Pioneering Contributions
Norman H. Cobb, PhD, MSW, has made trailblazing contributions to the social work profession throughout his career of nearly 40 years as an educator and practitioner. Throughout his academic career, including more than 30 years at the University of Texas Arlington, Dr. Cobb’s teaching, publications, and research centered on the theory and treatment of an array of mental health disorders. His experience with professional therapeutic intervention was integrated into his teaching, and his knowledge of mental health theory and practice informed his supervision of students in clinical settings.
In 1993 Cobb developed a two-day multi-session licensing exam preparation workshop providing face-to-face and online licensing workshops for graduate students preparing for their LMSW and LCSW licenses. What began as a workshop series for UTA graduates, was expanded to workshops in various universities throughout Texas and Oklahoma. When the demand became too great, a 13 video online-version of the workshop was developed and provided to participants nationwide. The program continues today in the form of Cobb Educational Services. The value of his work and contribution to the field is more important today considering the current controversies related to the low pass rate for minority test-takers attempting the licensing exam.
More than 2,500 social workers throughout the country have passed the licensing exam with the help of Cobb’s preparation classes and related materials. The high pass rates (91%) are due to his practical approach and application of social work skills based on clinical knowledge and practice experience. In addition to his test preparation courses and consultation, Cobb has provided supervision for 200-plus graduates who are required to accrue two years of professional practice to sit for their LCSW licensing exams.
Cobb’s teaching and mentorship was not confined to the classroom. He maintained a part-time clinical practice throughout his career which kept him abreast of the latest in therapeutic interventions and perspectives. He directed the UTA Mental Health Clinic for 11 years, mentoring students completing their field placements who counseled a wide array of clients. This unique combination of clinical instruction and hands-on practical application of skills has become a model of professional practice which was duplicated at schools of social work across the country.
Career Highlights
Since 2017, Cobb has been the owner of and instructor at Cobb Educational Services. From 1989 to 2022, he worked as an associate professor at University of Texas at Arlington, during which he was director of UTA/ Community Service Clinic for 11 years. At the University of North Texas, he was as assistant professor from 1984 to1989. At Dana College, he served as an assistant professor from 1983 to 1984. At United Methodist Church (Northwest Texas Conference), he served as minister from 1970 to 1981.
Biographic Data
Cobb was born on January 25, 1945 in Amarillo, Texas. He and his wife Brenda have been married for 21 years and retired to the Rocky Mountains outside Boulder, Colorado. Together, Norm and Brenda are the proud parents of three sons, a daughter and three grandchildren. Cobb continues to provide online licensing workshops and to guide online clinical supervision groups.
Cobb holds a BA in mathematics from Texas Tech University (1967), a MA in theology from St. Paul School of Theology (1970) in Kansas City, MO. After a time serving as a United Methodist minister, he earned his MSW degree from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in 1979 and then his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1986. He has held faculty positions at Dana College in Nebraska, the University of North Texas, and the University of Texas at Arlington where he served on the School of Social Work faculty for 33 years and retired in 2022.
Significant Recognition and Awards
Cobb received the Fernando G. Torgerson Teaching Award eleven times and the BSW Award for Teaching Excellence for the School of Social Work. He was awarded the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching at University at Texas at Arlington and the Regent’s Outstanding Teaching Award for University of Texas System, honoring “extraordinary classroom performance and innovation.”
Cobb was elected to a three-year term as the chair of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at University of Texas at Arlington. He delivered the UTA School of Social Work Commencement Address on five occasions and was designated as a “Recognized Professor" by Phi Kappa Phi. Cobb was twice nominated for the University of Texas System Piper Professor Award. Those nominated for the Piper Award are nominated by the University President to be recognized as the most outstanding professors in the entire University of Texas System, which includes nine Texas Universities. [Additional awards are listed in Cobb’s CV.]
Significant Publications
Watson, L. D., & Cobb, N. H. (2012). Ethical Issues in the Use of Putative Father Registries in Infant Adoption: Implications for Administrators and Practitioners. 15(3), 206–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2012.699912
Simmons, C. A., Lehmann, P., & Cobb, N. H. (2008). A Comparison of Women Versus Men Charged with Intimate Partner Violence: General Risk Factors, Attitudes Regarding Using Violence, and Readiness to Change. Violence and Victims, 23(5), 571–585. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.23.5.571
Cobb, N. H. (1999). Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Anger Control Treatment for Perpetrators of Family Violence.. 12(2), 61–70.