Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a faculty member in the Duke University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Child and Family Health, is a recognized expert in understanding and supporting children in the aftermath of trauma and disasters. She received her doctorate in Clinical/Medical Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, completed her internship in Pediatric Psychology at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago and completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Dr. Gurwitch has focused much of her clinical work, training and research on improving the outcomes and increasing resilience in children who have experienced trauma or crisis events, including terrorism, natural disasters and stressors related to military deployment. She has served on state and national committees and task forces including the National Commission on Children and Disasters Subcommittee on Human Services Recovery and served as a subject-matter expert in the area of at-risk populations for the Disaster Mental Health Subcommittee of the National Bio-Defense Science Board for the Pediatric Preparedness and Response in Public Health Emergencies and Disasters for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (DHHS/ASPR). She is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Disaster Response Network and provides expertise on children and disasters/terrorism for the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She was recently appointed to the HHS National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters.
A prolific writer and educator, Dr. Gurwitch has co-authored book chapters, scientific journal articles and public education materials on the topics of trauma, resilience, psychological first aid, terrorism, disasters and preparedness. She authored a trauma treatment manual for use following disasters for children and adolescents. Dr. Gurwitch regularly presents on topics related to her specialty area at regional, national and international conferences. An active volunteer of the American Red Cross, she worked with the American Red Cross to develop materials related to terrorism and disaster for use in disaster mental health training courses and for use in schools.
A caring clinician, Dr. Gurwitch has been involved in direct care following national and international disasters. She has been an active member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network since it began in 2001.
Parent-child interaction therapy
Read Full TextChild-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE): An evidence-informed program for children with a history of trauma and other behavioral challenges.
Factors Affecting the Completion of Trauma-Focused Treatments: What Can Make a Difference?
Read Full TextA combined motivation and parent-child interaction therapy package reduces child welfare recidivism in a randomized dismantling field trial.
Schools in the shadow of terrorism: Psychosocial adjustment and interest in interventions following terror attacks
Read Full TextA motivational intervention can improve retention in PCIT for low-motivation child welfare clients.
Addressing Disaster Mental Health Needs of Children: Practical Guidance for Pediatric Emergency Health Care Providers
Read Full TextEffect of parents' deployment on young children: findings that are long overdue.
Trauma, grief and depression in Nairobi children after the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy.
Neurodevelopmental delays in children with deformational plagiocephaly.
Training foster parents in parent-child interaction therapy
Read Full TextTeachers in the aftermath of terrorism: a case study of one New York City school.
Teachers' psychological reactions 7 weeks after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Psychological issues associated with terrorism: a guide for physicians.
Case finding and mental health services for children in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing.
Posttraumatic stress and functional impairment in Kenyan children following the 1998 American Embassy bombing.
Exposure and peritraumatic response as predictors of posttraumatic stress in children following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Reactions and Guidelines for Children Following Trauma/Disaster
Read Full TextThe impact of terrorism on children: Considerations for a new era
Read Full TextNeurodevelopment in children with single-suture craniosynostosis and plagiocephaly without synostosis.
Neurodevelopment in children with single-suture craniosynostosis and plagiocephaly without synostosis
Read Full TextPosttraumatic stress among young children after the death of a friend or acquaintance in a terrorist bombing.
Posttraumatic stress responses in bereaved children after the Oklahoma City bombing.
Clinical needs assessment of middle and high school students following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
The role of exposure in posttraumatic stress in youths following the 1995 bombing.
Authors' Response to Lutzker's Evaluation
Read Full TextAssessment of a new procedure to prevent timeout escape in preschoolers: Authors' response to Lutzker's Rejoinder
Read Full TextAssessment of a New Procedure to Prevent Timeout Escape in Preschoolers
Read Full TextImpact of a summer camp experience on daily activity and family interactions among children with cancer
Read Full TextImpact of a summer camp experience on daily activity and family interactions among children with cancer.
Assessing pathological detoxification fear among methadone maintenance patients: the DFSS.
Dimensions of interpersonal events: Reward value and information value
Read Full TextPrevalence and diagnostic reliability of methadone maintenance detoxification fear
Family influences on hopelessness among children early in the cancer experience.
