Anne van Rießen

Prof. Dr. Anne van Rießen is a faculty member in the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, where she has been teaching social work methods since 2018. Her academic work centers on user research, participation, and democratization in social work, with a strong emphasis on critical and practice-based approaches.

Her research interests include:

• Social space-related social work
• User research and service utilization
• Participation and democratization in social services
• Youth social work
• Qualitative methodologies in social research

Her recent publications reflect a consistent focus on understanding how individuals interact with social work services, particularly through the lenses of use, non-use, and user perspectives during crises such as the pandemic. These works contribute to a critical discourse on accessibility, trust, and autonomy in social welfare systems.

Scientific contributions and affiliations:

• Co-founder, Specialist Group 'Recipients, Use, (Non-)Use', German Society for Social Work (DGSA)
• Member, Promotionskolleg NRW
• Member, German Social Work Association (DGSA) since 2017

Anne van Rießen has made significant scholarly contributions through publications and academic leadership. While formal student advising is not detailed, her role in shaping research discourse suggests mentorship and academic guidance. She has not disclosed grant funding in the provided text. Her work is institutionally embedded in applied social sciences, with strong ties to national academic networks.

She is actively involved in research teams and networks focused on user perspectives in social work, particularly through the DGSA specialist group she co-founded, which fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and research development in this niche area.