School of Social Work

Education

• Ph.D., Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research  
• MSW, Smith College School of Social Work
• BA, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. Major: Modern European History

Biography

Jillian Graves has worked as a social worker in both mental health and juvenile justice settings for over 20 years in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Michigan with a focus working with people with severe mental illnesses and with adolescents in the court system with trauma and who commit violence.  Her scholarly work has focused on the experiences of family caregivers, especially siblings, in adolescent and emerging adult development, in reflexivity in qualitative research methodology and in trauma reactive violence.  Her most recent research has been on the impact of COVID-19 on retail workers’ mental health and the use of relational coordination as a mitigating factor.  She is currently the co-director of the IPE Center in the College of Health and Human Services.

Publications

• Google Scholars Page
• Graves, J.M., Marsack-Toplewski, C. & Chan, KT. (in press) The realities of problem solving for emerging adult siblings of individuals with schizophrenia. Family Relations.
• Graves J.M., Marsack-Topolewski CN, Chan KT, Shapiro J. Emerging Adults and Developing Awareness of Siblings’ Symptoms of Schizophrenia. (2022) Families in Society. 103 (2) https://:10.1177/1044389421997789
• Chan, K., Marsack-Topolewski, C.N., LaFave, S., Ratnayake, M., Graves, J., & Fenske, D. (2021). Homebound older adults and caregivers through integrative service learning..  Journal of Social Work Education. 1-9 https://doi.org/ 10.1080/10437797.2022.2045238
• Graves, J. M., Marsack-Topolewski, C. N., & Shapiro, J. (2020). Emerging adult siblings of individuals with schizophrenia: Experiences with family crisis. Journal of Family Issues, 41(11), 2002-2021. https://doi.org/0.1177/0192513X20905327
• Graves, J.M, Roche, R. Washington, V. & Sonnega, J. (2020) Assessing and improving students’ collaborative skills using a mental health simulation: A pilot study, Journal of Interprofessional Care, https://: doi.org10.1080/13561820.2020.1763277
• Marsack-Topolewski, C. N., & Graves, J. M. (2019). “I worry about his future!” Challenges to future planning for adult children with ASD. Journal of Family Social Work, 1-15.
• Shapiro, J and Graves, J.M. (2018) Adolescent Brain Development A Trauma -Informed Approach with Adolescents in Juvenile Justice Settings. In Shapiro, J. R., & Applegate, J. S. Neurobiology For Clinical Social Work: Theory and Practice (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology). WW Norton & Company.
• Graves, J.M. & Shapiro, J. (2016) Trauma-informed clinical social work practice:  Case composite with a Court-Involved Adolescent. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 86 (3).

Courses

• SWRK 408 Social Work with Individuals and Families
• SWRK 409 Social Work with Groups
• SWRK 505 Generalist SW Practice with Individuals
• SWRK 595/596 Generalist Field Experience I and II
• SWRK 652 Dynamics and Practice in Mental Health Settings
• SWRK 695/696 Advance Field Experience I and II

Collaborated with colleagues to develop and lead a study abroad course in Social Justice in Ireland which will occur Intercession 2023.

Professional

Research Interests

• Trauma reactive violence
• Severe mental illness
• Sibling identity development
• Adolescent and emerging adult development
• Qualitative research methods
• Reflectivity in research methodology
• Interprofessional Education