“The unceasing War on Drugs is actually a war on people, and more specifically a war on people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people experiencing poverty and homelessness, and others who have been deemed as ‘undesirable’ by the powers that be,” says Dr. Jeffrey Steen, assistant professor in the School of Social Work (SSW).
“For social workers and others who are committed to the cause, countering the War on Drugs and addressing issues related to substance use is not just about illicit substances, but about justice and compassion for people who are often the most marginalized,” Steen says. Accordingly, his research, teaching, and clinical practice adopt an empathetic and data-informed approach to understanding substance use and substance use disorders.
Recently, Steen received the Substance Use Disorders Education and Leadership Scholars (SUDEALS) Program award. A competitive initiative funded by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the SUDEALS program, according to their website, “will incentivize and enhance social work workforce capacity in the substance use disorders area of specialized practice.” Simmons is one of 10 schools in the nation that received this recognition during the latest award cycle.
“Unlike other projects I’m involved with, which are research-based, this is a training program for students,” Steen says. Rather than scholarly research, the SUDEALS Program provides select undergraduate and master’s students opportunities to meet as a group to discuss their practicum experiences providing services in the area of substance use, coupled with a monetary stipend. Social work students receiving this award also have the opportunity to attend the Fellows Forum, a national gathering about policy and clinical practice issues related to substance use that is organized by CSWE and held in Washington, DC.
“Partnering with my colleague, Associate Professor of Practice Jeannine Chester, is an incredibly rewarding and essential aspect of SUDEALS. In her role as director of on-ground practicum education, she is able to provide practice-informed guidance to students and liaise with community partners to extend the reach of this initiative,” Steen says. As this grant extends through the 2026–2027 academic year, a subsequent cohort of current and incoming students will be eligible to apply for funding in the summer of 2026.
In addition to funding for the SUDEALS Program Steen holds a sizeable grant from RIZE Massachusetts. “Through the incredibly generous funding from this forward-thinking foundation, my Simmons students and I are starting the fifth year of the Harm Reduction Training (HaRT) Scholars Program. As part of HaRT Scholars, the only initiative of its kind in the country, MSW students receive a substantial stipend and advanced training in harm reduction,” he says.
Drawing upon Lived/Living Experience
As a practicing social worker and scholar, Steen’s work is informed by harm reduction, “a public health approach to understanding and responding to the multiple factors that influence substance use and substance use disorders and how they impact individuals, families, and communities,” he explains.
“Rather than pathologizing or criminalizing people who use drugs and people who have substance use disorders, harm reduction is a movement of activists, clinicians, and community members who advance a more just understanding,” Steen says. In essence, this approach promotes the safety and dignity of individuals who are using or trying to recover from alcohol and other drug problems.
Steen’s own lived/living experience informs his scholarship and teaching. “I identify as someone who has recovered and is recovering from a substance use disorder. I don’t just approach this topic intellectually, but also with my heart, my full being, and my passion.”
Steen was raised by a single mother and grew up experiencing both poverty and homophobia. “As a result of our social class, I saw the ways in which society was structured against us, even as a White family … These struggles and lessons I learned through them make me really passionate about social change,” he recalls.
An Empathetic Approach to Substance Use
One of Steen’s current research projects, which is funded by the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research at New York University, is a subaward from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and explores the experiences of people who use drugs and views of their respective service providers.
Specifically, Steen studies the benefits of safe consumption sites, also known as overdose prevention centers (OPCs), which offer a monitored place to use drugs and provide access to drug checking, medical and behavioral healthcare, social work services, and other resources including, food and clothing. “At these places, nurses and other healthcare professionals are typically on staff,” he explains, “so, if anyone is at risk of an overdose, they can reverse that.”
Though OPCs are controversial, Steen views these spaces as a necessary step toward recovery. “Areas where there are OPCs report reduced criminal activity and reduced presence of people using and drug paraphernalia on the streets … so it has great promise,” he says.
As Steen notes, the Massachusetts legislature will soon vote on a bill to determine if the state will create OPCs. In fact, he will soon testify at a hearing with elected officials to advocate for this legislation on behalf of the National Association of Social Workers.
“This would be landmark legislation,” Steen remarks. Currently, only Rhode Island and New York City have opened these kinds of sites in the US, though hundreds exist abroad, predominantly in Europe.
With his graduate student research assistant, Cal Brantley, MSW ’26, Steen is conducting qualitative research on the implementation of safe consumption sites. “We’ve been speaking with community partners and people who use drugs, and we have observed that many people are interested in this unique opportunity [for safe consumption sites] … primarily because this would allow them to be safer when they are using.” Steen’s research concludes that these resources would prevent hundreds of overdose fatalities if they were developed in the Commonwealth.
Moreover, Steen has approached his research from a policy perspective, discussing with the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services about what OPCs in Massachusetts might look like and how they could be implemented. “In other words, what we are studying is not just hypothetical, but this is also something that will inform policy and practice,” he says. Later this fall, he will be advancing this cause as he presents on OPCs for an international audience at the Drug Policy Alliance’s conference in Detroit.
For Steen, elevating the voices of people who use drugs and those in recovery has “renewed my passion to bring about this model of care to keep people safe,” he says. “I believe that OPCs can help dismantle the War on Drugs and continue to destigmatize folks who use them.”
In addition to these projects, Steen has two forthcoming books under contract. Co-authored with Dr. Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner, Clinical Practice with Clients with Substance Use Disorders (fourth edition) will be published by Guilford Press in 2026. This textbook is widely used in addictions courses in social work and other behavioral health training programs throughout the US. Along with colleagues at Northeastern University, he is currently developing a workbook that is slated to be published by NASW Press in 2027, Harm Reduction: Preparing the Next Generation of Professionals.
Social Justice in the Classroom
In recent years, Steen’s students have had a personal stake in regards to substance use-focused education. “Many of my students have substance use disorders or someone in their immediate circle who has had problems with alcohol and other drugs,” he says. “I am hopeful that as social workers and people who care about our loved ones, we can break the silence and provide evidence-based, radically impactful services.”
One of Steen’s favorite courses to teach at Simmons is “Substance Use and Social Work” (SW 422), which is a requirement for Master of Social Work students. In fact, Simmons is one of the few universities in the US that requires this course.
“Even if students are not planning on specializing in the practice area of substance use, by the end of the semester they understand how it overlaps with all the domains in which social workers engage: child welfare, mental health, criminal justice, and more. It’s exciting to see Simmons students inspire a passion for social justice in this area,” he says. Steen also loves the fact that Simmons’ SSW offers on-ground, online, and hybrid educational experiences which attract students from all over the country and subsequently supports the development of a social work workforce that is trained to provide services for people with substance use disorders.
In Steen’s experience, Simmons students are eager to learn and engage in social activism. “In our students, I find there is great curiosity and desire for mentorship. They express a lifelong commitment to the causes they care about,” he observes.
Collaboration at Simmons
Steen enjoys collaborating with Simmons scholars in the SSW as well as other departments. He is partnering with Assistant Professor Kristen Ethier, whose research focuses on child welfare and HIV services. Benefiting from the mentorship of Professor Vanessa Robinson-Dooley, Director of the PhD Program, who studies Black men’s physical and mental health, Steen discusses substance use as a point of intersection.
Sandra Best Bailly, SSW staff member and Fellow with Simmons’ Institute for Inclusive Leadership, has instrumentally shaped Steen’s understanding of Boston’s nonprofit organizations and what it means to be a committed and authentic leader in communities.
Beyond the School of Social Work, Steen meaningfully interacts with faculty from Simmons’ Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and the Social Sciences and the School of Nursing.
“Professor Suzanne Leonard has generously and humorously taught me so much about academia and critical studies. She and I are exploring how we can further awareness of gender and gender studies in social work,” he says. Steen and Dean of Nursing Heather Shlosser have also charted out what an addiction studies minor at Simmons might look like for students across the university’s disciplines.
Advocacy Beyond the Classroom
Regarding advice to Simmons students and future social workers, Steen quotes the twentieth-century mythologist Joseph Campbell: “Follow your bliss.” In other words, practice what brings you great joy.
“I would also suggest: follow your pain,” Steen adds. “For many of us who are changemakers, whether it’s in social work or other professions, there are certain social issues that keep us awake at night and haunt us, historic and current national tragedies which can conjure purpose and stoke fervor.”
In today’s political climate, Steen encourages students to consider the big picture by thinking beyond grades and coursework. “Identify what matters to you most. Devote yourself to local, national, or international causes and movements to bring about change. Step away from screens and technology, and take action. This point in history is not a moment for rest or to be complicit. This is a time when both bliss and pain can motivate you to go forward in the world with all the energy you can summon and fight for what is just. Each one of us has the potential and a responsibility to do great things.”