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.
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
Akemi Mii, M.A.
Akemi 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 University of California, San Francisco Multicultural Training Program. Her clinical and research interests include understanding consequences following experiences of childhood trauma. Specifically, she is particularly interested in prevention and intervention efforts to reduce negative consequences (e.g., engagement in delinquent behavior, juvenile justice involvement) for children and families following exposure to violence. Akemi graduated from Saint Louis University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. During her undergraduate career, she worked as a research assistant in the Child and Family Research Lab as well as the Violence and Traumatic Stress Lab. Following graduation, Akemi worked as a clinical research coordinator at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for two years. See Akemi's CV here.
Hannah Coffey, M.A.
Hannah is a fifth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Her clinical and research interests include examining factors that influence resilience and outcomes following child maltreatment. 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.
Gina is a fourth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her clinical and research interests include evidence-based interventions for child mental health and maltreatment, family prevention and treatment programs, and improving the quality and accessibility of community-based services for 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 time in undergrad, Gina worked for the Child and Adolescent Mood Program as well as the Parents and Caregivers in Services lab. Additionally, she completed an honors thesis and volunteered in a variety of service settings with children and families. Following graduation, Gina worked as a research assistant at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at the University of California, San Diego.
Brittany Erskine, M.A.
Brittany is a third year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her clinical and research interests include examining how adverse childhood experiences impact child development, risk and protective factors for child maltreatment, as well as prevention and intervention for negative outcomes related to the experience of parental incarceration. Brittany graduated from Western Michigan University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. During her undergraduate career she was a research assistant in a Child Injury and Maltreatment Prevention lab and spent three years providing patient care in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Following graduation, she was the lead neuropathology research assistant for the Office of the Medical Examiner at Western Michigan University School of Medicine.
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.