Marleen Wong

Program developer of crisis and disaster training for school districts and law enforcement to address post-traumatic stress for traumatized children

Marleen Wong received her MSW from the University of Southern California in 1971 and her Ph.D. from the Sanville Institute in 2005. She served as the Senior Vice Dean and the Stein/Goldman Sachs Endowed Professor of Mental Health at the University of Southern California. She is also served as the Director of School Crisis and Intervention at the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress at the UCLA David Geffen Medical Center.

Wong has developed mental health recovery programs and crisis and disaster training for school districts and law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, Israel, and Asia. While Director of Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), she developed a program using group intervention to address symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and general anxiety among children traumatized by violence, bullying, and trauma. Wong has been instrumental in developing evidence-based practices for use with children experiencing trauma, such as the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools and Psychological First Aid/Listen, Protect, Connect.

Wong served on the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Responding to the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism. She completed a three-year term on the IOM Board of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health, assessing national priorities and approaches to public health and medical practice, public policy, research, education, and training. Wong frequently consults with schools impacted by violence, shootings, terrorism, and natural disasters. She has been called upon to share her expertise in response to major crises: from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the Columbine school shootings to the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles and the sniper shootings in Washington, DC.

Internationally, Wong has advised teachers, schools, and government officials in Kobe, Japan, and the Sichuan Province in China about the effects of the devastating earthquakes on school children, as well as on adults, in those regions. She was recognized by the White House as one of the “pre-eminent experts in school crisis and recovery.” The Wall Street Journal identified her as the “architect of school safety programs.”

Wong’s contributions to social welfare have been widely recognized. Her awards include the Los Angeles County Mental Health Commission’s first Personal Legacy Award for national and international work on behalf of children’s mental health; the Woman of Distinction Award from the Los Angeles City Council and recognition from the International Soroptimists, a Special Service Award from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Interagency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect. In 2013, Wong received the California Social Welfare Archives’ George D. Nickel Award for Outstanding Service for four decades of dedication to working with traumatized children.

Wong has authored books on school safety and is the author or co-author of over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters that contribute to the social work practice. Her many publications include Earthquake and Safe Schools Training: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Compendium of Exemplary Programs and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing in Schools, the Sanford Model: National School Safety Center Update.