معرفی
Mark Horwitz, PhD, MSW, JD, serves as Professor in the Department of Social Work at Westfield State University, teaching strengths-based developmental psychopathology and clinical intervention across social work practice modalities. With 25 years as a trainer and clinical consultant for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and 20 years supporting Connecticut's child welfare system, he is a nationally recognized expert in trauma-informed care and family-centered interventions.
His research centers on psychological trauma resilience mechanisms, family engagement strategies in high-risk child protection cases, kinship network development, and self-care protocols for frontline child welfare staff. Horwitz employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to examine systemic implementations of wraparound practice and family conferencing models, emphasizing developmental psychopathology frameworks that address intergenerational trauma while leveraging family strengths.
Analysis of his publication trajectory reveals consistent focus on translating clinical insights into child welfare system reforms, particularly through Child and Family Team (CFT) implementations and trauma-informed wraparound fidelity. His work demonstrates evolving emphasis from individual trauma effects (1990s legal studies) to organizational system change (2010s implementation science), with recent research establishing evidence links between CFT meeting characteristics and child safety outcomes.
Honors include:
- John F. Nevins Award for outstanding teaching in the Westfield State graduate school (2016)
Horwitz has directed multiple state-contracted evaluation projects for Connecticut's Department of Children and Families and the U.S. Children's Bureau, focusing on family conferencing and wraparound initiatives. His national workshop series (275+ presentations) functions as both knowledge dissemination and practical implementation support for child welfare agencies, though specific doctoral advisees are not documented in available materials.
He co-developed WRAP-CT (Wraparound in Connecticut), a statewide behavioral health initiative where he served as lead coach and data analyst, establishing measurement protocols for practice fidelity and family-driven processes within child welfare systems.
