Maria del Mar Fariña, Ph.D., LICSW, is an Associate Professor at Simmons University, School of Social Work. She has also taught at Smith College, School for Social Work, and Columbia University, School of Social Work. A scholar and clinician, she brings extensive expertise in political psychology, immigration policy, and clinical social work practice. She previously served as Professor and MSW Program Director at Westfield State University. In addition to her doctoral and master's degrees in clinical social work from Smith College, she holds a Master of Business Administration from Western New England College.
Dr. Fariña's research examines U.S. immigration policy, immigrant integration, and the rise of nationalist, nativist, and populist ideologies in Europe and the United States. She is the developer of the Integrated Sociopolitical and Psychological Analysis (ISPA) model, which she has applied across research, clinical practice, and social work education. Her publications include two books: Psychological Borders in Europe and the United States: Contemporary Nationalism, Nativism and Populism (Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield, 2023; Bloomsbury paperback edition, 2026), and White Nativism, Ethnic Identity and U.S. Immigration Policy Reforms: American Citizenship and Children in Mixed-Status Hispanic Families (Routledge, 2018).
She has presented her work internationally, including at the International Society of Political Psychology and the Processes Influencing Democratic Ownership and Participation (PIDOP) Conference, European Commission Research Area.
In 2026, she was appointed as an expert immigration witness in asylum court cases. She serves as Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member of the Clinical Social Work Journal (Springer), Editorial Board Member of the Social Work Journal (Oxford University Press), and member of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Council on Publications.
She maintains an active clinical practice working with Latinx, immigrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee communities across New England.
Licenses/Certifications
- LICSW/Massachusetts
- LCSW/Connecticut and New York
Courses
SW 424A & 424B Advanced Clinical Practice
SW 409 Dynamic of Racism and Oppression
SW 557 Clinical Practice with Immigrants and Refugees
SW 404 Social Welfare Policy