Department of Social Work and Social Ecology

Sigrid James, PhD, LCSW

Welcome students and friends!

Background

I received my PhD in social work from the University of Southern California in 2003. I hold a master's degree in social welfare from UCLA (1990) and a bachelor's degree in social work from Loma Linda University (1988). I received my clinical social work license in 1994. Currently, I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Ecology at LLU. I also continue to be affiliated as a research scientist with the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego where I pursue some of my research interests within an interdisciplinary environment.

I have worked within the social work profession as a clinician, educator, administrator, and for the last decade as a researcher. The majority of my practice experience has been with high-risk children and families involved with public sector service systems.

Research interests

My broad research interests involve the mental health needs of and mental health services for children in the child welfare system. I am particularly interested in the effectiveness of services delivered to this population. Part of my research has focused on examining placement instability in out-of-home care, the reasons for placement disruptions and their impact on mental health service use.

Selected publications

Barth, R.P., Lloyd, C., Green, R.L., James, S., Leslie, L. & Landsverk, J. (in press). Predictors of high maintenance, multiple-move children with mental health problems. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

James, S., Leslie, L.K., Hurlburt, M., Slymen, D.J., Landsverk, J., Davis, I., Mathiesen, S. & Zhang, J. (in revision). Children in Foster Care: Entry into intensive and restrictive mental health and residential care placements. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 14 (4), 196-208.

Barth, R., Landsverk, J., Chamberlain, P., Reid, J., Rolls, J., Hurlburt, M., Farmer, B., McCabe, James, S., Wood, P. & Kohl, P. (2005). Parent-mediated interventions in child welfare services: Planning for a more evidence-based approach to serving biological parents. Research on Social Work Practice, 15 (5), 353-371.

James, S. (2004). Why do foster care placement disrupt? An investigation of reasons for placement change in foster care. Social Service Review, 78 (4), 601-627.

James, S., Landsverk, J., Slymen, D.J. & Leslie, L.K. (2004). Predictors of outpatient mental health service use—the role of foster care placement change. Mental Health Services Research, 6 (3), 127-141.

James, S., Landsverk, J. & Slymen, D.J. (2004). Placement movement in out-of-home care: Patterns and predictors. Children and Youth Services Review, 26 (2), 185-206.

Brooks, D. & James, S. (2003). Willingness to adopt African American foster children. Implications for child welfare policy and recruitment of transracial adoptive families. Children & Youth Services Review, 25 (4/5), 225-251.

Brooks, D., James, S. & Barth, R.P. (2002). Preferred characteristics of children in need of adoption: Is there a demand for available foster children? Social Service Review, 76 (4), 575-602.

James, S. & Meezan, W. (2002). Refining the evaluation of treatment foster care. Families in Society, 83 (3), 233-244.

James, S. & Mennen, F. (2001). Treatment outcome research: How effective are treatments for abused children? Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 18 (2), 73-95.

Courses at LLU

SOWK 511 Human Behavior in the Cross-Cultural Environment I
SOWK 547 Methods of Research
SPOL 655 Quantitative Research Methods
SPOL 654 Qualitative Research Methods

Professional organizations

Society for Social Work and Research
Council on Social Work Education

Contact information

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