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Background

Elizabeth Mellin (she/her) joined the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership (TLEL) in 2020 as an associate professor. Her scholarly interests broadly focus on school mental health and childhood trauma. 

One of her research areas focuses on school-family-community partnerships to expand school-based mental health programs and services. In this line of research, Mellin's explores the role of collaboration among administrators, teachers, school-employed mental health professionals (e.g., school counselors, school psychologists), community-based therapists, and families for improving a variety of youth mental health outcomes. Based on her expertise in this area, Mellin was awarded a $2.5 million grant from The United States Department of Education focused on building partnerships that expand access to high-quality mental health and other resources for youth and families in geographically isolated, low-resourced communities.

Her research also considers both community and school-based clinical mental health counseling approaches for reducing childhood trauma, with a special commitment to studies focused specifically on adolescent girls and queer youth. In this line of research, Mellin's research seeks to reduce the longer-term relational (e.g., difficulties trusting others, expressing feelings, communicating needs) and mental health impacts (anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and depression) of childhood trauma. 

Mellin’s research, which includes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies, has been published in top tier journals such as the Journal of Counseling & Development and School Mental Health.

Mellin is the co-leader of the prominent national Mental Health Education-Integration Consortium, member of the American Counseling Association & American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor.

Education

• PhD, Ohio University

Research Interests

• Clinical mental health counseling approaches for addressing childhood trauma, especially for adolescent girls and queer youth
• Reducing the longer-term relational and mental health impacts of childhood trauma
• Expanded school-based mental health programs and services

Awards

• Outstanding Graduate Director, ÂÌñÉç
• Engaged Faculty Fellows Program, ÂÌñÉç
• Education Policy Fellow, Institute for Educational Leadership
• Outstanding Teaching Award, The Pennsylvania State University
• Excellence in Curricular Integration Appreciation Award, The Pennsylvania State University Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity
• Emerging Engagement Scholar, National Outreach Scholarship Conference and the National Center for the Study of University Engagement