Although their research interests are diverse, Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) faculty members, students and research partners share something in common: a focus on advancing social justice. We live this mission every day through research and scholarship that spans social work practice, policy and system reform.
GSSW Professor Jeffrey Jenson is retiring from social work after more than 30 years of scholarship and service as a leading social scientist in the areas of child and youth development and prevention.
As a new Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, GSSW Professor Kimberly Bender embodies the best in social work research and education.
At the Institute for Human–Animal Connection, American Humane Endowed Chair Kevin Morris is working to improve animal and human welfare through more rigorous research.
GSSW Research Associate ProfessorSuzanne Kerns shares updates from the Center for Effective Interventions and discusses her new book on selecting and implementing evidence-based practice.
Faculty Book Spotlight
Ecosocial Work
New book co-edited by Associate Professor of the PracticeRachel Forbes encourages social workers to advocate for environmental justice.
Understanding and Effectively Utilizing Experiential Therapy
New book by Professor Nicole Nicotera and Associate Professor Julie Anne Laser that offers a trauma-sensitive, mindfulness-based approach to Experiential Therapy with 10 practical steps and 32 ready-to-use activities.
New book edited by ProfessorJohnny Kim. This step-by-step training manual guides readers through the clinical practice of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) for use with families.
Community needs and assets shape our research and scholarship agenda. For example, we host 16 intervention research studies and collaborate with 128 research partners. With support from 10 public and private partners statewide, the Climb@DU initiative is training social workers to meet behavioral health needs in underserved Colorado communities. Community partners also invest in our work, as do local, state and national foundations and agencies, funding more than $11.7 million in 2019–20 in annual research expenditures.
