Institutes at CSWR
The Center for Social Work Research is the umbrella for several institutes that provide expertise in research methodology and/or training related to a specific social work topic or specialization. Institutes, which are organized as projects or groups of projects headed by one or more social work faculty, provide a range of services to the research and practice communities.
Addiction Research Institute
The Addiction Research Institute focuses specifically upon substance abuse among under-served populations (particularly African-Americans and Mexican-Americans). The Program adopts a uniquely Social Work perspective, emphasizing factors at the individual, family, organizational, societal, and cultural level that influence substance abuse and substance abuse treatment. Visit the Website.
Diversity Institute
The Diversity Education Institute, based within the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, functions in collaboration with the School of Social Work. Visit the Website.
The Health Behavior Research and Training Institute
The Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) specializes in the development and implementation of interventions addressing behavior change using the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Intervention research has targeted HIV and safer sexual practices, prenatal health, alcohol, cocaine, smoking, STI testing, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The HBRT has a history of providing training on the TTM, MI, and evidence-based intervention and prevention approaches, with recent emphasis on teaching health care providers to use brief motivational interventions in medical settings. Collaborators include state, federal, and international governmental agencies.
Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault creates opportunities for faculty and students to build expertise and conduct research through collaboration with each other, community agencies, and statewide organizations. In addition, the Institute provides training throughout the university community to prepare students in social work, law, nursing, and related disciplines to provide services to victims of domestic and sexual assault, as well as providing general information about these issues to student and faculty throughout the university. The Institute is unique in its focus on interdisciplinary research and training. Visit the Website.
The Institute for Grief, Loss, and Family Survival
The Institute for Grief, Loss and Family Survival is a multi-disciplinary collaboration among research and community professionals to investigate and address the needs of children, adults and families who have experienced grief and loss. The overarching goals of this initiative are to enhance and support individual and family survival. Visit the Website.
The Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue
The Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue (RJI) seeks to build a national mindset that embraces restorative justice principles. Its mission is to advance meaningful accountability, victim healing and community safety through the use of restorative solutions to repair the harm related to conflict, crime and victimization.
Inter-American Institute for Youth Justice
The Inter-American Institute for Youth Justice (I-AI4Youth) is dedicated to serving youth in conflict with the law. The purpose of the institute is to assist local, national, and multi-national groups to respond proactively to issues of delinquency and youth violence. I-AI4Youth initiatives and projects serve as a catalyst to strengthen communication across national boundaries, and as a means by which communities and nations in the Americas can identify critical youth justice issues, develop well-informed policies and practices to improve outcomes for court-involved youth, increase public safety, and reduce delinquency and youth violence. Visit the Website.
Life Care Institute
Programs and grants of the Life Care Institute will encompass activities designed to build knowledge that supports such caregivers. Institute research and practice strategies will focus on stress, coping, and resilience. Visit the Website.
Protective Services Training Institute
PSTI is an innovative partnership between three schools of social work in Texas and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide training to Adult Protective Services, Child Care Licensing, Child Protective Services, and Statewide Intake staff. Visit the Website.