Dr. Bragin comes to Hunter following 25 years experience advising governments, non governmental organizations and the United Nations in social work with populations affected by war, violence and disaster, as well as progressively responsible positions in urban social services. In collaborating with colleagues in the global south, she continues to learn from them, and works to bring that multicultural learning to the teaching of HBSE and direct practice courses as well as to her research.

Her area of specialization is the psychosocial reintegration of people affected by violence, engaging indigenous resources to restore their capacity to transform the communities in which they live. Internationally, that has included the design monitoring and evaluation of programs for the community based demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) of men, women and child soldiers, as well as broadly based programs for inclusive community support.

As training director at the Children’s Aid Society, Dr Bragin developed the assessment model used state-wide for the mandatory diversion of status offenders from family court. With support from the WT Grant Foundation, she also developed a model reintegration program for adolescents returning from prison. 

Dr. Bragin’s current research is on the application of psychodynamic principles to mitigate the effect of violence on cognitive capacity. She is also interested in increasing knowledge of how such issues as gender, aggression and agency may be implicated in resilience.

Dr. Bragin is author of the Community Participatory Evaluation Tool, (the CPET), used internationally to assist community members to elaborate indicators of wellbeing, assess the effects of violence on their communities and measure whether or not programs designed to help have succeeded.

Dr. Bragin is the recipient of the 2007 Tyson Prize from the International Psychoanalytical Association for her theoretical paper, Knowing Terrible Things. 

She is a member of the Interagency Standing Committee reference group on mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies. The group has developed a set of guidelines, including critical “do no harm” principles, that the reference committee will put forward to promote best practice in humanitarian intervention.

Recent Publications

Peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters

Bragin, M.  (2007). Knowing terrible things: engaging survivors of extreme violence in treatment. Clinical Social Work Journal. 35 (4) 215-293

Bragin, M.  (2007). The effects of war on children: A psychosocial approach. In E.Carll, Ed., Trauma Psychology: Issues in violence, disaster, health and illness. Vol. 1: violence and disaster (pp125 – 229). Portsmouth New Hampshire: Praeger Greenwood.  

Bragin, M., Prabhu, V. and Czarnocha, B. (2007).  Psychosocial work, mathematics and human rights: A new equation for improving outcomes for children affected by social violence. Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counseling in Areas of Armed Conflict 5 (2) 97 - 109 

Bragin, M. (2005). To play learn and think: Mitigating the effects of exposure to violence in school aged children. Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.4 (3) 296 – 309 

Bragin, M.  (2005). The Community Participatory Evaluation Tool for Psychosocial Programs: a guide to implementation. Intervention: International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counseling in Areas of Armed Conflict 3(1) 3 – 24. 

Bragin, M (2005). Pedrito: Exploring the roots of aggression through the traditional treatment of a former child soldier in Angola. Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 4 (1) 1 – 21

Bragin, M.  & Pierrepointe, M.  (2004). Complex attachments: A discussion of the nature of attachment in families where the global economy has necessitated migration to the north. Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 3 (1), 41 – 46

Bragin, M.  (2004).The uses of aggression: healing the wounds of war and violence in a community context. In B. Sklarew, S. Twemlow, and S. Wilkinson (Eds.), Violence, Terrorism and the Transmission of Trauma: Analytically Informed Interventions in the Community. (pp. 169 – 194). Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.

Bragin, M.  (2003). Mothers and others: learning from women and girls about community resilience in time of war. Mind and Human Interaction, 13, 99 – 119

Bragin, M.  (2003).The effect of extreme violence on the capacity for symbol formation: case studies from Afghanistan and New York.  J.Cancelmo, J. Hoffenberg, and H. Myers (Eds).  Terror and the Psychoanalytic Space: International Perspectives from Ground Zero. New York:  Pace University. 

Bragin, M.  (2002).Evaluating psychosocial programs for children affected by armed conflict: a community based approach. Mind and Human Interaction, 12, 289 – 304

Pierrepointe, M.,  Diaz, A., Bragin, M. & Navas, M. (1999). Style and substance: Exploring the space between patient and therapist in the cross-cultural clinical encounter. Journal of Social Work Practice, 13, 39 – 49

Editorials

Wheeler D.P. and Bragin, M. (2007). Bringing It All Back Home: Social Work and the Challenge of Returning Veterans Health and Social Work, 32, (4), 297-300

Selected Reports

Bragin, M.  (2005). The Tiger is Our Guest: Helping children to grow up in time of war and afterwards. Vienna: CARE Österreich.

Bragin, M. (2004) Baseline Information, needs assessment and program evaluation guide: responding to the psychosocial needs of excombatants in Liberia. CARE International

Bragin, M. (2003). Education for all in the conflict zones of Uganda: Opportunities, challenges and a way forward. Creative Associates International and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Uganda

Bragin, M. (2002).  Lost and Found: Addressing the needs of young people affected by the conflict in Afghanistan: needs assessment and program recommendations. UNICEF Afghanistan

Monographs:

Bragin, M.  (2006). Can anybody know who I am? Co-constructing meaningful narratives with immigrant and refugee  adolescents.  William Alanson White Institute: Refugee and Immigrant Project: Child and Adolescent Family Center.

Bragin, M. (2003). Helping school communities to cope with children’s reactions to violence: Practical hints for parents and teachers in difficult times.  Brooklyn Community Counseling Centre Program for Underserved Schools.