Lara Gerassi

Lara B. Gerassi’s (she/her) research aims to inform policies and programs that enhance the well-being of people who provide sexual acts or materials for financial compensation. Her work centers the perspectives of people in the sex trades including (but not limited to) sex trafficking survivors, sex workers, and those who do not identify with any one term or label.

Dr. Gerassi’s research consists of two interconnected lines. One line aims to understand the characteristics, contexts, and conditions of people in the sex trades. She uses community-driven study designs to develop, adapt, test, and use methodologically rigorous survey measures to ultimately uncover people’s nuanced experiences of the sex trades. A current project, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, aims to expand this line of work on a national level. A second line aims to identify actionable strategies to strengthen social and healthcare services for people in the sex trades. Collectively, her research aims to improve anti-oppressive policies and inclusive practices for diverse, often minoritized, people who trade sex under diverse circumstances.

Dr. Gerassi’s first-authored book,  Sex Trafficking & Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Prevention, Advocacy, and Trauma-Informed Practice (2017), is the first comprehensive text to critically analyze the current research and best practices for social workers working with children, adolescents, and adults who are at risk of sex trafficking. Her publications are available here.

Dr. Gerassi’s pedagogical and mentoring approach is strongly informed by a critical, intersectional lens, which is essential to dismantling systems of oppression and advancing social justice. She teaches multiple courses including Sex Trading and Sex Trafficking and Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups. Her research and teaching are informed by social work practice experience (LCSW), primarily with survivors of violence.