Maria Morrison, Ph.D., LCSW
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work
Office Hours
By appointment
Courses Taught
Advanced Social Work Practice in Trauma with Children and Youth (SWRK 5775); Research for Evidence-Informed Social Work Practice (SWRK 5787); Social Work Practice with Individuals (SWRK 5750); Human Behavior and the Social Environment (SWRK 5725); Policy Practice for Social Justice (SWRK 5707); Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, & Groups (SWRK 3300); Criminology: Nature of Crime (CCJ 2150)
Education
Ph.D., Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
M.S.W., University of Alabama
Practice Areas
Trauma interventions and support services to individuals in prison and recently released from prison.
Research Interests
Trauma, incarceration, and the reentry process.
Publications and Media Placements
Morrison, M., Hai, A.H., Bandaru, Y.S., Salas-Wright, C.P., & Vaughn, M.G. (2023). Opioid
misuse and associated health risks among adults on probation and parole: Prevalence
and correlates 2015-2020. Substance Use and Misuse.
Morrison, M. (2023). The Mass Incarceration Trauma (MIT) Framework: A conceptual frame for
understanding trauma among individuals who experience incarceration. Social Work.
Morrison, M., Pettus, C., Drake, B., Roth, K. & Renn, T. (2023). Trauma and incarceration:
A latent class analysis of lifetime trauma exposures for individuals in prison. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.
Morrison, M. & Drake, B. (2022). Foster children in care due to parental incarceration:
A longitudinal nationwide analysis. Children and Youth Services Review.
Morrison, M., Pettus-Davis, C., Renn, T., Veeh, C. & Weatherly, C. (2019). What trauma looks
like for incarcerated men: A study of men’s lifetime trauma exposures in two state
prisons. Journal of Traumatic Stress Disorders and Treatment.
Honors and Awards
Collaborative Research Grant. Funded by: Doerr Center for Social Justice Education
and Research, Saint Louis University School of Social Work
Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award. Funded by: National Institute
of Mental Health, Grant 1F31MH129081-01A1
National Research Service Award. Funded by: National Institute of Mental Health, Grant
T32MH019960
Professional Organizations and Associations
Society for Social Work Research
Community Work and Service
Dr. Morrison is a social worker at the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit human rights organization that provides legal services to individuals in prison serving unjust sentences. She provides direct services to clients while incarcerated and following release.