Youth in foster care often face higher exposure to traumatic events and are less likely to receive the necessary services to address the resulting trauma-related symptoms. This discrepancy leads to a range of mental health challenges that, if left untreated, can manifest into more complex issues, such as substance misuse and delinquency.

The Stoops Center for Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center) at the FSU College of Social Work is committed to changing this narrative.

Researchers at Florida State University recently published a study in the Southern Communication Journal evaluating the impact of FSU’s Student Resilience Project on first-year college students.  

Fully launched in 2018, FSU developed the Student Resilience Project to provide first-year students with information on self-help coping skills and access to campus health and academic support resources to improve their transition to college.

This year, Dr. Kristy Anderson, an assistant professor at the College of Social Work, received a KL2 Mentoring Career Development Award. The National Institutes of Health funds the award to assist emerging research faculty in establishing their career in patient-oriented research. The award combines didactic training, mentoring and exposure to multidisciplinary research and ongoing evaluation.

Originally from Clearwater, Florida, Lisa Jackson came to Florida State University with the ambition to work with young adults. A two-time FSU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology (2013) and her Master of Social Work degree (2015), she knew she wanted to work in a collegiate environment to help youth transition into higher education.

“My MSW application highlighted my desire to work with students navigating the transition to life on campus,” Lisa explained. “It’s an amazing time of life where students begin emerging into adulthood while facing many unique challenges.”

This spring, Associate Professor Dr. Jean Munn took a picture with her Introduction to the Profession class, the last she would teach as a faculty member of the College of Social Work before her retirement. She evoked, enjoying pizza and farewells," We met in the same classroom, room 1704, where I taught my first social work class at FSU. I loved teaching this class."

A recent study led by Dr. Lisa Schelbe looked at how campus support programs for students with a history of foster, relative care, and homelessness impacted college students.

Drawn to working with vulnerable populations at a young age, John Moore was expressly interested in working with individuals and families impacted by substance misuse. Although he initially intended to be a clinician, Moore’s research interests perpetuate his wish to promote the well-being and recovery of those impacted by substance misuse.

Dr. Stephen Tripodi, associate professor and director of the Doctoral Program at the FSU College of Social Work, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work, or GADE.

Amy Ai, a distinguished research professor at the Florida State University College of Social Work, has been selected as a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM).

As a first-generation American, Erika Cuffy calls Florida home after her parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba in the 1970s. She discovered at an early age how much she loved people and finding ways to connect and help them.