Tonya Hansel

Director of the PhD Program

  • New Orleans LA UNITED STATES
  • Tulane School of Social Work 504-247-1450
  • School of Social Work
tcross@tulane.edu504-247-1450

Hansel is an expert in disaster mental health and trauma services.

Contact

Spotlight

1 min

Expert: Addressing mental health will be the crucial next step following deadly Maui wildfires

How can first responders and others address mental health challenges following the widespread destruction of the deadly wildfires in Hawaii? Tonya Hansel, PhD, associate professor in Tulane’s School of Social Work and expert in disaster mental health and trauma services, is available to speak to: Mental health symptoms following a disaster and what services should be made availableHow disasters of this magnitude affect childrenWhat mental health experts have learned about recovery from other weather-related disasters“Like other disasters, the surrounding communities of Maui with less damage will likely spearhead disaster response to help displaced individuals and the affected area,” Hansel said. "Children are not too young to be affected. However, their reactions are very different than adults. Once safety has been established, routines are important to reestablish. This might not look exactly like pre-disaster, but having one expected routine is important. Getting back into school is also very important to that routine for school-age children. Importantly, with time, most children are resilient.”For interviews, contact Roger Dunaway at roger@tulane.edu or 504-452-2906.

Tonya Hansel

2 min

Tulane expert offers ‘smart’ advice on making and keeping New Year’s resolutions

It’s almost 2023, a new year, a new you. You’ve resolved to be thinner, healthier, kinder. You’ve vowed to cook more, read more, exercise more. You’re going to declutter your house, beautify your garden, get out of debt. There’s only one problem, said Tonya Hansel, PhD, a professor of social work at the Tulane University School of Social Work. “By year’s end, or even February, these personal goals are forgotten, ignored or deemed unattainable,” she said. “The problem with a New Year’s resolution is not lack of will power or self-determination, rather it is with the resolution itself – lofty goals that anyone would find difficult to implement.” For those making resolutions, Hansel advises to make them SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. She uses the example of adopting a healthier lifestyle. A more specific resolution would be to exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes. By making it measurable, you can keep track of your progress or setbacks to work on. “Perhaps you measure healthier by three days per week for at least 30 minutes or losing 1 pound per week,” she said. Making a resolution achievable gets to the attainability of your resolution. “You could join a gym, online workout or weight loss program and identify a friend with similar resolutions to exercise with or to check in with weekly to discuss barriers and successes,” she said. As for relevance, Hansel said this part of the resolution may change. “Perhaps the relevance is that you want to fit into clothes, receive better health reports or feel or look better,” she said. “If these goals are no longer as important, it may be worth investing your energy into a different resolution.”Hansel said realistic timing is one of the most important aspects of the resolution because it involves creating positive habits. She said studies show that 21 days is enough to form a habit. So instead of committing to a full year, take it one month at a time. “This will allow you to reevaluate whether your resolution was achievable and still relevant.” Hansel is available for media interviews and can be reached at tcross1@tulane.edu or through Barri Bronston, assistant director of public relations, at bbronst@tulane.edu or 504-352-2534.

Tonya Hansel

3 min

Tulane trauma experts available to discuss mass school killing in Uvalde,Texas

Charles Figley is the Dr. Paul Kurzwek Distinguished Chair and Professor of Disaster Mental Health at the Tulane University School of Social Work and is among several Tulane experts who are available to comment on trauma in the wake of the mass shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.Figley, director of the Tulane Trauma Institute and one of the world's leading authorities on trauma associated with mass killings and natural disasters, said the Uvalde community faces what could be years of recovery. This not only includes the families who lost loved ones but first responders, those who survived the attack, the school community and even the town itself. The children who survived the shooting are especially vulnerable and will likely need intense counseling, he said. "We worry for this group of children and will join efforts to provide them and those helping them with all the technical and emotional support we can," he said.He said even children who live outside of Uvalde are likely to experience trauma, especially if they've been tuned into to the news. "They will imagine it happening to them. They will have second thoughts about the safety of their own schools and they will require adult reassurance and real attention to mood and spirit." Figley said he wasn't surprised to hear about yet another school killing spree but is deeply saddened by it. "This community joins so many others in the U.S. impacted by violence in their schools," he said. "The once sacred protective ring of love around schools seems to be evaporating like some of our lakes and reservoirs."Other Tulane experts available for media interviews are as follows: Leia Saltzman is a professor in the Tulane School of Social Work whose expertise lies in the areas of trauma, community violence and mass disaster. She is interested in community-based research that influences mental health policies and clinical practices with trauma-affected populations in order to promote well-being and build stronger families and more cohesive communities that can withstand the mpact of mass disaster, trauma and violence.Reggie Ferreira is director of the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy at the Tulane School of Social Work. His areas of expertise include disaster resilience and international violence prevention. He serves as the editor of the American Psychological Association Traumatology journal, which focuses on resilience practices among traumatized individuals, families and communities.Tonya Hansel is an associate professor and director of the PhD program at the Tulane School of Social Work. She is an expert in disaster mental health and trauma services. Her experiences in the field have enabled her to measure traumatic experiences and implement systematic recovery initiatives as well as emphasize the importance of individual and community strengths that contribute to recovery. Dr. Sharven Taghavi is trauma surgeon and public health researcher focused on injury prevention and health disparities. Dr. Taghavi’s research has focused on improving knowledge of why firearm injuries occur and identifying risk factors that can be intervened upon to reduce the risk of involvement in gun violence. Joseph Constans is a clinical psychologist whose expertise is in the areas of post-traumatic stress syndrome, gun violence and suicide. In his research, he aims to understand how exposure to trauma may cognitively and behaviorally predispose an individual to violence perpetration.To connect with any of these Tulane experts, contact Barri Bronston at bbronst@tulane.edu or Mike Strecker at mstreck@tulane.edu.

Tonya HanselCharles FigleyRegardt FerreiraDr. Sharven Taghavi
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Biography

Tonya Hansel is a social worker with expertise in research, statistics, disaster mental health, trauma and maximizing outcomes for social service agencies. Her interest in research began as a United States Peace Corps volunteer, helping coordinate research addressing the social problems associated with transmission of HIV and AIDS in the Gambia, West Africa.

Following her service, she attended Tulane University, where she completed her PhD in social work and broadened her research to include terrorism and its impact on divorce rates. Hansel joined the faculty of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry in 2007 and held the titles of clinical associate professor and director of clinical evaluation and research. Her research efforts center on evaluation of general trauma services, disaster response work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and towards a better understanding of technological disaster following the Deepwater Horizon gulf oil spill.

Hansel is currently an associate professor with the Tulane University School of Social Work, where she directs the Doctorate of Social Work. As the program director, she plans to extend research methods and data analytic techniques to the curriculum, creating a practical foundation for the future of applied researchers.

Areas of Expertise

Research and Statistics
Disaster Mental Health
Trauma

Education

University of North Texas

Bachelor of Social Work

Social Work

2000

Tulane University, School of Social Work

Master of Social Work

Social Work

2005

Tulane University, School of Social Work

Doctor of Philosophy

Social Work

2007

Affiliations

  • Society for Social Work Research
  • International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
  • American Public Health Association