Degrees:
Ph.D., Boston College
M.A., Boston College
B.A., College of the Holy Cross
Trained in developmental and counseling psychology, my work is at the intersection of optimal development, learning, and mental health. I teach, counsel, mentor, and coach teens and young adults, and provide consultation and training to parents, educators, physicians and athletic coaches. As a school mental health consultant, I've provided trauma-informed interventions in classrooms and with athletic programs. As a professor, I teach a mix of developmental, clinical, and health psychology courses covering typical and atypical development, the impact of early experience on nervous system development, relationships, and mental health, and practices to support well-being and peak performance.
I've been an athletic coach at the rec, high school, and college level and love being a coach at Trin.
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PSYC-219 Science and Practice of Well-Being
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PSYC-240 Parenting, Mental Health and Relationships
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PSYC-339 Developmental Psychopathology
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PSYC-236 Adolescent Development
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PSYC-295 Child Development
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PSYC-395 Seminar in Social and Cognitive Development
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PSYC-219
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Science and Practice of Well-Being
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Wellness interventions for college students
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Attachment-based interventions in education
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Impact of trauma on learning and behavior
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Publications:
- Averna, S. (2021). Witness and Wonder: Resourcing the educator
- Schuckit, M.A., Windle, M., Smith, T.L., Hesselbrock, V., Ohannessian, C., Averna, S., Bauer, L., Kramer, J., Bucholz, K., & Sher, K. J. (2006). "Searching for the full Picture: Structural Equation Modeling in Alcohol Research." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 30(2) 194-202
- Averna, S. & Hesselbrock, V. (2001). "The relationship of perceived social support to substance use in offspring of alcoholics." Addictive Behaviors, 26, 363-374.
- Mohr, C., Averna, S., Kenny, D., & Del Boca, F. (2001). "Getting by or getting high with a little help from my friends: An examination of alcoholics’ friendships." Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62(5), 637-645.
Presentations:
- Averna, S. (2020).The Science and Practice of Well-Being: Effectiveness of a college course designed to increase student well-being. Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
- Averna, S. (2017). Self-Compassion, Well-Being and Academic Success. Invited talk at University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT.
- Averna, S. (2017). Optimize Performance and Well-Being. Invited talk at the UConn Medical School, Farmington, CT.
- Averna, S. (2017) Raising the BAR: Belonging, Acceptance, Resilience. Invited talk by the Center for Teaching and Learning at Trinity College, Hartford, CT.
- Averna, S. (2016) Self-Care and Self-Compassion: Surviving medical school and becoming successful physicians. Invited talk at the UConn Medical School, Farmington, CT.
- Averna, S. (2013) Disorganized Attachment. Invited lecture at the UConn Medical School Psychiatry Fellow's Conference.
- Averna, S. & Hesselbrock, V. "Conduct Problems as a predictor of Substance Use: A Longitudinal Study." Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting, San Francisco, June 2002.
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- Boston College Donald J. White Award for Teaching Excellence, 1999
- Boston College Summer Dissertation Grant Award, 1998
- Phi Beta Kappa, 1992
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