Directors
Dr. David Hansen received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi in 1985. Dr. Hansen is Director of Clinical Training and Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in the State of Nebraska. Prior to coming to UNL in 1992, Dr. Hansen was a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, where he directed a clinical research and treatment program for physically abusive and neglectful families. At UNL, Dr. Hansen co-directs the Family Interaction Skills Clinic and directs Project SAFE (a clinical research and treatment program for sexually abused children and their families) through the Psychological Consultation Center.
Dr. Hansen has published extensively on maltreatment, clinical assessment and intervention, child and adolescent social competence and adjustment, among other topics. He has published more than 120 articles and chapters, and two edited books. Dr. Hansen recently served as the Senior Editor of Education and Treatment of Children and Associate Editor for the Behavior Therapist. He also serves on the Editorial Boards of Aggression and Violent Behavior, Clinical Case Studies, and Journal of Family Violence. Dr. Hansen is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. See Dr. Hansen's vita here.
Dr. Mary Fran Flood, received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1998 and is licensed to practice in Nebraska. For 12 years, Dr. Flood was a pediatric psychologist at the Lincoln Family Medicine Residency program where she provided assessment and intervention for young children and taught family medicine residents.
Dr. Flood was Director of the UNL Psychological Consultation Center (PCC) from 1999 until 2015. Currently, Dr. Flood continues to co-direct the Family Interaction Skills Clinic (FISC) and spends much of her time consulting with the local Early Head Start and Head Start programs about mental health services and program evaluation. Dr. Flood supervises Family Interaction Skills Clinic student clinicians who provide Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation to the programs. She works with student and faculty colleagues on Head Start and Project SAFE research focused on program improvement and child maltreatment prevention. Dr. Flood has extensive experience working with community agencies, including serving as Executive Director of the Youth Service System in Lincoln, Program Director of the Adolescent Parenting Program at Boys Town, and on the Boards of Directors of several community organizations. Dr. Flood's research and clinical interests focus on child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, witnessing family violence), assessment and intervention with young children and their families, and family interaction approaches for children with behavioral or emotional disorders. She has published several research articles and chapters on child protection, school-based services, and ecological and policy issues affecting children and families.
Current Graduate Students
Hannah Coffey, M.A.
Hannah is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln and is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship through the Denver Health Medical Center. Her clinical and research interests revolve around promoting resilience among youth and families, particularly those who have experienced adversity. Hannah also works with Dr. Debra Hope and Trans Collaborations and is interested in the development and implementation of interventions that serve trans and gender diverse youth and adults. She is also interested in the adaptation of evidence-based treatments to best suit the needs of communities and individuals. Hannah graduated from West Virginia University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. During her undergraduate career she was a research assistant in a Parent-Child Interaction Thearpy lab as well as in an implementation science lab. She presented research at several conferences, wrote an undergraduate thesis to be submitted for publication, and assisted in teaching an undergraduate psychology course. Hannah also spent time during her undergraduate career working in a Child Advocacy Center. See Hannah's CV here.
Gina May, M.A., M.L.S.
Gina is a fifth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Gina also participated in the UNL Law-Psychology program and obtained a Master of Legal Studies degree. Gina's clinical and research interests include evidence-based interventions for child and family well-being, bolstering child and family resilience following trauma, and preventing early adversity at the systems-level. In particular, Gina is interested in bridging research, practice, and policy to improve the services and systems that support families, especially underserved children and families. Gina graduated from San Diego State University in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and minors in Spanish and Child & Family Development. During her undergraduate career, Gina worked for the Child and Adolescent Mood Program as well as the Parents and Caregivers in Services lab, completed an honors thesis, and volunteered in a variety of service settings with children and families. Following graduation, Gina worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at the University of California, San Diego. See Gina’s CV here.
Brittany Erskine, M.A.
Brittany is a fourth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her clinical and research interests include examining the role of caregiver-child relationships in mitigating the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on child development and mental health. She is particularly interested in how strengthening these relationships can promote resilience and improve mental health outcomes for children and adolescents. Her interests also include accessible prevention and intervention strategies for youth facing adversity, with a focus on child maltreatment, parental incarceration, and justice-involved youth. Brittany graduated from Western Michigan University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. During her undergraduate career she was a research assistant in a child injury and maltreatment prevention lab and held a job where she provided patient care in an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting. Following graduation, she was the lead neuropathology research assistant for the Office of the Medical Examiner at Western Michigan University School of Medicine. See Brittany's CV here.
Melanie Willis, M.A.
Melanie is a fourth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her clinical and research interests include examining how psychosocial strengths and positive childhood experiences can buffer childhood adversity, specifically child sexual abuse and maltreatment. She is also interested in the emotional consequences of COVID-19 on youth and emerging adults. Melanie graduated from the University of Iowa in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation and in 2019 with a Master of Science in Health and Human Physiology and Child Life. Melanie worked as a Certified Child Life Specialist in the Emergency Department at Children's Hospital Colorado from 2019 to 2021 before returning to complete her doctoral training at UNL. She is a member of the Bullying Research and Victim Empowerment Lab with Dr. Susan Swearer through the School Psychology program and leads efforts for intervention research with children who are bullying others. She also co-founded the Pediatric School Psychology Interest Group at UNL and is involved in spreading awareness of pediatric psychology through the Society of Pediatric Psychology.
Previous Graduate Students
Catch up with the current accomplishments of those who have graduated from the Child Maltreatment Lab at UNL.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
See a description of what it's like to be a Research Assistant in the Child Maltreatment Lab, and get to know a little bit about our hard-working and dedicated RA's.