Overview

Burcu Ozturk, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work. Dr. Ozturk received her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Adnan Menderes University, Turkey, in 2010. In 2015, Dr. Ozturk completed her master’s degree in Social Work from Temple University. In 2020, Dr. Ozturk received her PhD degree from the University of Alabama School of Social work. Her dissertation topic was understanding the lived experiences of Middle Eastern-born immigrant women who were intimate partner violence survivors in the United States, as well as how culture impacts these experiences. During her PhD, Dr. Ozturk had been involved with a family therapy team comprised of social work and psychology faculty and students at the University of Alabama Medical Center psychiatric clinic. In addition, Dr. Ozturk did her post-doc at the University of Oklahoma in forensic social work. Also, Dr. Ozturk worked in Diversion Hub, which is a non-profit organization, as a program evaluator researcher as a part of her post-doc.  

As part of her studies, Dr. Ozturk has worked with different populations. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with teenagers who were involved in crime, domestic violence survivors, children, and the elderly population. For her master’s internship, she worked in high schools as a school social worker where she provided counseling, case management and therapy as a social worker under the guidance of the school social worker.

Dr. Ozturk’ research agenda focuses on domestic violence issues, family, immigrant, and forensic social work. Dr. Ozturk has experience teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in the USA in courses such as human behavior, international social work, practice and research. She serves as a peer reviewer for academic journals as well as a member of several committees at the Wichita State University.

Information

Areas of Research Interest

Domestic violence

Criminal Justice

Immigrants

Forensic social work

Areas of Teaching Interest

SCWK 851 Applied Social Work Research

SCWK 700 Foundations of Generalist Practice I

Publications

Peer-Reviewed

  1. Ozturk, B., Nelson-Gardell, D., (Accepted, June 2022). From Lived Experience: Listening to Stories of Healing from Middle Eastern Immigrant IPV Survivors. Violence Against Women.
  2. Zonp, Z., Ozturk, B., Guler, A., Saint Artnault, D. (Accepted, September 2022). Coping Strategies Among Turkish Women Exposed to Gender-Based Violence in Turkey. Journal of Advance Nursing.
  3. Ozturk, B., Bell, A., McLeod, D., & Gentzler, R. (2022). Criminal Justice Diversion and the Importance of Program Retention. Journal of Forensic Social Work, 6(1), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.1936-9298.2022.6.1.43-56 .
  4. Ozturk, B., Pharris, A., Munoz, R., & McLeod, D. A. (2022). The Importance of Hope to Resilience in Criminal Justice Diversion Programs. Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, 23(2), 56-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.54555/ccjls.4577.37337 .
  5. Erukcu, G., Ozturk, B. (2022). Foster Care System in America And Turkey: Opportunities and Challenges. The Journal Turkish Social Research. https://doi.org/10.55109/tushad.1084697
  6. Gungordu N., Ozturk B., & Hernandez-Reif M. (2021). Empathy and Sibling Relationship Dynamics of Women in Emerging Adulthood: Survey Method with Follow-Up Phenomenological Interview. Family Relations.https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12618 
  7. Sutton, A., Beech H., Ozturk B., Nelson-Gardell, D., (2020). Preparing Mental Health Professionals to work with Intimate Partner Violence: A Comprehensive Narrative of the Literature. Affilia, https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0886109920960827
  8. Ellis, T., Li, Q., Bertram, J. M., Meadows, J. T., Ozturk, B., & Nelson-Gardell, D. (2020). Poetry authored by vulnerable populations as secondary data: methodological approach and considerations. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08893675.2020.1803614
  9. Ozturk, B., Li, Q., & Albright, D. L. (2019). Coping strategies among immigrant women who have experienced intimate partner violence in North America: A narrative review. Aggression and Violent Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.06.001

 Book Chapter

  1. Ozturk, B., Yalim, A., Toraman, S. (2020). Crossing Borders: Challenges of Refugee Women. Immigrant Women’s Voices and Integrating Feminism into Migration Theory. IGI Global. (pp. 195-213).
  2. McLeod, D. A., Dunnells, Z. D., & Ozturk, B. (2021). Female Offenders in Child Sexual Abuse.
  3. McLeod, D.A., Ozturk, B., Dunnells, Z. (in press 2021). Ethics in forensic settings. In Bolton, K., Natale, A.P., & McLeod, D.A. (Ed.) The Handbook of Forensic Social Work. Chicago, IL: Oxford.
  4. McLeod, D.A., Dunnells, Z., Ozturk, B. (in press 2021). Women in forensic settings. In Bolton, K., Natale, A.P., & McLeod, D.A. (Ed.) The Handbook of Forensic Social Work. Chicago, IL: Oxford.
  5. Ozturk, B., Yalim A. (in press 2022). Group Level Assessment. In Toraman (Ed.)., Qualitative and Action Research in Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences: Approaches, Trends, and Applications. Egiten Publishing 
Awards and Honors
  • 3 Minutes Thesis Competition, Finalist                                                                      2019
    University of Alabama                                      
  • Leslie J. Shellhase Endowed Scholarship $1200,                                                        2019
    University of Alabama School of Social Work
  • Shellhase Endowed Scholarship, $1100                                                                       2018
    University of Alabama, School of Social Work
  • The University of Alabama School of Social Work was awarded:                             2017
    A Recognition of Contribution to Research by a PhD Student, 2017 
  • Scholarship of Ministry of National Education for graduate education in                  2011
    The USA, from Turkish Government.
Areas of Service

Peer Reviewer, Journal of Interpersonal Violence

Member of the MSW committee, School of Social Work, Wichita State University,

Faculty Support Committee, Wichita State University