Biography
Helen Cahalane received her PhD and MSW in social work from Pitt and a BS in social welfare from Shepherd College.
Cahalane is the principal investigator of the Child Welfare Education and Research Programs, which include two federal IV-E professional education components as well as a statewide training program devoted to workforce development, practice improvement, and organizational effectiveness in public child welfare. She is responsible for oversight of the evaluation and research division of the child welfare programs as well as management of the IV-E educational stipend program for public child welfare employees. As a clinical associate professor, Cahalane teaches in the direct practice concentration of Pitt’s MSW program; she is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Pitt’s highest teaching honor. Cahalane's areas of interest include workforce development in public child welfare, the impact of organizational climate upon employee retention, mental health issues, and the development of evidence-based child welfare practice. She is a licensed clinical social worker, an expert witness for the Pennsylvania Department of Professional and Occupational Affairs, and active on statewide and local advisory boards of child and family organizations.
Research Interests
- Child welfare workforce development
- Evidence-based child welfare practice
- Family engagement strategies
- Mental health issues among children in the child welfare system
Selected Publications
Cahalane, H. & Sites, E.W. (2008). The climate of public child welfare employee retention. Child Welfare, 87(1), 91-114.
Anderson, C.M., Robins, C., Greeno C.G., Cahalane, H., Carr Copleand, V., & Andrews, M.R. (2006). Why low-income mothers do not engage with the formal mental health care system: Perceived barriers to care. Qualitative Health Research, 16(7), 926-943.
Turnbull, J. E., & Cahalane, H. (1994). The use of PIE in outpatient mental health settings. In J. M. Karls & K. Wandrei (Eds.), Person-in-environment system (pp. 43-57). Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers Press.
Cahalane, H., Cowan, M. E., Hannegan, S., McShea, M., O'Toole, K., Rozensky, C., Terazo, A., & Von Bloch, L. (1994). Child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse: Identification, assessment and intervention strategies for health care professionals©. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Daley, D. C., Bowler, K., & Cahalane, H. (1992). Approaches to patient and family education with affective disorders. Patient Education and Counseling, 19, 163-174.
Cahalane, J. & Cahalane, H. (1991). A family guide to mental illness. Skokie, IL: Gerald T. Rogers Productions.