Jeffrey S. Yarvis, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, BCD

Senior Professor of Practice

He/Him

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Headshot portrait of Jeffrey S. Yarvis.

Biography

COL (ret) Jeffrey S. Yarvis, PhD, LCSW, BCD, ACSW, BCC is currently a Senior Professor of Practice at the Tulane University School of Social Work. He is veteran leader with nearly 40 years of experience in student/soldier affairs, executive medicine, clinical social work, education & curriculum development, and well-published social work and military scholar in the field of psychological trauma. He is also a high-reliability organization functional subject matter expert providing executive leader coaching services to veterans’ service organizations and healthcare systems such as the Veterans Health Administration High Reliability Organization Support Team and the Veterans Health Administration Office of Healthcare Transformation. He is the Principal of Victory Leadership Consulting, LLC. 

A transformational leader, Dr. Yarvis has built, transformed, restored, and grown large organizations and optimized their performance using high reliability principles. He has significant experience in executive medicine including award-winning labor relations efforts, receiving significant research and program funding, collaborating between agencies, and restoring the integrity of failing programs. He has been described by his students, superiors, and subordinates as a visionary, honest, ethical, big-hearted, “real,” and a servant leader who inspires teamwork, coalition building and mission success. He is an unconventional ex- military leader that gets things done with an infectious passion. His ability to leverage his skills and translate them to any setting makes him the ideal candidate for the most challenging leadership environments. He is proud to announce the publication of his book with Oxford University Press "Combat Social Work: Applying the Lessons of War to the Realities of the Human Services" with Tulane's own Drs. Charles Figley & Bruce Thyer.

Areas of Expertise

  • Behavioral Health
  • Military and Veteran Social Work

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

Highlights, Honors & Awards

  • 2022 Outstanding DSW Faculty Award, Tulane University
  • 2022 Pioneer in Social Work, National Association of Social Workers
  • 2021 Outstanding Faculty/Staff Qualitative Scholarship Award for Arts & Sciences, Texas A&M University-Central Texas, Killeen, TX
  • 2015 Top 100 Executives Under 50, Diversity MBA.org
  • 2008 Uniformed Services Social Worker of the Year, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
  • 2008: Inducted into Order of Military Medical Merit
  • 2008: Inducted into Randolph High School (NJ) Hall of Fame for Meritorious Humanitarian Efforts throughout career
  • 2007 U.S. Army Social Worker of the Year
  • 2006 Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge for leadership under fire
  • 1997 Outstanding Mental Health Professional of the Year, International Critical Incidence Stress Foundation Bell-Coryell Counties (TX) Chapter

Selected Publications

  • Straud, C. L., Buccellato, K. H., Foa, E.B., Brown, L. A., McLean, C. P., Blount, T. H., Schobitz, R. P., DeBeer, B. B., Mignogna, J., Fina, B. A., Hall-Clark, B. N., Schrader, C. C., Yarvis, J. S., Jacoby, V. M., Evans, W. R., Litz, B. T., Meyer, E. C., Niles, B. L., Young-McCaughan, S., Keane, T. M., Peterson, A. L.; for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. (2025). Evaluating the differential effects of hazardous drinking on post-traumatic stress disorder outcomes across two prolonged exposure treatment formats. Behavioral Sciences. 15(7), 954. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/954
  • Buccellato, K. H., Straud, C. L., Blount, T. H., Evans, W. R., Hein, J. M., Santos, E., Hale, W. J., Foa, E. B., Brown, L. A., McLean, C. P., Schobitz, R. P., DeBeer, B. R., Mignogna, J., Fina, B. A., Hall-Clark, B. N., Schrader, C. C., Yarvis, J. S., Jacoby, V. M., Lara-Ruiz, J. M., Gerwell, K. M., Litz, B. T., Meyer, E. C., Niles, B. L., Young-McCaughan, S., Keane, T. M., & Peterson, A. L., for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. (2025). Examination of the top three traumatic experiences among United States service members and veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Behavioral Sciences, 15(9), Article 1211. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/9/1211.
  • Hass, N. C., Wachen, J. S., Straud, C. L., Checko (Scioli), E., McGeary, D. D., McGeary, C. A., Mintz, J., Litz, B. T., Young-McCaughan, S., Yarvis, J. S., Peterson, A. L., & Resick, P. A., for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2025). Changes in pain and related health outcomes after cognitive processing therapy in an active duty military sample. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 38(3), 447-457. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23143.
  • Fredman, S. J., Gamaldo, A. A., Jenkins, A. I. C., Le, Y., Mogle, J. A., Monson, C. M., Gamaldo, C. E., Thorpe, R. J., Jr., Hall-Clark, B. N., Blount, T. H., Fina, B. A., Buxton, O. M., Engeland, C. G., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Macdonald, A., Dondanville, K. A., Litz, B. T., Young-McCaughan, S., Taylor, D. J., Pruiksma, K. E., Yarvis, J. S., Keane, T. M., & Peterson, A. L. for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (2025). An initial examination of couple therapy for PTSD outcomes among Black/African American adults: Findings from an uncontrolled trial with military dyads. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 537. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/4/537.
  • Jacoby, V., Straud, C., Tyler, H., Dondanville, K.A., Yarvis, J.S., Mintz, J., Young-McCaughan, S., Peterson, A.L., Schuster Wachen, J., & Resick, P.A., for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2024) An Evaluation of the Relationship Between PTSD, Depression, and Complicated Grief in Active-Duty Military Personnel with Traumatic Loss. Journal of Traumatic Stress. http://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23080.
  • Thompson-Hollands, J., Lee, D. J., Allen, E. S., Pukay-Martin, N. D., Campbell, S. B., Chard, K. M., Renshaw, K. D., Sprunger, J. G., Birkley, E., Dondanville, K. A., Litz, B. T., Riggs, D. S., Schobitz, R. P., Yarvis, J. S., Young-McCaughan, S., Keane, T. M., Peterson, A. L., Monson, C. M., & Fredman, S. J. (2024). The Significant Others’ Responses to Trauma Scale (SORTS): Applying factor analysis and item response theory to a measure of PTSD symptom accommodation. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2353530.
  • Fredman, S. J., Le, Y., Monson, C. M., Mogle, J. A., Macdonald, A., Blount, T. H., Hall-Clark, B. N., Fina, B. A., Dondanville, K. A., Mintz, J., Litz, B. T., Young-McCaughan, S., Yarvis, J. S., Keane, T. M, & Peterson, A . L., for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. (2024). Pretreatment relationship characteristics predict outcomes from an uncontrolled trial of intensive, multi-couple group PTSD treatment.  Journal of Family Psychology, 38(3), 502–509. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001185.
  • Weiss, M., Hawkins, L. & Yarvis, J. (2024) Moral Injury in Female Service Members and Veterans: What do we really know?. Journal of Military, Veteran, and Family Health. 9(8). https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0075.
  • 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.

Selected News & Media

Selected Funding

  • 2016. Site Principal Investigator. Telehealth 2.0; Preserving Continuity of Behavioral Health Clinical Care to Patients Using Mobile Devices. Funding through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. A STRONGSTAR, MRMC TATRC, T2, & MHIC Laboratory Collaboration. $2,000,000, Phase I $294,215.
  • 2013 – 2021. Site Primary Investigator. The South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience, or STRONG STAR, is a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium funded by U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop and evaluate the most effective early interventions possible for the detection, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions in active-duty military personnel and recently discharged veterans. Supervise over 20 funded protocols.
    • STRONG STAR is strategically based at Fort Hood, Texas, which contains one of the largest concentrations of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans, the DoD’s largest military medical complex, state-of-the-art trauma research facilities, and established military, VA, and civilian institutional collaborations. Not only does this pair researchers with the number of military personnel necessary for large-scale studies, but it also means that STRONG STAR investigators’ expertise and innovative treatment programs are helping where they are needed most.
    • More than 125 researchers and clinicians working with STRONG STAR are conducting a broad array of clinical, exploratory, and preclinical trials and utilizing specialized research cores to assess novel delivery methods of evidence-based PTSD treatments. These delivery methods have been specially adapted to meet the unique needs of military and VA populations. Simultaneously, STRONG STAR is striving to learn more about the biological factors involved in PTSD development and recovery; the influence of co-occurring physical and psychological ailments; and the interaction of cognitive-behavioral therapies and pharmacologic treatments. Ultimately, STRONG STAR is focused on reducing the suffering of our nation’s wounded warriors. STRONG STAR investigators want to help our returning war fighters to continue living healthy, productive lives and to prevent the development of chronic PTSD and related problems in a new generation of veterans. 

Community Involvement

  • Health Sectors Working Group on Mental Health & Medical Care in Iraq
  • International Military Social Work Working Group on Social Work Courses for Ukraine
  • Council of Social Education’s (CSWE) Committee to Develop EPAs for Military Social Work
  • 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
  • Fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association