Valerie Simon (ay3100)

• Psychology
• Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Children & Famiies

71 E. Ferry
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute

One primary focus of our current research is youth exposure to interpersonal violence. Our research questions concern how and for whom violence exposure undermines psychosocial development during adolescence and emerging adulthood We use a multi-method approach that includes  virtual reality procedures as well as questionnaires, interviews, and physiological measures.

Our research also examines adolescents' romantic and sexual development from a holistic perspective that integrates the risky and rewarding aspects of teens' experiences  We are interested in further elucidating the timing, sequencing, and quality of adolescents' experiences as well as factors the promote or undermine positive development in these key domains of development. Our measurement models include questionnaires as well as novel life history calendar approaches to better understand nuances in age typical and age atpyical experiences

• Interpersonal Violence Exposure and Adolescents’ Romantic Competence (Betty Nietzel Faculty Grant)Interpersonal Violence Exposure and Adolescents’ Romantic Competence (Betty Nietzel Faculty Grant)
• Assessing the Interpersonal Dynamics of Violence Exposure (NIH HD092956)
• The Interpersonal Dynamics of Violence Exposure and Adolescents' Autonomic Regulation (NIH HD099700)
• “Adolescents’ dissociative responses to age-normative social stress: links with violence exposure and mental health.” Awarded by the WSU Provost's Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health (SBDH) to Nicole Kouri, M.A.

• Mentoring of predoctoral research fellows at the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute
• Supervision of undergraduate honors theses in Psychology
• Supervision of undergraduate research experiences (directed study)

Professor of Psychology at the Merrill Palmer Institute and Clinical Area Chair in the Department of Psychology. A primary focus of my research is youth exposure to interpersonal violence. The goal of this work is to identify how and for whom violence exposure undermines psychosocial development during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Our projects use multi-method approaches that include virtual reality procedures as well as questionnaires, interviews, and physiological measures.

Our research team also examines adolescents' romantic and sexual development from a holistic perspective that integrates the risky and rewarding aspects of teens' experiences  We are interested in further elucidating the timing, sequencing, and quality of adolescents' experiences as well as factors the promote or undermine positive development in these key domains of development. Our measurement models include questionnaires as well as novel life history calendar approaches to better understand nuances in age typical and age atpyical experiences.

Recent projects include:

• Interpersonal Violence Exposure and Adolescents’ Romantic Competence (Betty Nietzel Faculty Grant)

   

• Assessing the Interpersonal Dynamics of Violence Exposure (NIH HD092956)

   

• The Interpersonal Dynamics of Violence Exposure and Adolescents' Autonomic Regulation (NIH HD099700)

   

• “Adolescents’ dissociative responses to age-normative social stress: links with violence exposure and mental health.” Awarded by the WSU Provost's Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health (SBDH) to Nicole Kouri, M.A.

   

Postdoctoral Fellowship:  Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI

Pre-doctoral Clinical Internship:  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

PhD: Clinical and Developmental Psychology - University of Denver

B.A.: Music Therapy, Loyola University

(313) 664-2500