Dr. Carolyn Jacobs was a vital member of the Smith College School for Social Work faculty for 35 years, serving as the dean and the Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor for 14 of those years, as well as director of “Contemplative Clinical Practice: An Advanced Certificate Program in Spirituality and Social Work Practice” for seven years. In 2001 she was elected to the National Academies of Practice as a distinguished social work practitioner. She has written and presented extensively on the topic of spirituality in social work. Her most recent publication is “Contemplative spaces in social work practice,” Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2015, 49 (1): 150-4. Since 2009 Jacobs has served as a trustee for Elms College, and since 2011 for Naropa University. She has served as a member of the Mind & Life Institute board of directors since 2012. Jacobs received her BA from Sacramento State University, her MSW from San Diego State University, her doctorate from the Heller School of Brandeis University, and her training as a spiritual director from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. She maintains a spiritual direction practice.
