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.
In 2009, Dr. Bragin was invited to Sichuan China for the anniversary of the 5/12 earthquake to discuss the role of social work in helping communities recover from disaster. She continues to work with colleagues from China to develop social work capacities in the area of disaster.
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.
She is also a member ot the external relations committee of the Council on Social Work Education.
Recent
Publications
Bragin, M. (in press) Clinical social work interventions in violence and disaster. In J. Brandell, (editor) Theory and Practice in Clinical Social Work (Second Edition), Thousand Oaks, California: Sage
Bragin, M. (in press) Can anyone here know who I am? Creating meaningful narratives among returning combat veterans, their families, and the communities in which we all live Clinical Social Work Journal
Bragin, M. and Bragin G. (2009). Making meaning together: helping survivors of violence and loss to learn at school. Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
Bragin, M., and Garcia M. (2009) Competencies required to design and implement programs for children and adolescents affected by violence and disaster: are these competencies those of international social work? Journal of Global Social Work Practice
Wurzer, J and Bragin, M. (2009) Integrating the psychosocial dimension in women’s empowerment programming. A guide for CARE country offices. Vienna: CARE Österreich
Wheeler, D.P. and Bragin, M. (2007). Bringing It All Back Home: Social Work and the Challenge of Returning Veterans Health and Social Work, Vol. 32, No. 4, November 2007 pp.297-300
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. (2007). Knowing terrible things: engaging survivors of extreme violence in treatment. Clinical Social Work Journal.35 (4) 215-293
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.), Analysts in the trenches: Streets, schools and war zones. (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
Bragin, M. (1996). Some notes on the crisis confronting youth. Dialogue and Initiative. 1(1). 1-3 |
