Fermin Olivera, MSW

Speaker Information

Education: Fermin obtained a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Northeastern State University and a Master of Social Work (MSW) with a focus in clinical social work (Counseling) from the University of Oklahoma.

Work: Fermin has worked in the social sector both in Belize and in the U.S.A. for over thirty-five years as a social worker—in Belize his work focused on residential/custodial care for children in conflict with the law and was the Director of the Community Rehabilitation Department in the Ministry of Human Development for many years until his departure in 2009. While at the University of Belize (UB) since August of 2010 he collaborated and published work in the areas of HIV (Prevalence and Patterns of HIV/AIDS Risk Factors in Recovering Addicts: Empirical evidence for intervention strategies) and in drug use (Prevalence and pattern of drug use among 3rd Form students at secondary schools in Belize City). As a lecturer, he teaches a broad range of courses within the social work program with a preference for practice courses, policy and social work and the law. His community service is primarily done with agencies that focus on child welfare, undertaking a variety of roles from supporting program evaluation, providing training for institutional capacity building to providing direct counseling services to underprivileged families and especially children.

At UB Fermin has held several administrative roles, Coordinator and Chair at the department level on several occasions and served on several committees, team leader for the 1st and only program review conducted to date and is currently a member of the current program review team and member of the review team for the Criminal Justice and Criminology Program being developed by the Faculty of Business.