Elaine Szeto

PhD Student; LCSW

Portland State University, School of Social Work

Elaine Yi Lam Szeto (she/they) spent her decade-long social work career at VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) in a variety of areas, including homeless care, suicide prevention, substance use treatment, gender affirming care, and health systems research. She was part of a national team that completed a Congressionally Mandated Report in 2023, which advises US Congress on the feasibility and advisability of expanding the current VA Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program to include sexual assault support services nationwide. Elaine is currently a second-year PhD student at Portland State University School of Social Work. She is passionate about supporting emerging and early career social workers in making meaning of their transformative practice experiences. Trained in Expressive Arts Therapy and Clinical Hypnosis, she is motivated to help people nurture their innate vitality through metaphoric expression and symbolic understanding. Elaine was raised in Hong Kong and is bilingual in Cantonese and English.