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faculty

Douglas Smith

Professor, Director of Center for Prevention Research and Development

Headshot of Douglas Smith

Contact

(217) 333-5308

School of Social Work

1010 W. Nevada St.

Urbana, IL 61801

Office 2119

What I Do

I am a licensed social work practitioner, a nationally certified trainer for the widely-used Global Assessment of Individual Needs (GAIN), and have completed advanced clinical training in Motivational Interviewing.

Education

  • BS in Psychology – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • MSW – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • PhD in Social Work – University of Iowa

Research

Since 1996, Dr. Smith’ practice and research experience has focused on treating and preventing substance use disorders.  He has practice experience with varied substance misusing populations including: adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, adults addicted to crack cocaine, and addicted mothers involved with child welfare.  Dr. Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and has experience implementing numerous empirically-supported treatments, including: Motivational Interviewing, the Community Reinforcement Approach, The Seven Challenges®, and Strengths Oriented Family Therapy (SOFT).

His research currently focuses on what treatments work best for adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders.  For example, with generous support from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), he is developing a peer-enhanced treatment for use with young adults with alcohol problems.  Additionally, he is interesting in studying the effects of Motivational Interviewing among adolescents with alcohol and other substance use disorders.  Because of his productivity in these two areas, he was awarded the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award in 2012 from the Society for Social Work and Research.

Latest news

  • Faculty & Staff,
  • Research,
  • Community Impact

Cannabis Use Lower Among Illinois Teens Living in ZIP Codes With Medical Dispensaries 

June 20, 2023

Illinois News Bureau

headshot of Doug Smith
  • Faculty & Staff,
  • Research,
  • Community Impact

Task Force Calls for Changes in Juvenile Detention Policies for Children Ages 10-12

November 03, 2021

Doug Smith standing outside of building
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