Jodi Berger Cardoso
Associate Professor of Social Work
Email: jabergercardoso@uh.edu
Room: 407 Social Work Building
Phone: 713-743-1157
Personal Statement
Dr. Jodi Berger Cardoso has over 15 years of clinical experience working with immigrant populations. Dr. Cardoso’s research examines how exposure to trauma and psychosocial stress before, during and post-migration affects the mental health of Latino immigrants and their children. She has been funded to examine the unique stressors associated parenting in the context of deportation risk; trauma, coping strategies, and substance use behaviors in unaccompanied migrant youth; and the local and state challenges associated with large influxes of Central American children and families on school, legal and health and human services in the Houston area. Recently, she received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine the effects of immigration enforcement on the mental health outcomes of Latino youth. Dr. Cardoso works with several humanitarian organizations that focus on providing legal and mental health services to immigrants, unaccompanied minor youth, and refugees that have experienced trauma. She has served as an expert witness in gender based violence and child trauma cases. At the invitation of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, she joined The Welcoming Houston Task Force, a new initiative that aims to enhance inclusion and lasting economic integration of new Americans through public policy and by implementing community-based initiatives. Prior to getting a degree in social work, Dr. Cardoso was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador (1999-2002).
Education
PhD, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, 2012
MSSW, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2004
BS, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 2000
Licenses and Certifications
2007- Present, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Texas
2004-2006, Licensed Master Social Worker in Texas
Courses Taught
- SOCW 6306 - Social Work Practice Skills Lab
- SOCW 7324 - Clinical Applications of the DSM