I am an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program. I conduct research focused on trauma, healing, and resilience in violence-exposed populations. I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology (child/adolescent concentration) from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2022. I completed my pre-doctoral clinical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina (child track).
My research interests are broadly focused on preventing violence and enhancing the inherent strengths of teens. My research primarily focuses on African American and Hispanic/Latino/a adolescents living in urban, economically disadvantaged communities. Understanding how risk and protective factors differentially influence youth can move the field forward by informing the development and enhancement of intervention and prevention efforts that bolster the resilience of youth of color and promote their positive development. During my doctoral studies, I completed a two-year fellowship award (NRSA F31) from NICHD, which funded my dissertation study and advanced training in prevention science, developmental science, and longitudinal structural equation modeling.
Although my primary focus is research, I have gained unique insight and developed new research questions as a result of my experiences treating children, adolescents, and their families. I have worked in a variety of settings, including community- and hospital-based child outpatient clinics, specialty clinics (e.g., ADHD Clinic at VCU; National Crime Victims Center at MUSC), integrated pediatric primary care, and a maximum security juvenile correctional facility. I enjoy working with teens with externalizing behavior problems, particularly those with comorbidities such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and ADHD. Although many clinicians find this patient population challenging to treat, I strongly believe that these youth are often misunderstood or mislabeled as “bad” when their behaviors are often a normal response to abnormal circumstances (for example, a child may develop beliefs supporting aggression after being the victim of bullying). I always take a strengths-based approach with my clients and in my research because I believe that an individual’s strengths and positive attributes are just important as the concerns that led them to treatment.
Outside of psychology, I have several hobbies I enjoy. I am an active person and enjoy hiking, running, and strength training. My creative outlets include photography, cooking, and crafting. I have always had a passion for music. I am a classically trained vocalist, but I see live music more than I sing these days! I hope to learn to play electric guitar by 2024. I also hope to travel more internationally in the future, such as to Italy, Greece, New Zealand, and Portugal. I live with my wonderful husband and my cats, Stuart and Fred.
Kelly E. O'Connor, Ph.D. 