About
Lynn Coghill
Working with students is “my favorite part of the job,” says Lynn Coghill, director of the Master’s in Social Work (MSW) program at Pitt and a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in anxiety disorders and bereavement therapy.
Over the past year, she and other faculty members worked with alumni, practitioners, health care agencies, and other constituents to revamp the MSW curriculum to respond to current trends in the field. “We’re making changes based on feedback from many different avenues,” says Coghill, who earned her MSW from Pitt in 1986 following a career as a professional ballet dancer. “It’s a very active school, and it’s a very exciting time.”
Most students interested in social work already have a strong intuitive ability to relate to patients, Coghill says. Pitt's School of Social Work instills in them the theoretical basis behind their intuitions, along with the administrative ability they need to become successful professionals. “Watching a student learn and grow and mature is a very exciting process,” she says.