Jeffrey Steen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Simmons University School of Social Work. He is a graduate of the Silver School of Social Work at NYU, during which he was a predoctoral fellow in the Behavioral Sciences Training program in Drug Abuse Research, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Most of his practice experiences have been in the field of behavioral health. He has held clinical, training, supervisory, and administrative roles in intensive outpatient and supportive housing programs providing services for individuals with histories of substance misuse and mental health problems. He is a Disaster Mental Health volunteer with the American Red Cross. These professional practice experiences inform his approaches to teaching, and he has instructed undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level social work courses at several institutions. Dr. Steen is passionate about supporting students’ successes in the classroom and in the field and especially values opportunities to be a mentor for their professional development.
Education
- PhD (Social Work), New York University
- MSW, McGill University
- BA (Social Work), Bluffton University
Research Activities
Dr. Steen contributed to a study of over 6,000 licensed social workers in the United States, exploring the ways in which substance use, mental health, physical illness, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and other factors have influenced their work. Regarding professional issues, he is currently involved in studies examining social work students’ educational experiences. He recently participated in a qualitative study to understand how COVID-19 and the shift to online 12-Step meetings influenced experiences of individuals in recovery. Committed to behavioral health-focused scholarship, he is developing a grant that will utilize harm reduction-informed strategies to understand substance use and sexual decision-making among sexual minority men with the aims to promote health and reduce HIV transmission. Dr. Steen is affiliated with the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research at NYU’s College of Nursing.
Courses Instructed
- SW 422: Substance Use and Social Work Practice
- SW 441: Social Work Research
Publications/Presentations
Select Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
Steen, J. T., Straussner, S. L. A., Senreich, E., Dempsey, A., Huang, F., & Willoughby, M. (2023). Behavioral health service use among licensed social workers: A qualitative inquiry. Social Work in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2023.2254752
Downing, M. J., Benoit, E., Coe, L., Brown, D., & Steen, J. T. (2023). Examining cultural competence and sexual abuse training needs among service providers working with Black and Latino sexual minority men. Journal of Social Service Research, 49(1), 79-92. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2022.2157524
Senreich, E., Steen, J. T., & Straussner, S. L. A. (2022). Utilization of mental health and substance use disorder services by social workers in 13 U.S. states. Social Work in Mental Health, 20(6), 682-701. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2022.2053028
Senreich, E., Saint-Louis, N., Steen, J. T., & Cooper, C. (2022). The experiences of 12-Step program attendees transitioning to online meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 39(4), 500-517. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2022.2102456
Steen, J. T., Straussner, S. L. A., & Senreich, E. (2021). Adverse Childhood Experiences and career-related issues among licensed social workers: A qualitative study. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 91(3), 216-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2021.1887790
Steen, J. T., Senreich, E., & Straussner, S. L. A. (2021). Adverse Childhood Experiences among licensed social workers. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 102(2), 182-193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389420929618
Senreich, E., Straussner, S. L. A., & Steen, J.T. (2020). The work experiences of social workers: Factors impacting compassion satisfaction and workplace stress. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(1), 93 109. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2018.1528491
Straussner, S. L. A., Senreich, E., & Steen, J. T. (2018). Wounded healers: A multistate study of social workers’ behavioral health problems. Social Work, 63(2), 125-133. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy012
Downing Jr, M., Brown, D., Steen, J.T., & Benoit, E. (2018). Understanding the impact of abuse on men's risk behavior: Protocol for a mixed methods study. JMIR Research Protocols, 72(2), e62. https://doi.org/10.2196/resprot.9071
Other Publications in Academic Journals
Steen, J. T. (2023). Review of The urge: Our history of addiction by Carl Erik Fisher. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 23(3), 256-257. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2023.2199594
Steen, J. T. (2023). Review of Risk management in the behavioral health professions: A practice guide to preventing malpractice and licensing-board complaints by Frederic G. Reamer. International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 20(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.55521/10-020-200
Steen, J. T., & Kravitz, T. (2023). Social workers and physical health: Imperative medical issues and COVID-19. Health & Social Work, 48(1), 75-78. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlac034
Steen, J. T., & Cooper, C. (2022). “I had to fix me”: Social workers and substance misuse. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 22(4), 344-349. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2022.2084276
Steen, J. T., Kravitz, T., & Straussner, S. L. A. (2018). Lessons learned from a web-based study of mental health and alcohol and other drug problems among social workers in the USA. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 16(4), 975-980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9820-5
Publications in Popular Press
Steen, J. T. (2023, December). Reversing the war on drugs, one overdose at a time. CommonWealth Beacon. https://commonwealthbeacon.org/drug-addiction-2/reversing-the-war-on-drugs-one-overdose-at-a-time/
Recent Presentations at Professional Conferences
Steen, J. T., Senreich, E., & Cooper, C. (2023, November). 12-Step participants’ experiences transitioning to online meetings during the onset of COVID-19. [Conference presentation, poster]. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rural Drug Addiction Research Center, Symposium on Substance Use Research, online.
Steen, J. T., & Chanan, D. (2023). Call for action: The scope and impact of social workers’ physical health problems. [Conference presentation, oral]. Council on Social Work Education, Annual Program Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Daniels, D., Tedrow, T., Chanan, D., Steen, J. T. (2023). Transforming educational experiences: Social work students and group chats. [Conference presentation, oral]. International Association of Social Work with Groups, Annual Symposium, online.
Steen, J. T., Cooper, C., & Ramos, S. N. (2022). Critical conversations: What we know about substance misuse among social workers [Conference presentation, poster]. Council on Social Work Education, Annual Program Meeting, Anaheim, CA.
Downing, M. J., Benoit, E., & Steen, J. T. (2022). Understanding Black and Latino sexual minority men’s perspectives on assessment of sexual history in diverse healthcare settings [Conference presentation, poster]. National LGBTQ Health Conference, Chicago, IL
Steen, J. T. (2022). The work experiences of social workers: Workplace stress, compassion satisfaction, and implications for the future of the profession [Conference presentation, oral]. The Network for Social Work Management’s 2nd Annual Forward Thinking Summit, online.
Gibson, S., Tatarsky, A., & Steen, J. T. (2021). Antiracist addiction treatment requires decriminalization and harm reduction [Symposium]. History of the Racist War on Drugs and Proposed Policy Solutions. NASW New Jersey and Drug Policy Alliance, online.
Community Involvement
- Red Cross, Greater Boston chapter, Disaster Mental Health volunteer
Recent Awards
- 2023-2024: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, Academy Mentor Match Program with Dr. Diana DiNitto, University of Texas at Austin
Professional Activities
- 2024-current: Addictions Track Co-Chair, Council on Social Work Education, Annual Program Meeting
- 2021-current: Review Board Member, Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions
- 2021-current: Peer Reviews, Families in Society
- 2000-current: Member, National Association of Social Workers