NANCY H. LEFFERT

PhD, Child Psychology

University of Minnesota, 1991

Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Minnesota, 1991-1994

nleffert@fielding.edu

 

 

 

Current Professional Appointment:

 

Faculty (unranked) &

Associate Dean for Program Evaluation,

Associate Dean for Student Services (Acting),

School of Psychology

Fielding Graduate University

 

Areas of Instruction:

 

Writing the Dissertation

Adolescent Development

Dissertation Consultation

Scholarly Argument

Questionnaire Development

ADHD

Positive Models of Human Development

Research Methods

 

Research Interests:

 

ADHD, Particularly Among Adolescents

Developmental Assets and Other Aspects of Strength Based Research That Impacts Children and Adolescents

Gender Differences in Mental Health During Adolescence

Educational Institutional Effectiveness

 

Professional Memberships:

 

American Psychological Association

Society for Research in Child Development

Society for Research on Adolescence

 

 

Honors and Awards:

 

1992: Hershel Thornburg Dissertation Award, Society for Research on Adolescence

 

2000: Midwest Independent Publishers Award for Best Non-Fiction Parenting Book

 

2000: Parents' Media Guide Award for Best Non-Fiction Book

 

 

 

Professional Activities in Last Seven Years

 

Publications:

 

Leffert, N. (2000). Forward. In M. T. Braverman, R. M. Carlos, & S. M. Stanley (Eds.), Advances in youth development: Reviews and case studies from the University of California. Oakland: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension.

 

Roehlkepartain, J. L., & Leffert, N. (2000). A leader's guide to what young children need to succeed: Working together to build assets from birth to age 11. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

 

Roehlkepartain, J. L., & Leffert, N. (2000). What young children need to succeed: Working together to build assets from birth to age 11. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

 

Scales, P. C., Benson, P. L., Leffert, N., & Blyth, D. A. (2000). The contribution of developmental assets to the prediction of thriving among adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 4(1), 27-46.

 

Benson, P. L., & Leffert, N. (2001). Developmental assets in childhood and adolescence. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences (pp. 1690-1697). Oxford, England: Pergamon.

 

French, S. A., Leffert, N., Story, M., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannan, P., & Benson, P. L. (2001). Adolescent binge/purge and weight loss behaviors: Associations with developmental assets. Journal of Adolescent Health, 28, 211-221.

 

Scales, P.C., Leffert, N., & Vraa, R. (2003). The relation of community developmental attentiveness to adolescent health. American Journal of Health Behavior, 27(Supplement 1), S22-S34.

 

Wagener, L. M., Furrow, J. L., King, P. E., Leffert, N., & Benson, P. L. (2003). Religious involvement and developmental resources in youth. Review of Religious Research, 44(3), 271-284.

 

Scales, P. C., & Leffert, N. (2004). Developmental assets: A synthesis of the scientific research on adolescent development (2^nd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute.

 

Martin, J., Romas, M., Medford, M., Leffert, N., & Hatcher, S. L. (2006). Adult helping qualities preferred by adolescents. Adolescence, 41(161), 127-140.

 

Fulkerson, J. A., Story, M., Mellin, A., Leffert, N., Neumark-Sztainer, D., French, S. A. (2006). Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent development: Relationships with developmental assets and high risk behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, 337-345.

 

 

Presentations:

 

Bush, J. P., & Leffert, N. (2000, April). Psychology and the future of health care. Invited presentation at The Fielding Institute Community Forum, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

Leffert, N. (2004, Feb). The developmental assets paradigm: Implications for clinical work. Invited in-service presentation to graduate psychology interns, New Beginnings Counseling Ceter, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

Leffert, N. (2004, May). The development of an automated grade and feedback evaluation for assessment of institutional effectiveness in a distributed learning environment: The Certificate of Completion. Invited presentation to the Board of Trustees, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

 

Other Professional Activities:

 

1992-present: Review Panel for Conference Paper Submissions, Society for Research in Child Development.

 

1993-present: Review Panel for Conference Paper Submissions, Society for Research on Adolescence.

 

1998-present: Member, Study Group on Youth Development, Society for Research on Adolescence.

 

1999-2002: Adjunct Senior Fellow, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN.

 

2000-2002: Chair, Publications Committee, Society for Research on Adolescence.

 

2000-present: Member, Standing Committee on Institutional Research, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

2001-2002: Member, Ad Hoc Committee on Impaired Students, Fielding Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

2001-2003: Member, Institutional Review Board, Fielding Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

2003: Chair, Institutional Review Board, Fielding Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

2003-2004: Member, Board of Directors, New Beginnings Counseling Center, Santa Barbara, CA.

 

Journal Reviewer: Applied Developmental Science, Child Development, Journal of Adolescent Health, Journal of Death and Dying, Journal of Early Adolescence, Journal of Research on Adolescence, Psychological Bulletin.