Dr. Mary Brewer Schacht, PhD, LICSW
Founder
Dr. Schacht is an International Trauma Psychologist, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, disaster responder, Contributing Editor, and Dissertation Chair and Instructor of International Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Schacht is Founder of Utu International. She is a clinical social work and an international trauma professional. She has a Ph.D. in International Trauma Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work, and is trained in the Hakomi method of psychotherapy. Dr. Schacht serves as Dissertation Chair and adjunct, PhD Department of International Psychology, The Chicago School for International Psychology.
Dr. Schacht has long advocated for listening to and learning from other persons’ perspectives, worldviews, and orientations. She is an ardent supporter of skillful, compassion-based social action. As a teenager, Dr. Schacht first arrived to Kenya with the National Outdoor Leadership School. She has remained committed to East Africa since that time. She conducted her doctoral research in northern Uganda among men and women who experienced war and forced displacement. The aim of her work was to explore the meaning and experience of sociocultural identity, belonging, and rights from the perspective of both men and women.
Since then, Dr. Schacht’s research has focused on social issues in East Africa, including drivers of food insecurity and care leavers. Other research interests include the social construction of rights, trauma, and resilience among forcibly displaced populations, stress response among persons with histories of war exposure, including among providers who work with displaced persons, and stress response among humanitarian workers. Currently, Dr. Schacht is conducting participatory video research projects in the North Rift Valley, Kenya with an overall aim toward peace. Dr. Schacht is also engaged with other youth led organizations in the North Rift Valley in areas of peace together with climate action.
Dr. Schacht is a member of the Editorial Team for the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies’ newsletter StressPoints. As Contributing Editor of the Global Perspectives column, Dr. Schacht provides her own work and receives members’ work to review then edit collaboratively submissions for publication. She also offers editing to non-profits in East Africa.
Dr. Schacht is a disaster responder, deploying to areas impacted by humanitarian crises and natural disasters, including difficult-to-reach regions and populations affected disproportionally by events. She is a consultant to refugee-led organizations, community providers who work with displaced populations, and persons who have experienced extreme violence.
Dr. Schacht serves as a Dissertation Chair and Instructor in the International Psychology Ph.D. Program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is a Subject Matter Expert in Mental Health Care and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings and in Global Mental Health. As an Expert, her role is to develop PhD level elective courses to meet University Quality Standards.