DeCesare

Nancy DeCesare, IHM, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Human Services
Director of The Soldiers Project Pennsylvania

Office Location:  St. Joseph Hall, 2nd flr., West Wing, SJ202
Office Phone:  215.248.7028
E-Mail:  decesaren@chc.edu




Educational Background 

  • Ph.D., M.P.A., New York University
  • M.S.W., B.S.W., Marywood University

Courses Taught 

  • Social Inequality
  • Gender and Society
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Heart of the City
  • Social Welfare Policy
  • Introduction to Human Services
  • Social Problems
  • Human Development
  • Theories and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy
  • Research for the Social Sciences
  • Child Welfare
  • Public Policy
  • Disabiliteis and Scoiety
  • Human Behavior in the Social Enviroment
  • Organizational Management
  • Life after War the New Mission-Helping Professionals Address the Post Deployment Needs of Veterans of OIF and OEF

Scholarly Interests 

  • Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents
  • Foster Care and Adoption
  • Public Policy
  • Attachment Theory
  • Fundraising in the Public and Private Sectors
  • Runaway and Homeless Youth
  • Veterans Behavioral Health
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Combat Stress

Selected Publications 

  • DeCesare, N. (September, 2011). "Reaching Out: Ground Zero to The Soldiers Project Pennsylvania," Journey Magazine Published by Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA. 
  • DeCesare, N. (2010). Jonathan a Case Study of a Child in Foster Care. Boston: Pearson Publication Inc. 
  • DeCesare, N. M. (May 2007). “Warming the Stone Heart of a Child in Foster Care.” M. Conn & T. McGuire (Eds.). In Not Etched in Stone, Chapter Five. Maryland: University Press of America.
  • DeCesare, N. (February 2007). "Hungering for God. Daily Reflections for Lent, the Triduum, and the Easter Season," Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA.
  • DeCesare, N. M. (Winter 2004). “Meeting the Academic Potential of Youth in Foster Care.” The Journal of Reclaiming Children and Youth, Cultivating Resilience, 12(4).

Advisory Board and Consulting Editor 

  • Service Member, Veterans and Behavioral Health Policy Academy, State of Pennsylvania 2012-present. 
  • Veterans Advisory Board, West Chester University, 2012-Present.
  • The Soldiers Project PA. Founder and Director of "The Soldiers Project" for the state of PA. A new branch of the National Soldiers Project for the United States, September 2010.
  • Governor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Appointed by Edward G. Rendell, Governor, October 2007 Commissioned December 19th, 2007.
  • Governor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Southeastern Region Committee for Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill counties. March 2008 to 2012.
  • Consulting Editor, for “Wadsworth/Cengage Learning,” April 2008 to Present.
  • Advisory Board, Sage Publications/Pine Forge Press, December 2007 to Present.
  • Consulting Editor for “Families in Society," The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, December 2006 to Present.
  • Service Members, Veteran Behavioral Health Policy Academy, State of PA.

Other Academic Information 

  • Academy of Certified Social Workers
  • Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work, American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work
  • Certified Field Instructor
  • Child Abuse and Neglect Trainer
  • Certified in the Management of Nonprofit Organizations
  • American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Relief Services
  • Social Policy Committee, National Association of Social Workers for PA
  • New York State Society of Clinical Social Work Fellow
  • Presentations and Workshops given on various topics including: The Contribution of Attachment Theory in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children in Foster Care
  • The Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect, Domestic Violence and Poverty on the Children We Love
  • Adolescents in a Therapeutic Milieu
  • Staff Retention in Child Care Institutions
  • Children’s Rights in Foster Care