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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
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.
Her most recent research showed that children from low-income families 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 potentially 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 at-risk children and families.
Dr. Whitson’s research shows that children’s mental health services need to focus on not only the child who presents for services but also on the child’s parents and caregivers, as their stress levels will impact treatment outcomes for the child. These findings were published in a 2017 article in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
She also explored "Parenting Stress as a Mediator of Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events and Behavioral Health Outcomes in Children and Youth" in a piece in the Journal of Trauma and Treatment, and her work has been published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.
Her current research examines afterschool programs and summer camps for children and youth to measure and increase the effectiveness of the programs, including the NASA-funded iMEET STEM summer camps for disadvantaged youth. She is collaborating with University of New Haven engineering Professor Maria-Isabel Carnasciali on National Science Foundation-funded research titled "Impacts of Prior Work Experience on Adult, Nontraditional, Engineering Students."
An expert on the impact of violence and the ways people can heal following traumatic events, Dr. Whitson has appeared on NPR’s Colin McEnroe show to talk about how violence in public places shapes America’s psyche, and she spoke to the New Haven Register about how people can process a traumatic public event and begin to heal.
Dr. Whitson, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, is the coordinator for the University’s master’s degree programs in community psychology and clinical mental health counseling. She is an assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine and a licensed community-counseling psychologist. She and her dog, Fenway, are a Certified Animal-Assisted Therapy team. Fenway is a fixture on the University of New Haven campus during exam periods, as he and Dr. Whitson help students relieve stress.
Dr. Whitson did her Postdoctoral Fellowship in community psychology at Yale University, received her Ph.D. from Columbia University, her M.S. from California State University, Los Angeles, and her B.A. from Lafayette College, where she was a member of the women's basketball team and where she completed an honors thesis on detecting deception.
A recipient of the University’s 2018 Excellence in Faculty Research Award, she also won the National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.
She is active in the community as the vice president of the board for ‘rKids Family Center and an evaluation consultant for several nonprofit organizations in New Haven. An avid Red Sox and Duke Basketball fan, she enjoys running, basketball, music, cooking with her husband, and playing with her daughter, Ramona
Whitson, M.L. & Kaufman, J.S. (2017). Parenting stress as a mediator of trauma exposure and mental health outcomes in young children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(5), 531-539.
Champine, R.B, Whitson, M.L., & Kaufman, J.S. (2018). Service characteristics, family involvement and participant outcomes in an early childhood system of care. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(1), 324-338.
Kaufman, J.S., Whitson, M.L., & Crusto, C.A. (2016). Parenting stress as a mediator of exposure to potentially traumatic events and behavioral health outcomes in children and youth. Journal of Trauma and Treatment, 5, 2.
Whitson, M.L. & Connell, C.M. (2016). The Relation of Exposure to Traumatic Events and Longitudinal Mental Health Outcomes for Children Enrolled in Systems of Care: Results from a National System of Care Evaluation. American Journal of Community Psychology, 57, 380-390. DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12058
Whitson, M.L. , Bernard, S., & Kaufman, J.S. (2015). The Mediating Role of Parenting Stress for Children Exposed to Trauma: Results from a School-Based System of Care. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 1141-1151. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-014-9922-7
Bernard, S., Whitson, M.L., & Kaufman, J.S. (2015). The Moderating Effect of Positive Father Engagement and Accessibility on a School-based System of Care Intervention for Mental Health Outcomes of Children.Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(10), 2923-2933. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-014-0096-0
Weston, R.M. & Whitson, M.L. (2014).The advisor-advisee relationship in graduate Community Psychology programs. The Community Psychologist, 47, 34-35.
Whitson, M. L. Bernard, S., & Kaufman, J. S. (2013). The effects of cumulative risk and protection on problem behaviors for impoverished youth of color in a school-based system of care. Community Mental Health Journal, 49, 576-586.
Crusto, C.A., Whitson, M.L ., Feinn, R., Gargiulo, J., Holt, C., Paulicin, B., Simmons, W., & Lowell, D.I. (2013). Evaluation of a Mental Health Consultation Intervention in Preschool Settings. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, 9, 1-21.
Whitson, M.L. , Connell, C.M., Bernard, S., & Kaufman, J.S. (2012). An examination of exposure to traumatic events and symptoms and strengths for children served in a behavioral health system of care. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 20(3), 193-207. DOI: 10.1177/1063426610380596
Whitson, M.L., Martinez, A., Ayala, C., & Kaufman, J.S. (2011). Predictors of parenting and infant outcomes for impoverished teen parents. Journal of Family Social Work, 14, 284-297.
Crusto, C.A., Whitson, M.L., Walling, S. N., Feinn, R., Friedman, S., Reynolds, J., Amer, M., & Kaufman, J. S. (2010). Posttraumatic stress among young urban children exposed to family violence and other potentially traumatic events. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23.
Whitson, M.L., Bernard, S., Connell, C.M., & Kaufman, J.S. (2010). The Impact of youth and family risk factors on services recommendation and delivery in a school-based system of care. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. PMID: 20165927
Whitson, M.L., Bernard, S., & Kaufman, J.S. (2009). Systems of care and the prevention of mental health problems for children and their families: Integrating counseling psychology and public health perspectives. Prevention in Counseling Psychology: Theory, Research, Practice and Training, 3, 3-9.
Whitson, M.L. & Kaufman, J.S. Evaluation of Central High School's "Leadership Group." New Haven, CT: The Consultation Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 2009.
Kaufman, J.S., Griffin, A., & Whitson, M.L. PARK Project: Wrap-Around Evaluation Report. New Haven, CT: The Consultation Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 2009.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on the importance of studying the effects of the pandemic on front line workers in years to come.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, talks about being proactive in reporting threatening behavior to authorities.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, talks about the reasons couples may be reluctant to start a family.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on focusing on activities that you can control.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on children missing out on peer negotiation, problem solving and general social skills while schools are still closed.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments that it is helpful to know you are not alone when feeling stress and anxiety.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, talks about the mental health impact of the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and some ways to lessen symptoms.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on changes this holiday season due to the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on having the right tools in mind to have an effective conversation about race.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on how television shows may see the fight against COVID-19 differently and may actually be calming.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on some techniques to stay grounded.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on why millennials are choosing not to buy diamond engagement rings.
Michael Urban, senior lecturer, director of the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program, and Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comment on how to safely trick or treat with children.
Melissa Whitson, assistant professor of psychology, discusses the impact of the pandemic on mental health.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on different strategies to relieve work from home stress.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments that the Ford Motor Co. campaign is a positive step for families and the community to take care of each other.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, talks about how mental health is just as important as physical health during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, professor of psychology, comments on the emotional and mental health effects from the pandemic for years to come.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on the how the tropical storm power outages have added stress to the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, assistant professor of psychology, comments on what people can do to help when a natural disaster occurs during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on how couples need to feel connected during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on the added pressures of working from home.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on the stress of making decisions for multiple generations during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on reasons why a positive test result may make people afraid.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on how to cope with anxiety during the pandemic.’
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on coping mechanisms amid the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, answers questions on helping children during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, discusses how local leaders can help their community during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on how healthcare workers can be overwhelmed during the pandemic.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, discusses the impact the pandemic is taking on mental health.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on knowing an end date to the pandemic will lessen anxiety.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on the anxiety and stress from the quarantine.
Melissa Whitson, associate professor of psychology, comments on the psychological harm of the lockdown.
At the University of New Haven, assistant professor of psychology Melissa Whitson and her small, white pooch Fenway are making themselves available to students three days during finals, starting Thursday.
The only sound in the University of New Haven library right now is a collar jingling when a small white dog named Fenway goes to work.
When an event is covered nonstop, every time you see it it can be traumatizing all over again, Whitson said.
The Boston Marathon bombing sent me back to Don DiLillo's novel 'Underworld', in which he describes the experience of watching a shooting be replayed frequently on the news.
Even for those not directly affected by these events, watching these events in a brief span of time takes a toll on the psyche, according to area mental health experts.