faculty & staff: administration, faculty, administrative units
Patricia O'Brien
Associate Professor
B.S.W., Saint Mary College, Kansas 
M.S.W., University of Kansas 
Ph.D. University of Kansas 

Email: pob@ uic.edu
Phone: 312-996-2203 
Room 4317, EPASW

Professional Interests

  • Strengths Perspective in social work
  • Qualitative/feminist research methods
  • Women in Corrections
  • Domestic Violence
  • Welfare Reform Policies
Current Research
Teaching
  • Generalist Practice with individuals, families, and groups
  • Generalist Practice with groups, organizations, and communities 
  • Social Work with Women
  • Human Behavior and the Social Environment
  • Social Work in Corrections
  • Practice Approaches
  • Qualitative Methods
Practice Experience

Ten years of experience working with women survivors of domestic violence and their children--crisis intervention, program development, and administration of three shelters. Facilitation of groups for cancer survivors, battered women survivors, and women in prison. 

Selected Recent Publications

O'Brien, P. (2007). Maximizing success for drug-affected women after release from prison: Examining access to and use of social services during reentry. Women and Criminal Justice, 17(3-4).

Bennett, L.W., & O'Brien, P. (2007).  Effects of coordinated services for drug-abusing women who are victims of intimate partner violence.  Violence Against Women, 13 (4).

O'Brien, P., & Young, D.S. (2006). Challenges for formerly incarcerated women: A holistic approach to assessment. Families in Society, 87 (3), 359-366.

O'Brien, P., & Lee, N. (2006).  Moving from needs to self-efficacy: A holistic system for  women in transistion from prison.  Women and Therapy. 29 (3/4), 261-284.

O'Brien, P., & Bates, R. (2005) Women's post-release experiences inthe U.S.: Recidivism and reentry.  International Journal of Prisoner Health, 1(2), 1-15.
 
O’Brien, P., & Bates, R. (2003). Negotiating the waves: Challenges in conducting in-prison and follow-up research with women.” Affilia: Journal of  Women and Social Work, 18(2), 210-225.
 
O’Brien, P. (2001). Claiming our soul: An empowerment group for African-American women in prison. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 12(1), 35-51.
 
O’Brien, P. (2001). “Just like baking a cake”: Women describe the necessary ingredients for successful reentry after incarceration. Families in Society, 82(3), 287-295.
 
O’Brien, P., Massat, C., & Gleeson, J. (2001). Upping the ante: Relative caregivers’ perceptions of changes in child welfare policies. Child Welfare. 80(6), 719-748.

O'Brien, P. (2001). Making it in the "Free World": Women in Transition from Prison. New York: SUNY Press.
O'Brien, P. (2001). Claiming our soul: An empowerment group for African-American women in prison. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 12(1), 35-51.
O'Brien, P. (2001). "Just like baking a cake": Women describe the necessary ingredients for successful reentry after incarceration. Families in Society, 82(3), 287-295.
O'Brien, P. (2001). Promoting reentry for formerly incarcerated women: Individual and community practice challenges (pp. 145-167). In K. J. Peterson & A. A. Lieberman (eds.), Building on Women's Strengths: A social work agenda for the twenty-first century. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
O'Brien, P., and Harm, N. (2002). Women's recidivism and reintegration: Two sides of the same coin. In R. Sarri and J. Figuera-McDonough (eds.), Women at the Margins: Neglect, Punishment and Resistance. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
O'Brien, P., Massat, C., and Gleeson, J. (2001). Upping the ante: Relative Caregivers' Perceptions of Recent Child Welfare Changes. Child Welfare.
Affiliations, Associations, & Consultations 

Advisory Board, UIC Research on Women and Gender
Advisor, Graduate Concentration in Gender & Women Studies
Member, Council on Status and Role of Women in Social Work Education, CSWE
Training on strengths-based case management with difficult clients (correctional clients and homeless families)
Editorial Board, Families in Society