Ph.D., Columbia University, Clinical Psychology
M.A., Tel Aviv University, Vocational Counseling Psychology
B.S., (Hons) University College London, Psychology

• Fellow, American Psychoanalytic Association, 2000-2001

Trauma - Resilience - Parenting - Children's Healthy Development

FSoS 1201: Human Development course
CPsy 4311: Behavioral and Emotional Problems of Children
CPsy 8360: Clinical Interventions for Children
Capy5672:  Impact of Domestic Violence on Children’s Development

Abi’s primary interests are in trauma, resilience, and promoting children’s healthy development, with two distinct but interrelated research foci:

(1) The impact of exposure to cumulative traumatic stressors (violence and homelessness) on parenting and child functioning.

(2) The development and implementation of evidence-based, family-focused interventions in community settings, using community-based participatory methods.

Abi is Principal Investigator and Project Director of the Minnesota Child Response Center, a Community Treatment and Services Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (funded by SAMHSA), whose goal is to raise the standard of care, and to increase access to care by adapting and disseminating best practices for traumatized homeless and formerly homeless children and families.  She is also Co-Investigator on an NIMH-funded grant (Gerald August, Ph.D., PI) to assess the Early Risers intervention as a tailored, selective prevention delivery system for formerly homeless children in supportive housing.

All research and discovery is with community partners, including domestic violence, mental health, and supportive housing agencies throughout the Twin Cities, as well as the Minneapolis Public Schools, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the State of Minnesota Dept of Human Services’ Division of Children’s Mental Health. 

• Interdisciplinary Steering Committee for a Prevention Science Minor
• Advisory Committee, Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate, Center for Early Education and Development
• Board Member of the Talmud Torah of St. Paul (2004-2007)

Gewirtz, A.H., & August, G.J. (2008). Incorporating multi-faceted mental health prevention services in community sectors-of-care. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review.

Gewirtz, A.H., Forgatch, M., & Wieling, L. (2008). Parenting practices as potential mechanisms for child adjustment following mass trauma. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 2, 177-192. 

Gewirtz, A.H., Hart-Shegos, E., & Medhanie, A. (2008). Psychosocial status of children and youth in supportive housing. American Behavioral Scientist, 51, 6, 810-823. 

Gewirtz, A.H., & Medhanie, A. (in press). Risks to children’s adjustment in the aftermath of an incident of domestic violence. Journal of Emotional Abuse. 

Gewirtz, A.H. (2007). Promoting children’s mental health in family supportive housing: a community-university partnership for formerly homeless children and families. Journal of Primary Prevention, 28, 3-4, 359-374.

Gewirtz, A., & Edleson, J. (2007). Young children’s exposure to adult domestic violence: Towards a developmental risk and resilience framework for research and intervention. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 3, 151-163.

Gewirtz, A., Harris, D., & Avendano, M.J. (2006). Improving access to care for traumatized children: Law enforcement-mental health collaborations for child witnesses to violence. CURA Reporter, 36, 2, 28-34.

Gewirtz, A., Miller, H., Weidner, R., & Zehm, K.* (2006). Domestic violence cases involving children: effects of an evidence-based prosecution approach. Violence and Victims, 21, 2, 213-229.

Gewirtz, A., and Gossart-Walker, S.G. (2000). Home-based treatment with HIV/AIDS-affected children and families: Dealing with disclosure, loss, stigma and secrecy. Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 9(2), 313–330.

Leon, G., Masten, A., Frazier, P., Gewirtz, A., Hubbard, J., Najarian, L., Noy, S., Mortensen, H. (2003). World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine: Psychosocial task force – Alert and Impact. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 18, 2, 41-42.

Perry, C., Lee, S., Stigler, M., Farbakhsh, K., Komro, K., Gewirtz, A., Williams, C. (2007). The impact of Project Northland on selected problem behaviors measured by the MMPI-A. Journal of Primary Prevention.

Chapters
Gewirtz, A. (in press). Prevention Programs. In: Jeffrey Edleson & Claire Renzetti, (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Family Violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Gewirtz, A., & Menakem, R. (2004). Working with young children and their families: recommendations for domestic violence agencies and batterer intervention programs. In, S. Schecter, (Ed.). Domestic Violence, Poverty and Young Children, David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Available at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~socialwk/publications.html

Groves, B., & Gewirtz, A. (2006). Interventions and promising approaches for children exposed to domestic violence. In, M. Feerick & G. Silverman (Eds.) Children Exposed to Domestic Violence, Baltimore, MD.: Brookes Publishing.

Masten, A., & Gewirtz, A. (2006). Vulnerability and Resilience. In, Deborah Philips & Kathleen McCartney, (Eds.). Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development, Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing.

Masten, A. S., & Gewirtz, A. H. (2006).  Resilience in development: The importance of early childhood. In Tremblay, R. E., Barr, R. G., Peters, R. DeV., eds. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development (online). Montreal, Quebec: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development; 2006: 1-6.