Dr. Kelly Clary, MSW

Assistant Professor

Graduate Degrees: BSW, MSW, and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Social Work Joined Texas State: Fall 2020 Years in Social Work Practice: 3 Years in Social Work Education: 4 Primary Practice Background: Emerging adults who have substance use problems. I am trained in motivational interviewing (MI) and screening brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT). I worked in a University counseling center leading psychoeducational groups for college students who have high-risk alcohol and marijuana use (9 months). In this role, I also co-supervised 90 undergraduate students who were facilitating first year alcohol prevention programming workshops for 9,000 students. I worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital and emergency department completing assessments and intake for individuals in crisis and/or needing medical substance use detox (9 months). I served as a lead interventionist in a college setting for emerging adults who had high-risk substance use behaviors providing motivational interviewing to the client and their friend (1 year). I also worked at an outpatient substance use facility for adults with mild to severe substance use disorders (3 months) and a juvenile detention center (7 months) leading groups and conducting assessments. Primary Teaching Fields: Research Methods, Peer Facilitation/Outreach for Alcohol Prevention, Diversity, Motivational Interviewing, and Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, Direct Social Work Practice. I have taught at both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University. Primary Research Fields: My research and expertise are understanding developmental and cultural factors that influence substance use among emerging adults, stigma and help seeking among military members and veterans, Emerging Adulthood Theory development, mental health problems and stigma, brief interventions (Motivational interviewing and SBIRT), and qualitative research methodology. My current projects include a funded research study in Illinois examining benzodiazepine, opioid, and cannabis use among older veterans, establishing, and evaluating a non-profit agency for transitioning veterans in California and implementing a virtual educational outreach program for social works on the topics of substance use, motivational interviewing, and self-care.