Education
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Community Psychology, Yale University
Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, Columbia University
M.S., Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles
B.A., Psychology, with Honors, Lafayette College
About Melissa
Melissa Whitson is an expert in childhood trauma who examines the risks, protective factors, and effectiveness of mental health services for low-income children and families. She is also an evaluation expert, as she guides and assists several program evaluations for youth-servicing non-profit organizations in the greater New Haven area.
Her research has identified risk and protective factors for low-income and marginalized children and families, who often have a disproportionate number of unmet mental health needs because of lack of availability, lack of insurance, and/or stigma. Dr. Whitson closely studies children who have been exposed to adverse experiences and traumatic events and examines how mental health services have impacted them and their families. Her research aims to increase the effectiveness of the services and to improve the mental health and well-being of these children and families. Dr. Whitsons research shows that childrens mental health services need to focus on not only the child who presents for services but also on the childs parents and caregivers, as their stress levels will impact treatment outcomes for the child.
Published Books and Articles
- Whitson, M.L., Champine, R., Griffin, A., Corto-Mergins, C., Lusa, J., Jaffe, J., Hemmelgarn, A., Bryden, E., Clark, K., Kaufman, J. S. (2020). Impact of Integrated EMDR for Children and Youth Exposed to Potentially Traumatic Events: The Village Collaborative Trauma Center. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 14(4), 1-10.
- Whitson, M.L., Robinson, S., Van Valkenburg, K., & Jackson, M. (2019). Music Haven: Evaluation of an afterschool music program serving low-income urban youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(2), 426-436.
- Champine, R., Schreier, A., Whitson, M.L., & Kaufman, J. S. (2020). Comparing youth and caregiver experiences in a school-based system of care. Journal of Family Social Work, 23(1), 35-52.
- Matlin, S.L., Champine, R.B., Strambler, M.J., OBrien, C., Hoffman, E., Whitson, M., Kolka, L., & Tebes, J.K. (2019). A communitys response to adverse childhood experiences: Building a resilient, trauma-informed community. American Journal of Community Psychology, 64, 451-466.
Grants
- NASA Innovative Mars Exploration Education and Technology (IMEET), 09/16 – 09/19
- Melissa L. Whitson & Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Evaluation Team; $100,000
- National Science Foundation, Collaborative Research: Impacts of Prior Work Experience
on Adult, Nontraditional, Engineering Students 05/14 - 05/17
- Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Shannon Ciston, Melissa L. Whitson (Co-PI). $292,000
- Society for Community Research and Action (APA) Community Mini-Grant 08/15 – 08/16
- Music Haven Program Evaluation; Melissa L. Whitson, Principal Investigator; $1,200
- Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Grant University of New Haven, 2011-2016
Awards
- Excellence in Research Faculty Award University of New Haven, 2018
- Student Athlete Advisory Committee Faculty Mentor Award University of New Haven, 2014
- National Research Service Award (postdoctoral), August 2008-July 2010
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
- President's Grant for Student Research in Diversity, 2005
- Teachers College Committee for Community and Diversity; Awarded for Dissertation Research.
- Herbert W. Rogers Psychology Prize, 1998
- Lafayette College; Awarded to the outstanding graduating student in psychology.