graduate this month, carrying with her not just a credential, but a body of research and teaching experience rooted in the realities of the communities she serves.
Schacht’s journey began far from Connecticut. Originally from Peru, she moved to the United States at 21, settling first in New Jersey before eventually making Connecticut her home. Her early academic path took her through psychology at New Jersey City University, followed by graduate studies at the University of Connecticut. At that point, social work wasn’t yet a clearly defined goal. “I liked talking to people,” she said. “That was the starting point.”
That instinct led her into a career that would ultimately define her research interests. After working in care coordination in New York City, Schacht joined Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), where she spent six years as an investigator. The work was intense and, at times, overwhelming—especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when burnout and turnover surged. Watching colleagues leave, struggle, or fall ill left a lasting impression.
“That stayed with me,” she said. She came to ask, “How do we prepare social workers to survive in this field?”
That question now anchors her doctoral research. At Southern, Schacht designed a dissertation focused on the self-care needs of BIPOC students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. Through surveys conducted with students at the university, she is examining not only individual resilience, but also the systemic pressures that shape burnout.
“I wanted to work on ways to educate the students now to become more resilient and to make change,” she said. “Because it’s not just about them not taking care of themselves. It’s more of a systemic issue. So, educating them on how to advocate for better caseloads or to make changes within institutions.”
Her research reflects a shift in how social work education addresses well-being: not as a personal shortcoming, but as a structural issue. Drawing from her DCF experience, Schacht is particularly interested in how future practitioners can be equipped to both endure and challenge the conditions of their work.
Southern’s doctoral program, with its small cohort model, has played a central role in shaping that work. Schacht entered the program in 2023 as part of a tight-knit group of six students who progressed together through three years of study. “We really help each other, and I have made great friendships” within the cohort,” she said. “We have gone through a lot together and support each other.”
For two of the three years of her program, Schacht received a scholarship from the Yale University Women’s Organization (YUWO), which she found offered more than just financial benefits. The YUWO scholarship program provides vital support to women who might not be able to continue their studies without financial aid, and Schacht said the women she met through the program were “very supportive, warm, and welcoming,” establishing positive connections for her within the Yale community.
Faculty mentorship within the social work program has also been pivotal. Schacht credits Associate Professor of Social Work Loida Reyes—whom she first encountered as a colleague during her time at DCF—and her dissertation advisor, Social Work Department Chair Krystal Finch, with encouraging her to push beyond her comfort zone. “They saw something in me that I didn’t see,” she said, particularly when it came to teaching.
Indeed, Reyes said that what stood out the most about Schacht in her teaching role was how naturally it came to her. She said that even as a new teacher, Schacht “was able to take complex practice experiences and translate them into meaningful learning moments for master’s-level students, strengthening their clinical thinking and engagement.”
Teaching, in fact, Schacht said, has become one of the most transformative aspects of her doctoral experience. After co-teaching for a year, Schacht was given the opportunity to lead her own master’s-level course. The class focuses on clinical interventions with families, covering evidence-based models used across Connecticut, including approaches for addressing mental health and substance use challenges.
Standing in front of a classroom by herself for the first time was daunting, Schacht admitted. “I’m not a public speaker at all,” she said. But she has done well, and the experience has reshaped her sense of professional identity. “I’ve learned a lot, and I’m gaining more respect for my professors,” she said.
The feeling is mutual. Reyes said, “I’ve really appreciated how seriously she has taken this experience and how intentionally she is shaping herself into a dynamic and thoughtful professor. Watching her grow in confidence and presence in the classroom has been genuinely rewarding.”
Teaching is a natural extension of Schacht’s affinity for mentoring, which she has done for much of her professional life. “I always had a passion for showing the ropes to other people because I know how it feels to be new,” she said. “I’ve been new in so many places, new in a new country, new in many places. So, now I am able to use that in the classroom, and it’s valuable to me.”
Alongside her academic work, Schacht has maintained a private clinical practice, specializing in trauma and life transitions. Her time as a clinician at Yale University’s SHARE Center, where she supported survivors of sexual misconduct, further deepened her expertise in trauma-informed care. That experience continues to inform both her research and her teaching.
As graduation approaches, Schacht is focused on expanding her practice while continuing to teach. She has already secured adjunct teaching opportunities and is exploring additional academic roles. For her, the DSW is less about changing careers and more about expanding possibilities.
Her new degree “allows me to teach, to do research, to keep learning,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who wants to grow and learn.”
