Marissa Hansen

Dr. Marissa Hansen is an Associate Professor and serves as the Associate Director and Graduate Program Director at the School of Social Work within the College of Health & Human Services at California State University, Long Beach. She holds a tenured position with office SSPA 161.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. in Psychology and Hispanic Literature from Boston University (1998)
• M.S.W. in Social Work from the University of Southern California (2001)
• Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Southern California (2011)

Dr. Hansen's research addresses disparities in service utilization, treatment adherence, and functional outcomes among vulnerable adult and older adult populations with co-morbid health and mental health disorders. Her expertise centers on culturally-grounded practice with Latino communities and behavioral health interventions in public care settings.

She has extensive community-based clinical experience and has completed multiple funded studies examining psychosocial factors in depression, anxiety, and trauma management across the lifespan. Her methodological focus emphasizes sociocultural considerations in research with ethnically diverse populations.

Dr. Hansen teaches Community Practice, Human Behavior, Individual and Group Practice with Older Adults, and Assessment Approaches in Social Work Practice, integrating her specialization in mental health disparities and culturally-responsive interventions for underserved populations.