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Sarah Ascienzo

SA

(she/her/hers)

Assoc Professor

School of Social Work

1911 Bldg 307

Bio

Sarah Ascienzo, PhD, LCSW is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at North Carolina State University. Dr. Ascienzo has over 15 years of clinical experience with children and families adversely affected by psychological trauma, including work as a trauma-focused clinician in community- and school-based settings and child forensic interviewer. During her clinical career, Dr. Ascienzo specialized in the treatment of complex trauma, and worked extensively with child welfare-involved youth and those impacted by chronic interpersonal violence. She has experience with program development, clinical training, and implementation in the area of trauma-informed/responsive care and trauma-focused treatment. Dr. Ascienzo’s research broadly focuses on mitigating the adverse health consequences of direct and indirect trauma exposure, including a focus on secondary traumatic stress among helping professionals and behavioral health workforce development efforts. Dr. Ascienzo’s recent projects include an analysis of risk and protective factors at the individual, supervisory, and organizational levels that contribute to secondary traumatic stress and burnout among mental health professionals; an exploration of meaning making among trauma-exposed youth within the context of clinical treatment; and an examination of factors impacting the implementation and sustainability of trauma-focused interventions in community settings.

Education

Ph.D. Social Work University of Kentucky

MSW Social Work Colorado State University

B.A. Psychology / Minor in Women and Gender Studies James Madison University

Publications

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