David W. Springer, Ph.D., LCSW

University Distinguished Teaching Professor and Co-Director, Inter-American Institute for Youth Justice

About

Dr. David Springer is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is also Co-Director of the Inter-American Institute for Youth Justice and holds a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Psychology.

Dr. Springer was born in Manhattan, New York. After spending his first six years of childhood in Nyack, New York, he and his family moved to Rockledge, Florida (a few miles inland from Cocoa Beach) where he grew up an avid surfer and beach bum. He received his Ph.D. in Social Work from Florida State University, where he also received a Master of Social Work degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Dr. Springer’s social work practice experience has included work as a clinical social worker with adolescents and their families in inpatient and outpatient settings and as a school social worker in an alternative learning center with youth recommended for expulsion for serious offenses.

Dr. Springer’s interest in developing and implementing effective social work services for adolescents and their families continues to drive his research and scholarship. He has conducted research funded by various sources, including the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and the RGK Foundation. His areas of interest include: juvenile justice; forensic social work with juvenile delinquents; clinical assessment and intervention with adolescents and families; evidence-based substance abuse and mental health treatment with youth; intervention research with adolescents; applied psychometric theory and scale development; and leadership in social work higher education.

Dr. Springer has co-authored or co-edited several books, including – Juvenile Justice and Delinquency (published by Jones and Bartlett), Developing and Validating Rapid Assessment Instruments (Oxford University Press), Handbook of Forensic Mental Health with Victims and Offenders (Springer Publishing Company), Social Work in Juvenile and Criminal Justice Settings (3^rd edition, Charles C. Thomas), and Substance Abuse Treatment for Criminal Offenders (American Psychological Association) - and has authored or co-authored over 100 articles, book chapters, and reports that primarily coalesce around juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, and interventions with youth. He most recently co-edited a series of books with Dr. Allen Rubin, the Clinician’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice (John Wiley and Sons), in which each volume of the series provides an in-depth description of several evidence-based interventions that focus on a specific clinical area of treatment.

Dr. Springer teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. At the graduate level, he has most recently taught Treatment of Children and Adolescents, Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice, Theories and Methods of Group Intervention, Leadership as a Catalyst for Community Change, and the doctoral seminar Theories of Direct Practice. Each fall, he teaches a Freshman Seminar and UT Signature Course, entitled The Art of Being Human: Constructing a Life with Meaning, where students explore how individuals create a meaningful and happy existence. Dr. Springer has been awarded the Texas Exes Teaching Excellence Award (1998), the university-wide Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (2003), the university-wide DAD’S Centennial Teaching Fellowship (2008) in recognition of distinction and excellence in teaching students, and the university-wide Outstanding Graduate Adviser Award (2009). In 2005, Dr. Springer was selected into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers, the highest teaching honor awarded to professors at The University of Texas at Austin.

In 2007, Dr. Springer served as Chair of a Blue Ribbon Task Force consisting of national and regional leaders, entitled Transforming Juvenile Justice in Texas: A Framework for Action, which was charged with making recommendations for reforming the juvenile justice system in Texas (the complete list of members and full report of the Task Force is available at links below). In recognition of his work with the Blue Ribbon Task Force, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Texas Chapter/Austin Branch selected Dr. Springer as the 2008 Social Worker of the Year. In 2008, he was selected as a Leadership Fellow into the inaugural class of The University of Texas System Leadership Institute. He currently serves on the National Scientific and Policy Advisory Council for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and on the Advisory Council for Great Wall China Adoption and Children of All Nations. He has been selected into Who’s Who in Social Sciences Higher Education; Cambridge Who’s Who in Research, Medicine, and Healthcare; Who’s Who in America; and Who’s Who in the World.

Dr. Springer and his wife, Sarah, have a son, Aidan. His personal interests include ultra trail running, stand-up paddle boarding, camping, playing the guitar, and photography. He still surfs when he gets the chance.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Professional Interests

Adolescent health; Clinical assessment and intervention with adolescents and families; Evidence-based substance abuse and mental health treatment with youth; Forensic social work with juvenile delinquents; Intervention research with adolescents; Applied psychometric theory and scale development; Leadership in social work higher education.