Alison Updyke Neff, MSW, DSW, LSW
Associate Professor
122 WCU Ave
ANeff@wcupa.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Degrees
- DSW: The University of Pennsylvania
- MSW: Temple University
- BA, Political Science: Indiana University
Main areas of interest
- Incarceration & reentry
- Violence prevention and diversion for gun-related charges
- Anti-oppressive pedagogies
- HIV medication adherence
Bio
Alison Updyke Neff, MSW, DSW, LCSW is an Associate Professor of Graduate Social Work at West Chester University, where she has been a faculty member since 2018. Over the course of her tenure, she has held a variety of leadership roles, including Assistant Chair, Graduate Coordinator, and Program Director of the HRSA BHWET Grant.
For the past decade, she has served as the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of The Center for Carceral Communities, where she coordinates psychosocial care for people released from incarceration. Her research focuses on clinical and structural interventions in the area of incarceration, with a particular focus on violence prevention and diversion support for gun-related charges.
She trains service providers and students in implementing evidence-based treatment and organizational modalities like cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing. Alison has worked closely with community partners, such as the Public Defender's Office and the District Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, as well as with Housing Works and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in New York to address the needs of marginalized clients, such as people with a history of incarceration, substance use, and homelessness.