Eva Nowakowski, Ph.D., LCSW, MPH

Family Violence, Program Evaluation

Eva Nowakowski-Sims, PhD, LCSW, MPH, CFLE is an Associate Professor at the Palm Beach/Treasure Coast site in the School of Social Work at Barry University. Previous to this, she was the Site Coordinator of the Palm Beach/Treasure Coast site for 7 years. Dr. Nowakowski-Sims graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and went on to get a Masters degree in Public Health from the University of South Florida and a Masters degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Work from Barry University. She is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified family life educator. Dr. Nowakowski-Sims has more than 15 years of clinical experience working with individuals, families, and groups impacted by trauma. My teaching philosophy fosters learning through identification of students’ learning strengths. As a social work educator, I look for and appreciate the individual value of each student. Each student is unique and brings with him/her a set of skills that are informed by personal values and beliefs. Using a strengths based application in the classroom, I strive to help students engage their hearts, their minds and their souls in social work practice. Academic advising is known to be a strong predictor of student academic success. In the School of Social Work, we are committed to sustained quality of advising. My philosophy of academic advising is that it is a collaborative process that involves mutual discussion and decision-making between faculty and student. I see faculty mentoring as a learning relationship between faculty and student, in which I am able to support the professional development of my student by sharing my life experiences and professional expertise. Mentoring is about collaboration, which is a valuable and necessary skill in the work-force. In addition to teaching and advising, I spend a significant portion of my time in scholarship. My professional and research interests include youth violence, program evaluation, and using screening and assessment tools in practice. Over the past two years, I have built my research agenda around trauma and the adjunct treatment options that reduce the negative symptoms of trauma. My recent publications include: the relationship between trauma and child-parent-violence, group exercise as adjunct treatment for persons in recovery, and using predictive analytics in child welfare. I consult throughout the professional community in the areas of trauma-informed organizations and program evaluation.