Stephen von Merz

Clinical Professor Stephen von Merz serves as GSSW's coordinator of the Family Systems Practice Pathway, and also serves as GSSW's Adjunct & Curriculum Coordinator. With professional experience that includes over 20 years of bilingual (English/Spanish) clinical social work practice in a number of clinical and community settings, he is highly practiced in implementing intensive in-home therapy and outpatient therapy that includes using empirically based models of treatment like structural family therapy, solution-focused brief therapy and Multisystemic Family Therapy (MST).

Prof. von Merz provides bilingual clinical supervision and consultation with an emphasis on culturally responsive family therapy in social work practice and holds certificates in multisystemic therapy (MST), hand-drumming therapy with psychotherapy, Gottman Method Couples Therapy Levels I and II, and secondary trauma resiliency training.

As part of a collaborative partnership with faculty from DU's Graduate School of Professional Psychology, von Merz served as a member of the Colorado Resilience Collaborative (CRC) developed to address identity-based violence. The CRC is an interdisciplinary initiative that addresses those impacted by identity-based violence due to radicalization and discrimination based on race/ethnicity, nationality, faith and ideology. The program works to mobilize efforts that support insight, healing and action at individual, family, organizational and community levels.

Prof. von Merz also worked closely with the mental health treatment team at Mount View Youth Services Center as a contract therapist, and in developing a therapeutic mentoring program for residents. He also worked with paroled youth involved in the Colorado Division of Youth Corrections.