Rana Hong, PhD, LCSW, RPT-S

Assistant Dean for MSW Programs

Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Rana Hong joined SSW after over 20 years of clinical experience with children, adolescents, and families who suffered from issues of attachment, trauma, and emotional/behavioral problems. As a leading registered play therapy supervisor (RPT-S) and trainer, Dr. Hong holds many rigorous certifications in evidence-based models: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist and consultant; DIR/Floortime training expert leader; Parent-Child interaction Theraplay (PCIT) therapist and within agency trainer; Theraplay practitioner, supervisor, trainer. She served as the president of the board at the international organization-The Theraplay Institute from 2016-2022.

Dr. Hong earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000 and a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago. She has been involved in numerous evaluation studies since 2016. Her current research interests are centered around validating evidence-based models for traumatized and disadvantaged children and youth.

Research Interests

• Practice with children and adolescents
• Validating evidence-based models for traumatized and disadvantaged children and youth
• Metric development for children and youth