Afton Salas

Afton Salas
  • Graduate, DSW Program
  • LSCSW

Contact Info

Biography —

Afton Salas, MSW, LCSW, earned both her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees from Park University. She serves as a program manager at University Health’s Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Kansas City, where she supports multidisciplinary teams delivering comprehensive, trauma-informed care. She is an active member of the DBT Consult Committee, the Hospital Ethics Consult Committee, and the Trauma-Informed Workplace Committee.

Salas previously worked with several behavioral health and substance use intervention organizations in the Kansas City area, including Mental Health Resources and reStart. Her work reflects a strong commitment to ethical practice, crisis intervention, and improving patient outcomes through trauma-informed approaches.

Research —

Practice and Research Focus Areas

Salas’s practice centers on ethics, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and de-escalation. Her research as a doctoral student explores strategies to reduce early psychiatric rehospitalization, with an emphasis on social work’s role in improving continuity of care.

DSW Capstone Project

Capstone project title: Examining Early Psychiatric Rehospitalization and the Role of Social Work Intervention

Capstone project description: This capstone project investigates early psychiatric rehospitalization within the Kansas City area and examines how social work interventions can mitigate these occurrences. Salas aims to develop a comprehensive, multi-tiered program proposal integrating social work strategies across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings to enhance recovery outcomes and reduce readmission rates.

Awards & Honors —

Phi Alpha

Memberships —

Dean's Advisory Board