Glen Gonzalez

Glen Gonzalez brings a deeply relational and practice-centered approach to social work education, shaped by over 25 years of professional experience across child welfare, behavioral health, and community-based systems. His teaching is grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and resilience-oriented frameworks, with a strong emphasis on preparing students to navigate complex, high-stakes environments with both clinical competence and human connection.

Since joining the University of Washington School of Social Work in 2010, Mr. Gonzalez has worked within the Child Welfare Training and Advancement Program (CWTAP), a federally funded Title IV-E initiative that prepares students for public child welfare practice. Promoted to Lead Faculty Field Instructor in 2024, he designs and facilitates practicum seminars that bridge classroom learning with field experience, supporting students in developing the skills, insight, and professional identity needed for effective work in child protective and child welfare services. Over the course of his teaching, he has mentored more than 200 students as they transition into careers serving children, youth, and families across Washington State.

Mr. Gonzalez’s professional background spans a wide range of direct practice settings. He has worked in refugee camps in the Balkan region of Europe, supported first-generation migrant farm workers through the Los Primeros/Las Primera’s mentorship program, and served as a pediatric mental health specialist at Seattle Children’s Hospital’s inpatient psychiatric unit. His experience also includes working with incarcerated adults through the Northwest Defenders Association and serving as an in-home behavioral specialist for individuals with developmental disabilities.

He spent over seven years with Washington State’s child welfare system (formerly the Department of Social and Health Services, now the Department of Children, Youth, and Families), where he worked in Family Voluntary Services, Child Protective Services, and Child Welfare Services. In these roles, he served as a lead social worker and facilitator for Child Protective Team meetings, managing complex cases and supporting efforts related to child safety, permanency, and family stability. He also contributed to statewide efforts addressing racial disproportionality in the child welfare system.

In addition to his academic and agency-based work, Mr. Gonzalez is engaged in consulting, coaching, and community-based programming that reflects his holistic approach to human development. He provides trauma-informed consulting and training to organizations focused on workforce resilience, suicide prevention, and effective engagement with high-risk populations. He is also the founder of a boxing and wellness-based mentorship program, where he works with youth to build discipline, confidence, and emotional regulation through a combination of physical training and supportive relationships.

His commitment to recovery-oriented practice is reflected in his work facilitating support programs in correctional settings and leading a monthly recovery group for social workers, medical professionals, and other helping professionals. These spaces are designed to address the impact of secondary trauma and to promote long-term sustainability for those working in demanding service roles.

Mr. Gonzalez’s approach to teaching and practice is informed by his own lived experience, including time spent in the system as a youth, where he aged out of care at 18. These experiences continue to shape his commitment to mentorship, relational practice, and the belief that access to consistent, supportive relationships can fundamentally alter life trajectories. His work focuses on supporting children, youth, and families involved in public systems, as well as veterans, Latino communities, suicide prevention, recovery, and fathers seeking greater connection and engagement in family life.

Across his roles, Mr. Gonzalez emphasizes the integration of theory and practice, drawing on solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral, family developmental, and resilience theories. He is particularly committed to helping students and professionals develop not only the technical skills required for social work, but also the reflective capacity, presence, and resilience needed to sustain meaningful careers in the service of others.