贰惫别苍迟蝉听
Fireside Chat with Dr. Theresa S. Betancourt April 1, 2025 2:00 PM Social Work Library
Join us for an engaging discussion with Dr. Theresa S. Betancourt, author of the newly released聽Shadows into Light: A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age. In this conversation, Dr. Betancourt will share insights from her 22-year-long research on the intergenerational impacts of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone. Her study reveals a remarkable story of resilience, as former child soldiers navigate their personal journeys, highlighting the crucial role of family and community. Through vivid personal stories,聽Shadows into Light聽offers a profound look into the deep psychological and developmental effects of war and violence, while also expanding our understanding of resilience in the aftermath of conflict and how services strengthening initiatives might be crafted to leverage naturally occurring sources of strength and culturally-informed interventions to supporting the healing for children exposed to war-related separation and violence.聽
About the Author:聽Theresa S. Betancourt is the inaugural Salem Professor in Global Practice at the AV诊所 College School of Social Work and Director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA). Her work focuses on the psychosocial impact of adversity on children and families, resilience, and mental health services research. She is Principal Investigator of an intergenerational study of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone and leads implementation science research in Rwanda to examine strategies for scaling and sustaining quality in an evidence based home visiting intervention to promote early childhood development and prevent violence (Sugira Muryango). Using community-based participatory research methods, she has co-developed similar family strengthening interventions for resettling refugee families in the U.S. raising school-age children. Dr. Betancourt has also served as an advisor for UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, Amnesty International, the US Institute of Peace, and the World Health Organization, and served as an expert of the International Criminal Court.