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Eric M. Vernberg

Professor
Clinical Child Psychology

Ph.D., 1988, University of Virginia
Research Areas: Clinical Child Psychology

vernberg@ku.edu
VITA

Related Links

Clinical Child Psychology Program

Research Interests

Ph.D., from University of Virginia (1988) and completed internship at Children's Hospital National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

Research Interests: I work from a developmental psychopathology approach to understand how experiences with violence and other traumatic events shape child and adolescent adjustment. Based on this understanding, I design and test interventions to help children maintain (or regain) developmental trajectories for healthy self-regulation and personal competence by reducing exposure to social toxins, strengthening protective factors, and providing empirically-supported psychological interventions. Current research initiatives include:

• Intensive school-based mental health services for children with serious emotional disturbances.
• Violence prevention in public schools, including bully-victim-bystander programs and threat assessment
• Children's recovery from severely traumatic experiences, including terrorism and disasters

Selected Publications

Vernberg, E.M., *Jacobs, A. K., *Nyre, J. E., *Puddy, R. W., & Roberts, M. C. (2004). Innovative treatment for children with serious emotional disturbance: Preliminary outcomes for a school-based intensive mental health program. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33, 359-365.

Vernberg, E.M. (2002). Intervention approaches following disasters. In A. M. La Greca, W. K. Silverman, E. M. Vernberg, & M. C. Roberts (Eds.), Helping children cope with disasters and terrorism (pp. 55-72). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Roberts, M. C., *Jacobs, A. K., *Puddy, R., *Nyre, J. E., & Vernberg, E.M. (2003) Treating children with serious emotional disturbance in schools and the community. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 519-526.

*Jacobs, A. K., *Randall, C. J., Vernberg, E.M., Roberts, M. C., & *Nyre, J. E. (in press). Providing services within a school-based intensive mental health program. In R. G. Steele & M. C. Roberts (Eds.), Handbook of mental health services for children, adolescents, and families. New York: Kluwer.

*Dill E. J., Vernberg, E.M., Fonagy, P., Twemlow, S. W., & *Gamm, B. K. (2004). Negative affect in victimized children: The roles of social withdrawal, peer rejection, and attitudes towards bullying. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32, 159-173..