Asli Cennet Yalim is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida School of Social Work. She received her master’s degree in Social Work from Florida State University and her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University at Buffalo. Drawing on her interdisciplinary background and international experience, she studies refugees’ psychosocial wellbeing, seeks to understand the challenges refugees face upon resettlement in another country, and develops culturally responsive interventions to improve post-resettlement outcomes. Her areas of research include refugee mental health, trauma-informed services for immigrant and refugee populations, refugee women, CBT and mindfulness-based interventions, and the wellbeing of the healthcare workforce. Her methodological approach includes mixed-methods, grounded theory, and a community-based participatory approach.
Yalim has collaborated on funded projects, including an interprofessional, evidence-based virtual program to prevent burnout, suicide, and mental health conditions among healthcare workers, as well as the development of a mental health and psychosocial intervention with refugee women and survivors of earthquakes in Turkey. Before starting her career in the United States, she worked as a child psychologist in various health and educational settings in Istanbul, Turkey. She teaches courses on human behavior, research methods, and social work with immigrants and refugees. Her dedication to teaching has been recognized through the UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Credentials
- Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Social Work, University at Buffalo
- MSW, Master of Social Work, Florida State University
- MA, Master of Arts, Forensic Sciences, Istanbul University
- BS, Bachelor of Science, Psychology, Istanbul University
Areas of Specialty
- Refugee mental health and psychosocial wellbeing
- Syrian refugees
- Forced migration in the Middle East
- Use of mental health services among refugee and immigrant populations
- Community-based participatory research
- Culturally competent practice
- Resilience and empowerment
- Refugee Women