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LeCloux, Mary

Mary Christensen, Ph.D., LICSW

Director and Associate Professor

Categorized As

Faculty,Leadership,Mental and Behavioral Health,Community Engagement,Social Justice Equity and Policy

Dr. Christensen is an Associate Professor with tenure and Director of the MSW Program at West Virginia University. Dr. Christensen received her PhD in Social Work from Simmons University in 2015 and her MSW from Smith College in 2000. She was appointed as a tenure-track faculty in the School of Social Work at WVU in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor, with tenure, in 2021. From 2018-2025, she has served as the Director of the MSW Program and, in 2025, was appointed as the Director of the School of Social Work.

Dr. Christensen’s research focuses on suicide prevention, with an emphasis on the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based suicide risk screening and follow-up interventions in “real-world” settings. Her community-based research projects have involved collaboration with primary care and school-based health centers in West Virginia as well as community mental health agencies. Other areas of Dr. Christensen’s research include suicide prevention and intervention training, the implementation and evaluation of behavioral health interventions, and substance use screening and treatment. She has developed and implemented training initiatives for medical and mental health providers in West Virginia on the topics of suicide risk screening and assessment, brief interventions to mitigate suicide risk, and postvention. Her research has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Mental Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and internal grants from West Virginia University and the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Institute.

In addition to serving as the MSW Program Director, Dr. Christensen has engaged in a variety of local and national service work. She has served as a Scientific Advisor for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, is a member of the Council for Social Work Education’s Commission on Research, and has provided peer-review service for a variety of journals, including Archives of Suicide Research, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, and The Journal of Social Work Education.

Dr. Christensen has over 15 years of direct practice experience as a clinical social worker in inpatient and outpatient settings with children, adolescents and adults. She has taught both on-campus and online courses in the WVU School of Social Work, including Generalist and Advanced Practice courses, Assessment and Diagnosis, Addiction and Social Work Practice, and Research Methods. She has also developed online versions of several MSW courses at WVU, including Generalist Practice, Assessment and Diagnosis, Advanced Practice with Individuals, and Addiction and Social Work Practice. 

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D., Simmons College School of Social Work
  • M.S.W., Smith College

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Implementation and evaluation of evidence-based suicide risk screening and follow-up programs in “real world” settings
  • Development and evaluation of training and pedagogical initiatives related to suicide
  • Implementation science
  • Behavioral health interventions

TEACHING INTERESTS

  • Evidence-based social work practice
  • Assessment and diagnosis
  • Substance use disorders


PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

  • Academic Administrative Team
  • Curriculum Committee
  • MSW Committee
  • PhD Committee
  • Faculty Evaluation Committee
  • Faculty Search Committee-Assistant Professor

ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
  • Council for Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Society for Social Work and Research (SWRR)

CV


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