Regina Trudy Praetorius

Dr. Regina Trudy Praetorius is a Professor and the current Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) School of Social Work. She holds the Jillian Michelle Smith Endowed Professorship in Family Violence Research and co-founded the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Team in Tarrant County. Praetorius’ research focuses on trauma impacts on suicide and maternal well-being, with a methodological emphasis on qualitative studies. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including induction into UTA’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers (2023).

Education:

• PhD in Adult Education (2006), LSU
• MSSW (2000), BSW (1998), BA in Spanish Literature (1999), all from UT Austin

Research Interests: Her work explores suicide prevention, trauma recovery, and maternal mental health, with recent projects addressing pandemic-related challenges in motherhood and student mental health. She pioneered the LOSS Team postvention model and advocates for culturally responsive teaching methods.

Publications & Grants: Praetorius has authored/edited over 100 peer-reviewed articles and books, including co-editing Introduction to Social Work. Notable grants include a $205K pilot on e-counseling for depression/anxiety (2017–2022). Her recent articles highlight goat yoga’s mental health benefits, foster parent stress, and pandemic maternal experiences.

Awards & Recognition: Over 20 teaching awards, including Piper Foundation nominations and Phi Kappa Phi honors. Her service includes roles on UTA’s Tenure & Promotion Committee and national boards like the Council on Social Work Education’s Military Curricular Guide Task Force.

Advising & Leadership: Chair of over 30 doctoral/dissertation committees and advisor to numerous students. She oversees undergraduate and graduate programs, emphasizing inclusive pedagogy and student success initiatives like first-year seminars.

Labs & Initiatives: Co-leads the LOSS Team program and collaborates on projects like TAO e-counseling. Her work integrates community outreach with academic research, such as qualitative studies on veteran motorcycling therapy and Latinx sex education barriers.