Colonel (ret) Jeffrey S. Yarvis, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, BCD

Education

• PhD in Social Work from University of Georgia
• MEd in Education from Cabridge College
• MSW in Clinical Social Work from Boston College
• United States Army Command and General Staff College
• MS in Executive Leadership from Norwich University
• MA in National and Strategic Studies from United States Army War College
• BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Indiana University

Biography

Colonel (ret) Jeffrey S. Yarvis, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, BCD,  joins the Tulane School of Social Work as a Senior Professor of Practice. Dr. Yarvis earned a PhD in Social Work from the University of Georgia, MSW in Clinical Social Work from Boston College, MS in Executive Leadership from Norwich University, M.Ed. in the Integrated Study of Curriculum and Instruction from Cambridge College, MSS in National Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Indiana University.

Dr. Yarvis is a 35-year veteran leader in executive medicine, clinician, life-long educator and military social work scholar in the field of psychological trauma. A transformational leader, Dr. Yarvis has built, restored, and grown large medical organizations and optimized their performance. His dissertation titled “Subthreshold PTSD in Canadian Peacekeepers with Different Levels of Traumatic Stress” (chaired by Dean Patrick Bordnick) served as springboard into hundreds of international and national peer reviewed conference presentations and over one-hundred publications on the deleterious effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the reintegration of America’s returning warriors to their families and to campus.

Dr. Yarvis serves on the International Military Social Work Working Group; served on the Council of Social Education’s (CSWE) Committee to Develop EPAs for Military Social Work; and is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Society of Social Work Research (SSWR), Academy of Health Care Executives (ACHE), Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare, and Fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association.

Dr. Yarvis’ awards include 2017 Global Health & Pharma Excellence Award in Veterans PTSD Research, 2015 DiversityMBA.org-Top 50 Executives Under 50, 2008 Uniformed Social Worker of the Year, 2007 US Army Social Worker of the Year, 1997 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (Bell/Coyell County Chapter) Mental Health Professional of the Year, 1996 Social Work Consultant to the Army Surgeon General’s Social Worker of the Year, Military Alpha Designator as a Scholar in Social Work, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and Order of Military Medical Merit. Dr. Yarvis holds Board Certifications in Clinical Social Work and Psychotherapy. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Pi, and SALUTE National Honor Societies. He was also elected to the Randolph High School (NJ) Hall of Fame for his International Humanitarian Efforts.

Dr. Yarvis joins the faculty after a 34 year career with the U.S. Army culminating in command of a Brigade and a Combat Hospital. Indeed he was the first social worker in the history of the Army to command at that level. Dr. Yarvis published a book on “Combat Social Work” with Tulane’s own Dr. Charles Figley and Dr. Bruce Thyer and a previous book on “Subthreshold PTSD.” Dr. Yarvis continues to conduct research on evidenced-based treatments for PTSD and serve on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals and provide leadership coaching to health care executives on high reliability principles. 

Dr. Yarvis is married to his amazing wife Laura of 23 years and has two remarkable children Jacob, a senior social work major at the University of Texas, and Olivia, a sophomore journalism major at Northwestern University.

Selected Publications

Figley, C., Yarvis, J., & Thyer, B. (eds.) (2020) Combat Social Work: Applying the Lessons of War to the Realities Human Services, Oxford University Press. 

LoSavio, S. T., Hale, W. J., Moring, J. C., Blankenship, A. E., Dondanville, K. A., Schuster Wachen, J., Mintz, J., Peterson, A. L., Litz, B. T., Young-McCaughan, S., Yarvis, J. S., & Resick, P. A. (2021). Efficacy of individual and group cognitive processing therapy for military personnel with and without child abuse histories. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89, 476-482. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000641.

Brown, L. A., Bryan, C. J., Butner, J. E., Tabares, J. V., Young-McCaughan, S., Hale, W. J., Fina, B. A., Foa, E. B., Resick, P. A., Taylor, D. J., Coon, H., Williamson, D. E., Dondanville, K. A., Borah, E. V., McLean, C. P., Wachen, J. S., Pruiksma, K. E., Hernandez, A. M., Litz, B. T., Mintz, J., Yarvis, J. S., Borah, A. M., Nicholson, K. L., Maurer, D. M., Kelly, K. M., & Peterson, A. L., for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2021). Identifying suicidal subtypes and dynamic indicators of increasing and decreasing suicide risk in active duty military personnel: Study protocol. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 21, Article 100752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100752.

Fredman, S.J., Le, Y., Macdonald, A., Monson, C.M., Rhoades, G.K., Dondanville, K.A., Blount, T.H., Hall-Clark, B.N., Fina, B.A., Mintz, J., Litz, B.T., Young-McCaughan, S., Jenkins, A.I.C., Yarvis, J.S., Keane, T.M., & Peterson, A.L., for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. (2021) A Closer Examination of Relational Outcomes from a Pilot Study of Abbreviated, Intensive, Multi-Couple Group Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD with Military Dyads. Family Process. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12654.

Resick, P.A., Wachen, J.S., Dondanville, K.A., LoSavio, S.T., Young-McCaughan, S., Yarvis, J.S., Pruiksma, K.E., Blankenship, A., Jacoby, V., Peterson, A.L., Mintz, J.,for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2021) Variable-Length Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Military: Outcomes and Predictors,Behaviour Research and Therapy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2021.103846.

Berke, D. S., Carney, J. R., Rusowicz-Orazem, L., Kline, N. K., Grunthal, B., Mintz, J., Yarvis, J. S., Peterson, A. L., Young-McCaughan, S., Foa, E. B., Resick, P. A., & Litz, B. T., for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2021). Parameters of aggressive behavior in a treatment seeking sample of military personnel: A secondary analysis of three randomized controlled trials of evidence-based PTSD treatments. Behavior Therapy, 52(1), 136–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2020.03.007.

Nason, E., Hale, Borah, E., W. J., Wachen, J. S., Dondanville, K. A., Mintz, J., Litz, B. T., Yarvis, J. S., Young-McCaughan, S., Peterson, A. L., & Resick, P. A.; for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2021) The Effects of Interpersonal Support on Treatment Outcomes Using Cognitive Processing Therapy. Cognitive Therapy and Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10181-6.

Straud, C. L., Dondanville, K. A., Hale, W. J., Schuster-Wachen, J. S., Mintz, J., Litz, B. T., Roache, J. D., Yarvis, J. S., Young-McCaughan, S., Peterson A. L., & Resick, P. A., for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2021). The impact of hazardous drinking among active duty military with posttraumatic stress disorder: Does cognitive processing therapy format matter? Journal of Traumatic Stress, 34(1), 210–220. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22609.

Little, J., Schmeltz, A., Cooper, M., Waldrop, T., Yarvis, J. S., Pruitt, L. & Dondanville, K. A. (2021). Preserving continuity of behavioral health clinical care to patients using mobile devices. Military Medicine, Volume 186, Issue Supplement_1, January-February 2021, Pages 137–141, https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa281.

Media

Experts say shortage of psychiatrists emphasizes need to address mental health issues. (2021).  KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas.

Court ruling may allow veterans to get more GI Bill benefits in the future. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

Unexpected high-paying jobs available to veterans after service. (2021) KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

Veterans, pets at risk for loud noises during 4th of July. (2021). KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas.

VA planning to offer gender confirmation surgery to veterans. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

Bill would allow military children to remain on parents' health insurance policies longer. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

Treating PTSD with Psychedelic Mushrooms. (2021). KCEN-TV, Waco, Texas.

Congress working on what could be largest health bill in US history. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

'It's not right for a child to live in fear': Central Texas bikers work to break the cycle of abuse one child at a time.’ (2021). KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas. 

“It’s me and you against the world”: Single-mom shares journey navigating single-parent household. (2021). KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas.

Legislation to give veterans the choice of private-sector care. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas. 

Proposed Bill would teach jailers how to interact with veterans in the criminal justice system. (2021). KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas.

Considerations being made to include women in military draft registration. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas. 

Local veterans react to Biden’s plan withdraw troops from Afghanistan. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

Proposed bill would allow the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms to help with veterans suffering from PTSD. (2021). KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas.

First Lady begins work on revamped Military Family Initiative. (2021). KWTX-TV, Waco, Texas.

Social Work in Combat Zones. (2021). KXXV-TV, Waco, Texas.