About Grace

Grace Berman is a licensed clinical social worker, educator, and thought leader challenging the social work profession to adapt to technological transformation and evolve its practice frameworks.

She teaches at Columbia University School of Social Work, where her courses examine clinical assessment, technology ethics, and advanced practice. She maintains a private practice in New York specializing in anxiety, depression, and life transitions with emerging adults and professionals.

Grace's scholarly work focuses on three interconnected areas: the ethical integration of artificial intelligence into clinical practice, the politics of psychiatric diagnosis in social work, and mental health literacy education in schools. She has published in leading social work journals including Clinical Social Work Journal, Journal of Technology in Human Services, and Smith College Studies in Social Work.

She is a frequent speaker at national conferences including the National Association of Social Workers Annual Conference, the Council on Social Work Education Program Meeting, and regional clinical social work symposia. Her presentations challenge practitioners to think critically about the profession's direction and to claim leadership roles in shaping healthcare innovation.

Grace developed a mental health literacy curriculum now implemented in 15 New York City middle schools, training over 2,000 students and 200 educators. The curriculum emphasizes help-seeking behaviors, peer support skills, and destigmatization rather than diagnostic education. She consults with school districts on whole-school mental health initiatives.

Her work on AI ethics argues that social workers must be involved in technology governance, not merely trained to use tools designed without clinical input. She serves on the NASW Technology Standards Task Force developing national guidelines for AI use in social work practice. She has trained over 400 clinicians in AI literacy and ethical decision-making frameworks.

Grace holds a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Yale University. She completed clinical training at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy. She is licensed in New York State and maintains clinical supervision credentials.

She serves on the editorial board of Clinical Social Work Journal and reviews manuscripts for multiple professional publications. She consults with healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and professional associations on clinical practice innovation, program evaluation, and technology integration.

Her approach to practice is informed by relational theory, ecological systems perspective, and critical analysis of power in therapeutic relationships. She believes the profession's core commitment to dignity and social justice positions social workers uniquely to lead in ethical technology adoption and practice reform.