UMSSW is pleased to share that alum Katie Falls, LCSW-C, has been welcomed to Choptank Community Health System’s school-based behavioral health team, where she is expanding access to care for students on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In her new role, Falls provides trauma-informed behavioral health services to students enrolled in school-based health centers in Kent County Public Schools and Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, helping young people build the skills and supports they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.
Falls will serve students at Rock Hall Elementary School, Sudlersville Middle School, and Kent County High School, bringing critical behavioral health services directly into the schools where children and adolescents spend much of their day. By embedding care in these learning environments, she helps reduce barriers to access, strengthens partnerships between educators and behavioral health providers, and supports early intervention for students who may otherwise go without needed services.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Falls brings extensive experience in school social work, outpatient behavioral health, trauma-informed care, and community-based services. Throughout her career, she has supported children, adolescents, adults, and families through individual counseling, crisis intervention, behavioral assessments, treatment planning, and close collaboration with educators, healthcare providers, and community organizations.
Before joining Choptank Health, Falls served as a school social worker at Rock Hall Elementary School, where she provided counseling services, supported students through IEP and Section 504 plans, and connected families with community resources. She also maintained a psychotherapy practice serving adolescents and adults and previously worked as a social worker at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, further deepening her experience in integrated community-based care.
Falls earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Salisbury University. Her path reflects the core values of UMSSW—advancing equity, strengthening communities, and centering the well-being of children and families through collaborative, trauma-informed practice.
Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, pediatric, behavioral health, and school-based health services throughout Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, serving more than 30,000 adults and children each year. Its mission is to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for everyone, a mission aligned with the commitments of UMSSW alumni like Falls. New medical patients and school-based health center student registrants are welcome at Choptank Health locations and participating Mid-Shore school systems; more information is available at www.choptankhealth.org.
UMSSW celebrates Katie Falls’ continued leadership in school-based behavioral health and her ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for children, families, and communities.