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 Associate Professor Ramona Beltrán explores historical trauma and healing in an award-winning animated short film that emphasizes the strength and resilience of Native and Indigenous people.
GSSW faculty edited and authored articles in a special section on public impact scholarship in social work published by the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.
A new Graduate School of Social Work and Graduate School of Professional Psychology study is exploring the relationship between traumatic brain injuries and homelessness.
Developed by GSSW Professors Ramona Beltrán and Debora Ortega, a community-based archive centers Indigenous and Latinx culture and knowledge to reduce health impacts of historical trauma.
GSSW faculty are applying artificial intelligence to their own research and helping to guide the University’s efforts to harness AI for the public good.
GSSW Associate Professor Leslie Hasche is studying a community-driven intervention to improve outcomes for victims of elder abuse and neglect in Denver.
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.
