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News Archive

Research

  • Susan Hess, an adjunct lecturer at the USC School of Social Work, has been honored by the Los Angeles City Domestic Violence Task Force with the Marjorie Braude Award for her work in bringing the Trauma Informed Nonviolent Standards of Care (TINSOC) collaborative together.

    TINSOC began in 2012, when Hess, who is also director of intimate partner violence programming at Echo Parenting & Education in Los Angeles, began to assemble a group of domestic violence shelters and agencies to develop and implement a trauma-informed, nonviolent approach to care.

  • Because of medical advances, this generation of post-9/11 veterans is now surviving injuries once considered fatal and returning to communities that may be ill-prepared to care for them.

    A recent summit convened by the Gary Sinise Foundation and the USC School of Social Work’s Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families brought together a diverse set of experts in physical, psychological and community needs to discuss the challenges faced by severely wounded warriors and their caregivers.

  • There is no universal way to support student veterans with mental health issues but, generally speaking, providing a safe environment on college and university campuses has proven effective.

    That information, along with highlighting specific transition challenges and military stigmas, was presented during a USC conference aimed at supporting college and university students with mental illness.

  • In recognition of her contributions to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect through the use of “big data,” Emily Putnam-Hornstein has received the Commissioner’s Award from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

  • Feria Financiera attracted thousands to USC who were eager to gain information on college aid, home financing, stock investments, consumer protection and resources for small businesses.

  • Delivering this year’s Edward R. Roybal Memorial Lecture, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former U.S. Secretary of the Army Togo West Jr. said unprecedented health and social challenges face today’s returning military service members, and they will only mount as veterans age.

  • Public discourse in American society today would suggest that religion is losing its hold on people’s lives. Religious scholars and media reports underscore the point that Americans are now less religious than ever before, at least in terms of church membership and attendance.

    This is sobering news for religious leaders and has left many anxious about the imminent exodus of followers and the growing challenges parents face in keeping their faith for future generations.

  • As the U.S. Department of Defense advances its efforts to evaluate and improve psychological health services for military members and their families, it should develop, track and evaluate programs based on scientific evidence to ensure their effectiveness, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. DOD has implemented numerous resilience and prevention programs -- mostly focused on individual-level interventions -- that address various aspects of psychological health.

  • Set against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, Clinical Professor of Field Education Steve Hydon presented “Secondary Traumatic Stress: Causality and Impact” at the California Public Defenders Association’s annual retreat in Monterey, Calif. About 200 public defenders from across the state were in attendance.

  • Depression affects more than half of all mothers in Early Head Start programs, damaging their parenting abilities and increasing the vulnerability of their children to poor school and life outcomes.

    Ferol Mennen, an associate professor with the USC School of Social Work, will use a new $2.5 million grant from the Administration for Children and Families to test a promising approach to alleviate that depression as a strategy to improve the lives of both mother and child.