Dr. Gerilyn Myers

Biography

Gerilyn Myers earned her BA in Society and Justice and MSW from the University of Washington. She began her social work career 30 years ago as a community-based counselor, providing individual and family counseling for at-risk youth and their caregivers. Gerilyn has worked with incarcerated youth at the King County Detention Center, providing contracted services through Home Based Services and Family Preservation Services. Additionally, she assisted young parents through the Job Opportunity Basic Skills program, referring them to education and training programs as a social worker with the state of Washington’s Economic Medical Field Service Office. Gerilyn has also worked in Washington’s Children’s Administration, focusing on Child Family Welfare Services (CFWS) and Child Protective Services (CPS) units, where she supervised teams and facilitated Child Protection Team and Permanent Planning meetings. She returned to the University of Washington in 2007 to join the Child Welfare Training Advancement Program (CWTAP) as a Teaching Associate and Field Instructor and currently serves as the Associate Director of CWTAP. Alongside her teaching duties in the foundational child welfare course in the MSW program, she is the Co-Director of the Child Welfare Black Child Development Institute and the Vice President of the Washington State Association of Black Social Workers. Gerilyn’s primary focus is on children, youth, and families, with a particular interest in addressing the disproportionate numbers of African American children and families involved in the child welfare system.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards