Department of Counseling, Clinical & School Psychology

Personal Website

Office Number:
  Education 2115

Phone Number:
  (805) 893-2133

E-mail:
  education.ucsb.edu mkiakeating

Maryam Kia-Keating

Assistant Professor, Ph.D. (Boston University)

Emphasis:
Clinical Psychology

Research Interests:
Developmental psychopathology; Empirically support treatments; Risk and protective factors; Resilience; Culture and acculturation; Immigrant and refugee youth; Exposure to violence and trauma; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Stress and coping; School-based mental health programs; Community participatory research; School, family, and community partnerships

Biography:
I received my Ph.D. from Boston University in Clinical Psychology and an Ed.M. from Harvard University in Risk and Prevention for School Aged Children and Adolescents. My undergraduate education took place at Dartmouth College, where I majored in Psychology, minored in English and received a certificate in Women’s Studies. I completed both my predoctoral clinical internship and postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego.

My academic interests span across a number of areas: developmental psychopathology, mental health prevention for youth, resiliency, and school-based interventions. My research is focused on identifying key ecological factors and processes, elucidating the mechanisms by which these factors influence the development of psychopathology, and ultimately, informing the development of novel and efficacious prevention and treatment strategies. I have a particular interest in examining the role of culture on psychosocial functioning throughout development. My research examines the impact of stressful events and adversity on developmental trajectories, among a variety of diverse populations and contexts. Specifically, I am interested in those groups who have experienced high levels of exposure to adversities and traumatic experiences during childhood and/or adolescence, including childhood sexual abuse survivors, and refugee and immigrant youth who have been exposed to war violence and other adversities. My research aim is to better identify the factors and processes that explain both risk and resilience in the face of these high-risk environments. My investigations of novel intervention approaches for youth include examining the effectiveness of school-based prevention for alcohol use, and school- and community-based participatory photography for refugee and immigrant youth.

Recent Publications:
Sorsoli, L., Kia-Keating, M., & Grossman, F. K. I keep that hush-hush: Male survivors of sexual abuse and the challenges of disclosure. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(3), 333-345. 2008. [Refereed Journal Article]

Ellis, B. H., Kia-Keating, M., Yusuf, S., Lincoln, A., & Nur, A. Ethical research in refugee communities and the use of community participatory methods. Transcultural Psychiatry, 44(3), 459-481. 2007. [Refereed Journal Article]

Kia-Keating, M. & Ellis, B. H. Belonging and connection to school in resettlement: Young refugees, school belonging, and psychosocial adjustment. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 12(1), 29-43. 2007. [Refereed Journal Article]

Grossman, F. K., Sorsoli, L., & Kia-Keating, M. A gale force wind: Meaning making by male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 434-444. 2006. [Refereed Journal Article]

Kia-Keating, M., Grossman, F. K., Sorsoli, L., & Epstein, M. Containing and resisting masculinity: Narratives of renegotiation among resilient male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 6, 169-185. 2005. [Refereed Journal Article]

Awards and Honors:
Jeffrey S. Tanaka Memorial Dissertation Award in Psychology, American Psychological Association Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, 2006

Affiliations:
American Psychological Association
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Society for Research on Adolescence