Christina Alex is a writer, speaker and licensed master-level social worker (LMSW) who began her career as a journalist at award-winning newspaper, Main Line Life, outside Philadelphia. Her piece about a family who launched an AIDS charity to honor their late son earned her a second place Keystone Press Award.
After covering a high-profile domestic violence case, she volunteered at a court program and family shelter. This solidified her desire to gain hands-on experience with families to inform her writing. Entering Columbia University School of Social Work, she helped HIV-positive mothers develop guardianship plans at the HIV Law Project. The following year, she interned at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Office of Domestic Violence Policy and Planning. Analyzing the high overlap of domestic violence and child abuse in families served by the agency, she argued against the policy of removing children from battered mothers in Social Work Perspectives. When a landmark court ruling prompted ACS to alter its policy, she was inspired to work in government toward systemic change. Earning her master’s degree in social work and her license to practice in the state of New York (LMSW), Christina landed her dream job at Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s new Office to Combat Domestic Violence in 2002. She focused on educating children and teenagers to build good relationship skills. Investigating 80 violence prevention curricula, she recommended five research-based programs to Department of Education staff and organized a training for school counselors. Promoted to Director of Prevention Programs and Research, she played the lead role in designing and supervising a successful peer leadership program. Over 700 at-risk teenagers learned about healthy relationships during her tenure, and evaluations showed significant increases in knowledge from pre-test to post-test. The program still exists as the NYC Healthy Relationship Training Academy. After training teen peer leaders and youth staff on domestic violence and healthy relationships, Christina recently led 10-session reproductive health groups for teens at La Asociacion Benefica Cultural Padre Billini in Queens. Their post-tests showed a vast increase in knowledge and understanding of sexual health rights and resources, and pregnancy prevention methods. She then brought her expertise to foreign-born medical residents at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center to assist them in providing better care for teen patients struggling with dating violence, sexual assault and STIs/HIV. Over 80% of the residents said they would change their practice after the sessions. In November, her longtime wish that violence prevention efforts begin in middle school was fulfilled when she became Director of Start Strong Bronx. The $1 million Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative aims to promote healthy relationships and prevent dating violence. Christina’s social work experience inspired her young adult novel, plays and articles. She majored in English at Haverford College with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Education. She lives in New York City.
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