NASW Pioneers Biography Index

Throughout his professional career of more than 40 years, Dr. Carlton Munson served as a model of excellence in the social work profession. He made outstanding contributions to social work practice, social work education, and social work research in health and mental health. As a Professor in the School of Social Work, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Dr. Munson taught social work practice at the BSW, MSW and Doctoral levels.  

He also served for seven years as Director of the University of Maryland School of Social Work Doctoral Program and Chaired Doctoral Dissertation Research on social work practice issues. His academic career has included faculty appointments at Shepherd University, Catholic University of America, University of Houston, and Fordham University. His research interests centered on trauma and loss in children, international child abduction, social work supervision practice, trends in social work practice, student and practitioner stress reactions, and trends in social work education curriculum design. 

In addition to being a distinguished educator, Dr. Munson made contributions to clinical social work practice and the social work profession in the federal and state court systems. His participation as a clinical expert witness and consultant in two State of Maryland Court of Appeals child welfare cases established the right of clinical social workers to make DSM-IV-TR diagnoses, to testify as expert witnesses, and to testify to ultimate issues. These are accomplishments of national historic importance for the social work profession, and the Maryland Court of Appeals’ opinion in Dr. Munson’s case affirmed and established the credentials of clinical social workers at the state and national levels.  

His clinical expertise, especially as it related to children, led to him being a nationally-recognized expert witness on matters connected with mental health and domestic and international child abduction. Dr. Munson had extensive experience in international child abduction cases and provided clinical services and expert testimony in cases from 14 countries. He remained active in clinical practice throughout his distinguished career. He served as Clinical Social Worker and as Clinical Consultant to practitioners, mental health agencies, and departments of social services at state, county, and local department levels. He also conducted a private practice specializing in the evaluation and treatment of traumatized children and their families. 

Dr. Munson received his MSW and PhD degrees from the University of Maryland. A prolific writer, his published books and articles include: Clear and Convincing Evidence: A Handbook of Expert Witness Testimony; Shakespeare’s Sister: Treatment of Childhood Trauma (2009); Handbook of Clinical Social Work Supervision (3rd edition); Mental Health Diagnostic Desk Reference, Visual Guides and More for Learning to Use the DSM-IV-TR. His book, Social Work Supervision: Classic Statements and Critical Issues, is a widely used supervision textbook published in 1979 and remains in print.

Dr. Munson’s contributions to clinical practice in mental health have been recognized by a number of outstanding awards: the American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians Dr. Henry P. & Page Laughlin Award as Distinguished Teacher; the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence Education Achievement Award; and the Maryland Society for Clinical Work, Social Work Educator of the Year. He was a member of NASW for more than 40 years, served on the Editorial Review Board of NASW’s Social Work Dictionary, and as Chairperson of the Professional Standards Committee, NASW Maryland Chapter.