Media Advisory: Experts Available to Talk About Psychology Related to School Shootings

Psychologists can offer insight into dealing with grief, trauma and shooters’ motives

What

Psychologists with expertise in what motivates mass shooters and how to help children and parents deal with trauma and grief are available to speak with journalists in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting.

Who

Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD
Atlanta, GA


Expertise: Professor and chief psychologist, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, she can speak about child mental health, assessment and treatment of childhood depression, suicide in youth and adults, family violence, including child maltreatment and domestic violence.

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD
Cranbury, NJ


Expertise: A parenting expert focusing on children’s feelings and friendships, she can talk about stress, anxiety, worries, child development, social skills, coping skills, emotional intelligence; children’s fears, children’s anger, and talking with children about difficult or scary topics.

J. William Worden, PhD
Director, Harvard Child Bereavement Study, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital


Expertise: Grief counseling, assessment and treatment of bereaved children.

Robin H. Gurwitch, PhD
Center for Child and Family Health
Durham, NC 27701


Expertise: Gurwitch is a professor and program coordinator of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She has worked with numerous national organizations, including APA and the American Red Cross, on information and materials to assist parents and other caregivers help children deal with traumatic events.

Elaine Ducharme, PhD
South Glastonbury, CT


Expertise: Clinical psychologist in private practice, licensed in Connecticut and Florida. She specializes in treating victims of trauma and is often called upon to provide expert testimony to the courts on issues related to trauma.

Laura Barbanel, EdD
Brooklyn, NY


Expertise: Trauma, violence, school psychology, school violence, child development. A private practitioner, she has been active in the counseling in the aftermath of September 11 in New York City, and has trained others to do trauma work.

Daniel Davis, PhD
Columbus, OH


Expertise: A forensic psychologist in private practice, Davis can speak about violence and aggression in children and adolescents; anger and behavioral issues in children and adolescents; and the psychological aftermath of violence and traumatic incidents as well as risk and threat assessment in shooters.

Joel Dvoskin, PhD
Tucson, AZ


Expertise: A clinical psychologist, Dvoskin can talk about how to recognize danger signs before shootings, as well as how to talk to children about tragedy. He is author of numerous articles and chapters in professional journals and texts, including a number of articles that deal with treatment of people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Peter Langman, PhD
Allentown, PA


Expertise: Clinical director of KidsPeace, as well as an author/lecturer, Langman can talk about the psychology of rampaging school shooters; potential school shooters and warning signs; and prevention of rampage attacks.

J. O’Callaghan, PhD
Bethel, CT


Expertise: Family psychologist and school consultant; his “School-Based Collaboration with Families” model is used in many Connecticut public school systems to prevent violence.

Frank Farley, PhD
Wyncote, PA


Expertise: Temple University psychologist Farley can talk about risk-taking; thrill-seeking; heroism; personality and motivation. Farley was president of APA in 1993.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.