Austin, Valerie

Biography

Dr. Austin joined the Social Work teaching team in the spring of 2020 as fixed-term faculty. In the Fall of 2025, Val was hired as a tenure-track faculty member. 

Val’s early practice in social work was in child welfare. She completed her Master’s degree in clinical social work and worked within the Community Mental Health system as an infant mental health and home based therapist. She was trained in Dialectical Behavior therapy and served on the DBT team where she developed a passion for integrating mindfulness into her practice. If you ask any of her students, you will find that she still does this in the classroom.

She has also served as a field supervisor for students at MSU School of Social Work. Her engagement with students and philosophy about teaching mirrors her social work focus, which is that through the development of relationship all manner of brilliant things can occur.

Outside of the classroom, Val continues to engage in private practice in mental health. She also has a family full of personality, goats, chickens, and a few other pet family members that keep her busy. She enjoys reading, building things, color coded planners, and inspirational quotes by the dozens.