Jennifer McCleary

Dr. McCleary earned her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. She has practice experience in the fields of both addiction treatment and refugee mental health, as well as extensive experience in macro social work practice with refugee communities and related policy development. Her overarching research agenda focuses on community development and the development of culturally and linguistically relevant social supports for groups displaced by conflict. She works with refugee groups in displacement and resettlement settings to develop better understandings of the impact of conflict-related displacement on families and communities, as well as to enhance the re-development of displaced communities. Her work is founded on collaborative partnerships with refugee communities and utilizes participatory research approaches that emphasize swift translation from knowledge to practice. In one current project, Dr. McCleary is working with the Karen refugee community in St. Paul, Minn., to develop holistic and systemic approaches to reducing harmful alcohol use in the community. The multiple interventions emerging from this project aim to incorporate the Karen community's indigenous strategies for problem solving into mainstream approaches to service delivery. Dr. McCleary weaves her research and community practice experience into the courses she teaches at TUSW and is passionate about engaging with new social workers.