Simmons College
School of Social Work
300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115
Office: Room: P-412C
Phone: 617/521-3907
FAX: 617/521-3986
Email:
tien.ung@simmons.edu
Boston College Graduate School of Social Work: PhD
Boston College Graduate School of Social Work: MSW
Brandeis University: BA
Practice I and II
Leadership I
Research Methods
Advanced Statistics
My professional identity is informed by multiple layers of personal and professional experiences that have evolved in numerous settings. I am an indigenous person from Vietnam, completed high school in Italy, and then re-located to the United States, and am thus tri-lingual: in Vietnamese, Italian, and English. These life experiences along with my professional work and training on a forensic child welfare team, and in private practice contribute to a clinical expertise in the area of acculturation and its impact on identity and mental health in individuals and groups (e.g., couples and families). In addition, I am moved by the complex dynamics that define blended families such as divorced, step-, foster-, and adoptive- families, and especially in the areas of racial and ethnic differences and its impact on family development.
I developed a unique strength in generalist practice grounded in ecology theory that furthered my understanding about the needs of people who come from racially, socially, and economically diverse backgrounds, along with the systems that make up their holding environment, during my tenure at the Department of Social Services, where I held positions as a frontline investigator, ongoing case manager, as well as an administrator. Collaborating with multiple institutions and agencies designed to provide services for neglected and abused children and their families, I learned first hand about the value of community development, research, and program evaluation.
I am thrilled to be at the Simmons community, and am deeply committed to a career in teaching and research that advances the current knowledge of child welfare practice and policy. Within this context, I am specifically interested in the areas of racial identity development, cross-cultural practice, and comparative international practice and policies.
Ung, T. "Developing culturally responsive communities: Pathways to youth resilience." Safe Schools and Healthy Students Initiative. National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. Boston, Ma. 25 May 2010.
Ung, T., Capacity Consultant for $300,000 grant awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to the Asian Task Force for Domestic Violence (ATASK) to evaluate and build capacity for the ATASK prevention program for intimate teen partner violence.
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