At Home with the Child Experts: The Science of Stress and Coping During COVID-19

This 30-minute informal conversation gives parents and caregivers a chance to ask leading child development experts pressing questions about helping their children cope with stress during the coronavirus pandemic. How can parents best support their children during this time? What sort of behavior changes should parents watch out for? Should parents limit the families’ exposure to news coverage surrounding the pandemic? How can parents take care of themselves so they can act as a healthy role model for their families? Participants will have the option to submit questions in advance or post them in real time during the event.

Meet the Experts:

Brenda Jones Harden, Ph.D., is the Alison Richman Professor for Children and Families, at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She directs the Prevention and Early Adversity Research Laboratory, where she and her research team examine the developmental and mental health needs of young children who have experienced early adversity and toxic stress, particularly those who have been maltreated or have experienced other forms of trauma. A particular focus is preventing maladaptive outcomes in these populations through early childhood programs. She has conducted numerous evaluations of such programs, including early care and education, home visiting services, parenting interventions, and infant mental health programs. Dr. Jones Harden is a scientist-practitioner who uses research to improve the quality and effectiveness of child and family services and to inform child and family policy. She received a PhD in developmental and clinical psychology from Yale University and a Master’s in Social Work from New York University.

Joy D. Osofsky, Ph.D., is a developmental and clinical psychologist, Paul J. Ramsay  Chair of Psychiatry and Barbara Lemann Professor of Child Welfare at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans where she is also Director of the Harris Center for Infant Mental Health Center. Dr. Osofsky has published widely and authored or edited seven books on trauma in the lives of children. She is past president of the World Association for Infant Mental Health and Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families and served as secretary for SRCD. Currently, she is on the Board of Zero to Three and serves as Clinical Consultant on the Leadership team for the Safe Babies Court Team Program. She played a leadership role in the Gulf Region following Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and was Clinical Director for Child and Adolescent Initiatives for Louisiana Spirit following Hurricane Katrina and Co-Principal Investigator for the Mental and Behavioral Capacity Project following the Gulf Oil Spill. She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Center, Terrorism and Disaster Coalition for Child and Family Resilience. In 2007, Dr. Osofsky received the Sarah Haley Award for Clinical Excellence in trauma work from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and in 2010 was recognized with the Reginald Lourie Award for leadership in infant mental health and outstanding contributions to the health and welfare of children and families.

Laura L. Namy, Ph.D. (moderator), is Executive Director of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). Dr. Namy’s responsibilities include overseeing all staff and business operations of the Society, working in partnership with Governing Council, Committees, and Caucuses to further SRCD’s Strategic Goals, and representing SRCD’s interests in science advocacy settings and in collaborations with sister associations and societies. Prior to taking the helm of SRCD in 2017, Dr. Namy spent 19 years on the Faculty of the Psychology Department at Emory University where she ran the Language and Learning Lab. At Emory, she also directed the interdisciplinary Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture, designed and coordinated a joint major in Psychology and Linguistics, directed a Psychology Summer Study Abroad Program, and directed the Graduate Program in Cognition and Development. Dr. Namy’s professional experiences have included serving as an officer of the Cognitive Development Society, Editor of the Journal of Cognition and Development, and most recently, serving for three years as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has been a career-long member of SRCD. Dr. Namy earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University and her B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Indiana University.