Sara Jimenez McSweyn
- Senior Lecturer
- Children, Youth and Families
- USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Expertise
- Mental health needs of migrant children
- Effect of trauma on family life
- Effect of racism and systemic oppression on infant and child development
- Critical race theory in social work practice
- Migration patterns of Mexican and Central American communities
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Additional Information
McSweyn has been a social worker for over 35 years; she teaches her clinical practice courses through a lens that challenges the distinctions between micro and macro social work practice. She believes that when we embrace our NASW core values of service and social justice, social work practice must be in the service of vulnerable, marginalized populations and all our social work skills must be exercised. Among McSweyn’s honors are the Distinguished Service Award in Field Education, awarded by USC’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck’s School of Social Work in 2009 and a Certificate of Merit for integration of LGBT issues in classroom instruction in 2008. Given her commitment to community engagement she has received numerous community service awards from the City and County of Los Angeles due to her many years of local community activism and leadership.