Jessica Aldrich Strassman

Programs and Courses Taught

SW611, SW612, SW613, SW620

About Me

Jessica Aldrich Strassman, DSW, LCSW is a clinical social worker, researcher, and educator specializing in forced migration, intergenerational trauma, and immigrant populations. She earned her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice in 2024. Her dissertation, conducted in collaboration with Penn’s History Department, explores intergenerational trauma narratives within WWII forced migration populations through a socio-political historical lens. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies at the University of London.

Dr. Aldrich Strassman is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Samuel Merritt University, where she teaches clinical and policy courses, and she has previously taught at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her research has been supported by the Jews of Color Initiative, which funded her qualitative study, Aging Jews of Color and Their Lived Experiences of Resilience in Times of Social Unrest (2022). She is also a guest editor for a special issue of Human Behavior and the Social Environment, focusing on antisemitism in social work education. A seasoned presenter, Dr. Strassman has shared her research at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) conferences, addressing topics such as the re-traumatization of Holocaust survivors and the impact of withheld historical knowledge on WWII forced migration populations. She brings over a decade of experience in child welfare, including policy-focused internships at the White House Domestic Policy Council and the Child Welfare League of America. In addition to her academic and research work, Dr. Strassman maintains a private clinical practice in San Rafael, California, specializing in anxiety and depression in adolescents and young adults.
 

Education

Dr. Aldrich Strassman received her DSW from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice in 2024, and her MSW from Catholic University of America. She is currently pursuing an MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies from the University of London.

Teaching Interests

Clinical, policy, and research courses. 

Scholarly Interests

Dr. Aldrich Strassman's research agenda focuses on giving voice through qualitative and mixed methods approaches to marginalized and silenced populations including forcibly displaced populations and populations experiencing religious discrimination.

Publications

Aldrich Strassman, J. (2024, November 22). Migration op-ed series: We must address the humanitarian crisis of inadequate mental health care. FXB Center for Health & Human Rights at Harvard University. https://fxb.harvard.edu/2024/11/22/migration-op-ed-series-we-must-address-the-humanitarian-crisis-of-inadequate-mental-health-care/

Strassman, J. A. (2024). Grounding intergenerational war trauma stories in historical socio-political context: World War II ethnic Germans in the United States [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania]. Penn ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/59883

Strassman, J. A., Schwartz, S. L., Weiss, E. L., & Petrila, A. (2022). Everyone's war becomes my war: The far-reaching impact of the invasion of Ukraine. Advances in Social Work, 22(1), v–x. https://doi.org/10.18060/26263
 

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

NASW, CSWE, SSWR

Community Service

SF Food Bank, refugee and immigrant rights organizations

Honors & Awards

2024 DSW graduate of University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice Her Op-Ed focusing on the need for mental health services in forcibly displaced populations was chosen to be published on the Harvard/FXB website this December 2024