Patricia Cruz
Assistant Professor and Department Chair
Social Work, Criminal Justice

Part of Belhaven since 2018

Contact Info
601-968-8835

Education

  • Diploma of Practical Nursing, United States Army Practical Nurse Course
  • BSW, Northwestern State University
  • MEM, Webster University
  • MSW, University of South Carolina, College of Social Work
  • DSW, Tulane University School of Social Work

Clinical Social Work Licenses and Certification

  • Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice, Mississippi, No. C9423 Active
  • Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice, South Carolina, No. 9351 Active
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Louisiana, No. 14025 Active
  • Licensed Certified Social Worker – Alabama, No. 3737C Active
  • Internal Family Systems - PESI
  • Certified Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Provider, Veterans Administration (VA) Certified Cognitive Behavior Therapy-Insomnia (CBT-I) Provider, VA
  • STEP Qualified Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Counselor, VA Readjustment Counseling Services Certified Grief Recovery Specialist , Grief Recovery Institute Sherman Oaks, CA
  • Dementia Specialist Certification, Arnold School of Public Health University of South Carolina

Publications

  • [In Publication] Cruz, P. (Exp. 10/2021). Oppression and Race-Based Trauma: Healing the family.
  • Child and Family-Serving Systems: A Compendium of Policy and Practice. The Ohio State University College of Social Work
  • [In Publication] Cruz, P. & Cruz R. (Exp 8/2021). “You Hate More People Than You Love: Why are you NOT in Therapy?” Write Books Right Inc.
  • Cruz, P. (12/2020). Teaching trauma: Undergraduate pedagogy. Manuscript submitted for publication.
  • Williams, P., Wyatt, W.R., Gaddis, A. (2018). Identification of client involvement in sex trafficking in Mississippi. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 15:2, 169-184. DOI: 10.1080/23761407.2018.1430645
  • Williams, P. (2018). Editorial: Reflecting on trafficking research. Journal of Evidence- Informed Social Work, 15:2, i-iii. DOI: 10.1080/23761407.2018/1437859

Professional Presentations

  • Invisible Chains: Human Trafficking, Mississippians Against Human Trafficking, March 2020
  • “Therapist Surviving Trauma Stories” Regional Counseling Service Annual Training Event, December 2019
  • Emotional Regulation: Let’s Look at Anger November 2019, Mississippi State Meridian, Telehealth Conference
  • Human Trafficking Research Update, Mississippi State University, Social Work Month Educational Wrap-up, March 2019
  • “Social Work with Veterans” Delta State University, Social Work Month Symposium, March 2019
  • Presentations 2010 – 2020 full list available upon request

Professional Organizations

  • National Association of Social Workers
  • National Association of Christian Social Workers Clinical Social Work Association
  • Society for Social Work Research
  • Council on Social Work Education
  • Association of Bachelor Program Directors