Teaching and Research Staff3794066

Dr Monica Short

Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Social Welfare (Welfare and Social Policy)

Collaboration, story and engagement are fundamental to Dr Monica Short's research and teaching. Monica is internationally recognised for her expertise in co-designed co-operative inquiry research projects that address questions in the fields of education, health, and human services. Practitioners, volunteers, people studying, academics, managers and community members are invited to author in partnership with Monica, amplifying their voices to raise awareness of issues and drive change.

With interdisciplinary colleague Dr Emma Rush (philosophy), Monica is currently co-leading a major research project on recruitment, retention and wellbeing in rural mental health. This project is supported by a multidisciplinary team of experts: Dr Ella Dixon (sociology), Dr Nicola Ivory (psychology), Dr Rohena Duncombe (mental health social work), Yangi Uchalla (social work), Michelle Bonner (social worker) and Sarah Ansell (management, leadership and engagement). For more information, please see.

Monica is a senior lecturer and practitioner-researcher at Charles Sturt University in the School of Social Work and Arts. She has a degree in Social Work, a Master of Social Welfare (Welfare and Social Policy) and a Ph.D. by publication through Charles Sturt University (CSU). Her thesis is titled – 'The Australian Anglican Church engaging with people living with disabilities and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in rural, regional and remote communities'.

Prior to academia, Monica worked for over 20 years in large government organisations in professional, project management, and middle- and senior-managerial roles. She has experience working with people across the lifespan, having practised in the following fields: health, child and family, aged care, rural, and income security. For instance, she has work experience in journeying with young families to gain income, housing and food security, to counselling seniors planning long-term kin and other care.

Monica collaboratively and co-operatively coordinates/leads the International Network of Co-operative Inquirers https://incinq.csu.domains. She is a member of Gulbali, the Anglican Church of Australia Mission and Ministry Commission and an adjunct Centre Scholar with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. In 2021, Monica jointly coordinated a social work and humanities teaching and learning during and post-COVID-19 think tank. From 2017 to 2018, she was co-chair of the ACT/NSW Combined Universities Field Education Group.

Monica has several awards for her research and teaching, including:

In 2024, Monica received an Executive Dean's Teaching Award for: leading by developing a corpus of scholarship for teaching online or face-to-face, including how to embed into subjects innovative, kind, impactful, codesigned transformational learning opportunities.

In 2023, Monica was one of the recipients of The Australia and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research Prize with the theme: Being Global, regional and Local in Education in Australasia and The Pacific. It was for achievement in research about collaborations between communities and education for: work-integrated learning, human services or social work. Also, in 2023, Monica received the School of Social Work and Arts Award for 2023 Highest Student Experience Survey Scores.

In 2021, Monica received one of the Faculty Research Awards. She also was one of two recipients of the St Mark's National Theological Centre Greg Eather Memorial Prize for meritorious work in Christianity and Australian Society.

In 2020, Monica received The Australia and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research Field-University Collaboration Award; and was one of a group of recipients who received a CSU Excellence Award.

In 2016 Monica received the Australian New Zealand Social Work, Welfare and Research Field Placement Recognition Award for championing innovative models for research.

Monica is on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land and is based in Canberra.

Monica applies a pedagogy and theology of kindness in her teaching. This teaching and learning approach creates opportunities for all educational stakeholders to care for each other pastorally and to show and nurture kindness. Further, it aims for all people in a learning system to journey transformational learning moments together - spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally well. Monica utilises the heutagogical principles of collaborative learning and democratising education in her teaching.

Monica also participates in research collaborations concerning pedagogy that, for example, 'enable students to think critically about their evolving context, foster resilience and skills, instigate change and maintain social work values' (Short, Trembath, Duncombe & Whitaker, 2018, p. 12). Monica teaches in accordance with the CSU Strategic Focus of fostering belonging and connectedness.

Monica is a senior social work lecturer and social sciences researcher at Charles Sturt University. She is teaching and research active, and supervises PhD students.

She has subject coordinated, convened, tutored, supervised in and/or marked the following subjects:

Indigenous Academic Success Program
HCS303 Social Work Field Education 1
HCS505 Social Work Field Education 1
HCS402 Social Work Field Education 2
HCS506 Social Work Field Education 2
HCS200 Social Work Theory and Practice 1: Foundations of Practice
HCS111 Introduction to human services
HCS507 Social Work Theory and Practice 1: Foundations of Practice
SWK424 Social Work Field Education 2A
WEL418 Case Management
WEL523 Contemporary Theories of Case Management

Workshops and development opportunities for volunteers, small groups, faith-based and secular human services organisations, and communities in rural and urban locations

In partnership with Dr Emma Rush (CSU), Dr Monica Short co-facilitates inspirational professional development webinars on ethical practice for professional organisations.
In partnership with colleagues from Northern Rivers University Centre for Rural Health – University of Sydney, Southern Cross University - Australia, Charles Sturt University, University College Cork – Ireland, University of New England - Australia and the International Network of Co-operative Inquirers, Monica facilitates transnational student-led, rural-focussed co-operative inquiries for academics and students page.
Monica facilitates Sharing Our Professional Practice Wisdom and Voice in the Public Domain professional development workshops.
In partnership with the Director of Mission and Culture, Revd Sarah Plummer, from Anglicare NSW South, NSW West, and ACT, Monica co-facilitates community engagement and development workshops on Creating Communities of Hope and Kindness in Uncertain Times.

Monica's research focuses on the psycho-social-spiritual-physical resilience and well-being of individuals and communities in their environments. Practitioners, volunteers, people studying, academics, managers and community members are invited to author in partnership with Monica, amplifying their voices to raise awareness of issues and drive change

She is currently collaboratively and co-operatively leading/co-leading interdisciplinary research into:

The recruitment, retention and well-being of NGO rural mental health workers.
The utilisation of co-operative inquiry methodology in practice and community settings in education, health and human services. (This involves mentoring colleagues in the co-operative inquiry methodology).
The role of school chaplains during a mental health crisis.
The rural Anglican church.
A pedagogy and theology of kindness.

Her personal research narrative aims to generate meaning that enhances and respects individuals, groups, and communities within practice, education, and research (Short, Barton, Cooper, Woolven, Loos, & Devos, 2017, p. 104). Honouring emic (insider) and etic (outsider) knowledge, valuing relationships, collaboration, sharing power, promoting social justice and upholding egalitarian principles are central principles for her research (Short, 2018, p. 233). Monica applies an integrated lens with an epistemological base in social work, sociology and theology in her work; and she utilises methodologies such as co-operative inquiry, ethnography, literature review, and case studies. Her research contributes to the CSU research narrative of the development of individuals and thriving communities with strong social frameworks where harmony resides.

Along with Dr Emma Rush, Monica supervises HDR students. She is a CSU-registered supervisor and welcomes proposals from prospective Honours, Master's (by Research or by Coursework with Shorter Thesis), and PhD students in topic areas related to her own research.

More information about Monica's research can be seen here.

View Publications in CRO