Faculty Profiles

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Dr. Amy D Benton

  • Professor - School of Social Work
Portrait of Dr. Amy D Benton

Biography and education

She received a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to getting her doctorate, Dr. Benton worked for 10 years in the non-profit sector.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Benton, Amy D. Diversity and retention in the child welfare workforce, Research Enhancement Program Grant, $8000. (Funded: December 2010). Grant.
  • Shamrova, Daria P (Principal), Benton, Amy D (Co-Principal). What do child welfare workers think and do about children and youth participation in decision-making?, Texas State University, $14100. (Submitted: October 2023, Funded: January 1, 2024 - Present). Grant.
  • Benton, Amy D (Principal), Clary, Kelly Lynn (Co-Principal), Tufano, Virginia Emma (Co-Principal). Project SOW (Strengthening Our Workforce), Federal, $1885787. (Funded: January 2022 - June 2025). Grant.
  • Benton, Amy D. Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Professionals, Federal, $1920000. (Funded: September 2017 - December 2021). Grant.
  • Benton, Amy D (Principal). Health Resources and Services Administration: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Professionals: I-3 Project, $480000. (Funded: 2016 - 2017). Grant.
  • Benton, A. D., Allen, A., Anderson, L. N., & Nason, E. E. (2023). Increasing social work’s stake in interprofessional practice: Effectively preparing MSW students for integrated care settings. Advances in Social Work, 22(3), 976–992.
  • Benton, A. D., Feinman, E., Gonzalez, E., Rosen, A., & Anderson, L. N. (2020). Outcomes of a bundled intervention approach: Analyzing an enhanced MSW training project for integrated-care settings. Journal of Social Work Education. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2020.1841698
  • Hansel, T., Benton, A. D., & Clary, K. L. (2025). Social and workforce development: Methods to increase self-care to reduce burnout among critically important social work and education professionals. TPM – Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 32(S2), 1358–1363.
  • Choi, S., Weng, S. S., Feliciano, G., Benton, A. D., & Kim, Y. (2025). Environmental Justice and Vulnerable Populations: Perspectives of Environmental Activists. Journal of Social Work and Social Welfare, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.25082/SWSW.2025.01.001
  • Lindsay, J. E., Cropley, S. L., Benton, A. D., Thompson, M., & Clary, K. L. (2024). The COVID-19 Lived Experience Through the Eyes of Nursing and Social Work Students. Creative Nursing, 30(2), 145–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/10784535241247093
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Scholarly/ Creative Activities, College of Applied Arts. 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence in Service, College of Applied Arts. 2020 - 2021
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence in Service, College of Applied Arts. 2020
  • Award / Honor Nominee: Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State University Alumni Association. 2018
  • Award / Honor Nominee: Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State University Alumni Association. 2016
View all awards
  1. Member

    College Naming Committee

  2. Member

    PhD/Doctoral Comittee

  3. Member

    University Lecturer Committee

  4. Chair

    Student and Community Engagement Committee

  5. Member

    Piper Professor Selection Committee

  6. Reviewer / Referee

    Journal of Community Practice

  7. View all activities