Maria Pagan-Rivera
Associate Professor
Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice
EMAIL: mpaganrivera@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: S-633F
Office Hours:
Phone: +1 (212) 220-1246
Maria Pagan Rivera, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. is a licensed clinical social worker and developmental evaluator specializing in working with children and families. Growing up in Washington Heights, New York City, she was the first member of her family to attend college and was motivated by her desire to help her community. Prior to joining BMCC, she was an adjunct lecturer at New York University (NYU), served as a consultant for the NYC Early Intervention Program and was a social worker for the NYC Department of Education.
Professor Pagan Rivera is committed to continuing her work with children with learning disabilities and with immigrant families. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on parental factors as mediators of alcohol use and depression among Mexican American adolescents, and reflects her strong interest in continuing to study adolescent, immigrant, and Latino mental health issues. She recently presented a paper at the International Psycho-historical Society Conference sponsored at NYU where she discussed the types of trauma undocumented immigrants face during the migration process and the effects of this trauma on second generation youth. She is an advocate and firm believer in the importance of passing legislation such as the Dream Act to allow undocumented immigrant students to further their education and have the opportunity to reach their highest potential while remaining in the United States.
Expertise
Direct Social Work Skills, Children with Special Needs, Children in Poverty
Degrees
- B.A. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Forensic Psychology,
- M.S. New York University, MSW Clinical Social Work,
- Ph.D. New York University, Social Work,
Courses Taught
- This course introduces students to the field of Human Services and the profession of Social Work. Those human services which deal with social and personal problems are explored as well as the knowledge base, the skills base and the values base of the social work profession. Students are exposed to the methods of working with people as individuals, in groups and on a community level. This course meets the requirements as a liberal arts elective in social science.
- This course is a survey of child welfare as a field of Social Work practice. Course content includes the relationships of parents, children and society; the development of old and new governmental programs for children; the impact on the family of child welfare policies, and the future of child welfare programs in the United States.
- Students are placed for one day per week in human service settings where they learn first-hand about agency structure and function, the activities of human service professionals, and the application of human service skills. Settings include community centers, hospitals, family service agencies, community residences for the developmentally disabled, senior citizen centers, homeless shelters, child psychiatry clinics, etc. A one hour weekly class session reinforces the agency experience through case presentations and group discussion. This course is open only to students enrolled in the Human Services curriculum. Please note: This course has 1 hour lecture and 7 internship hours per week. Prerequisite: HUM 101 and [HUM 201 or Gerontology Major]
- This course follows the same format as HUM 301, Field Experience in Human Services I. Remaining in the same field placement, the student deepens his/her knowledge and strengthens his/her skills through continued practice and supervision. This course is open only to students enrolled in the Human Services curriculum. Please note: This course has 1 lecture hour and 7 internship hours per week. Prerequisite: HUM 301
Research and Projects
Publications
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
- Family Support and Parental Monitoring as Protective Factors in Preventing Depression and Alcohol Use among Mexican American Adolescents.
Paper presented was selected as one of seven dissertations honored at the conference as part of a national call for papers of dissertation research abstracts. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, March, 2013.
Additional Information
PUBLICATIONS
Pagan Rivera, M.S., DePaulo, D. (2013). The Role of Family Support and Parental Monitoring as Mediators in Mexican American Adolescent Drinking. Substance Use and Misuse. Posted online on July 3, 2013. (doi:10.3109/10826084.2013.808220). Available online: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826084.2013.808220
Pagan Rivera, M.S. (2013). Family Support and Parental Monitoring as Protective Factors in
Preventing Depression and Alcohol Use among Mexican American Adolescents. The Ohio State University Knowledge Bank: 25th National Symposium on Doctoral Research in Social Work. Available online: http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/54758
Pagan Rivera, M.S. (2014). Using Integrative Short-Term Treatment in Addressing the Social-Emotional Needs of Immigrant Students: Implications for School Social Work Practice. Journal of School Social Work, 38(2), 61-75.
Pagan Rivera, M.S. (2015). Risk and Protective Factors for Depression in Mexican American Youth: The impact of Generational Status, Family, and Parental Influences. Social Work in Mental Health, 13(3), 252-271.
Professional Credentials:
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
PhD in Social Work
Certified EMDR Therapist
Early Intervention Specialist
Certified Bilingual School Social Worker