Erika Bocknek

Phone

313-577-9321

Degrees and Certifications

• Baccalaureate:
  • Bachelor's of Arts in English, Pennsylvania State University
• Graduate:
  • Master's of Arts, Human Development and Family Studies, Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, University of Connecticut
  • Doctoral Degree, Human Development and Family Studies, Emphasis in Child Development; Interdepartmental Graduate Specialization in Infancy and Early Childhood
• Postgraduate (postdoctoral):
  • Postdoctoral Certification in Child Psychiatry and Infant Mental Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry
• Licensure:
  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, State of Michigan
• Certification:
  • Trained Provider of Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
  • Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health Level IV Endorsed Research Mentor

Responsibilities

Academic Interests

• Counseling Psychology
• Marriage and Family Therapy
• Family Systems
• Child and Adolescent Therapy
• Developmental Psychology

Office Hours

Office Hours: By appointment.

Biography

Dr. Bocknek is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Wayne State University and the Principal Investigator of the Family Resilience Lab. She studies social emotional development in young children in the context of parenting and family relationships. Her research and clinical practice emphasize resilience promotion in populations at risk as the result of poverty and trauma exposure by highlighting routines, rituals, and strategies that strengthen family bonds. Dr. Bocknek currently serves as Associate Editor of the Infant Mental Health Journal and is on the Editorial Board of Infancy.

Office Location

337 Education Building

Area of Expertise

• Early Childhood Mental Health
• Trauma Exposure
• Family Resilience
• Parental Psychopathology

Awards

• Women and Infants’ Mental Health Program Fellowship, University of Michigan Health System, Department of Psychiatry (2012-2013)
• Irving B. Harris Postdoctoral Fellowship, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (2009-2010)
• Jeanette Lee Scholarship, Michigan State University, College of Social Science (2009)
• Hiram E. Fitzgerald Emerging Scholar/Researcher Award, Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health (2009)
• Todd Ouida Clinical Scholar Award, University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry and Depression Center (2012)

Grants

• Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS). 2013 - 2016. Miller (Principal Investigator), Bocknek, E. (Consultant). Source: U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary 
• Creating connections: Expanding parenting support to improve outcomes for infants and families. 2016 - 2017. Bocknek, E. (Principal Investigator). Source: United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
• BUILDing Box: Bonding Underscores Infant Development. 2017-2018. Bocknek, E. (Principal Investigator). Source: United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Community Engagement Activities

Dr. Bocknek conducts community-based participatory research in partnership with community organizations across Detroit including Brilliant Detroit, the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and the Arab American Chaldean Council WIC.

Presentations

Selected/Recent:

• Bocknek, E.L., DeAngelis, C., Wood, B., Richardson, P., & Iruka, I. (2019). African American Mothers’ Patterns of Coping with Stress and Mental Health Problems. Poster to be presented at Division 17 of the American Psychological Association Convention.
• Detroit dads: State of the science on young children and their fathers. United Way for Southeastern Michigan Lunch ‘n Learn, Detroit, MI, September 2016.
• Oxytocin receptor genetic variation and triadic family interactions in a trauma-exposed sample. Researchers of Biobehavioral Health in Urban Settings (RoBUST) Brown Bag Seminar at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, April 2016.
• Raveau, H., Dorman, H., & Bocknek, E. L. (October, 2016). Paternal PTSD, emotion regulation, parenting, and toddler behavior problems among urban African American families. Flash talk presented at the Babies, Boys, and Men of Color Special Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Tampa, FL.
• Beeghly, M., Bocknek, E. L., Raveau, H., & Markowicz. (October, 2016). Co-parenting as a resilience factor for toddlers’ emotional expressivity in a low-income African American sample. Flash talk presented at the Babies, Boys, and Men of Color Special Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Tampa, FL.
• Richardson, P., Bocknek, E. L., Luca, F., Mitrano, C., & Cascardo, C. (October, 2016). Oxytocin receptor genetic variation and triadic family interactions. Flash talk presented at the Babies, Boys, and Men of Color Special Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Tampa, FL.
• Bocknek, E. L., McGoron, K. L., & Raveau, H. (May, 2016). Predictors of triadic family engagement post-stressor among impoverished 2-year-old children and their parents. Paper presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies. New Orleans, LA.
• McGoron, K. L., Bocknek, E. L., Raveau, H., Lopez, M., & Buxbaum, R. (May, 2016). Reports of toddlers’ externalizing behavior problems and protective factors within the context of high-risk family triads. Poster presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies. New Orleans, LA.

Publications

Research Description

Affiliated Departments

• Psychology