Jacqueline Unkrich, LISW
- Social Worker, CHECK Foster Care Clinic, Division of General and Community Pediatrics
- Substance Use Risk Interventionist
About
Biography
I’m a social worker with special training in talking with youth ages ten and up regarding substance use. At the CHECK Foster Care Clinic, I provide brief interventions and referrals to treatment for youth using substances. I believe you need to meet the patients where they are because not everyone is ready to take the next step to make a change. I use motivational interviewing to empower patients to make positive life changes.
My interest in pediatrics goes way back. I always knew that I wanted to work with children in some capacity. While exploring my options in high school, I learned more about the profession of social work. Upon graduation, I knew that was what I wanted to do. While getting my Master of Social Work degree, I interned at a small foster care agency. I loved working with foster children and helping this vulnerable population.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, watching movies and doing puzzles.
MSW: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 2019
Services and Specialties
Publications
Screening, brief Intervention, and referral to treatment: Persistence of effects in adolescents at risk. Addictive Behaviors. 2026; 182:108771.
The Value of Brief Intervention to Prevent and Decrease Nicotine, Tobacco, and Cannabis Use among Adolescents. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2026.
Reducing Bias in Substance Use Detection in Adolescents Via Standardized Substance Use Screening. Pediatrics Open Science. 2025; 1(1):1-3.
Substance Use Screening Among Youth in Foster Care. Pediatrics. 2024; 154(3).
Young people in foster care and substance use. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology. 2024; 50:101136.
Understanding Variation in Health Risks Across Development and Child Welfare Involvement for Youth in Foster Care. In: Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research and Practice. Springer Nature; 2023:67-84.
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