Bio
Juan Lorenzo Benavides, BSW, MSW, LSW, is a PhD Candidate (expected May 2026). His research examines resilience and mental health trajectories among children in the child welfare system and provider well-being. In his dissertation, Exploring Prosocial Skills and Mental Health Trajectories Among Children in the Child Welfare System: The Role of Multi-Level Protective Factors (Advisor: Susan Yoon, PhD), he applies Random-Intercept CLPM and Parallel-Process Latent Growth Curve Modeling to disentangle within-person change and co-developmental dynamics across three waves.
With eight years of clinical experience—including pediatric ER social work and adult trauma/hospice practice—Juan has authored, to date, 15 peer-reviewed publications (2 first-author). At OSU, he teaches Family Violence, Psychopathology, and Social Work Ethics, and is prepared to teach Trauma-Informed Practice, Crisis Intervention, Child Welfare Policy, and Advanced Research Methods – alongside other similar courses. He holds the Graduate Enrichment Fellowship, the Schweitzer Fellowship, and the Community Engaged Graduate Student Award.
Research Interests
Child welfare resilience trajectories
Mental health outcomes for child welfare-involved children and providers
Providers secondary traumatic stress and well-being
Trauma-informed social work practice
Abuse and neglect research
Qualitative and quantitative advanced research methods