Clinical Psychology

Emeritus

Faculty

Education

• Ph.D.: Purdue University, 1980

Research Interests

Dr. Albert Farrell's research focuses on (a) the development of problem behaviors during adolescence, particularly aggression; (b) the impact of exposure to community violence and peer victimization on adolescents’ development; and (c) the identification of protective factors that promote the positive development of youth in high-risk environments (e.g., those living in communities with high rates of poverty and violence). Since 1992, Farrell has been involved in collaborative efforts with community agencies to develop effective evidence-based violence prevention programs for early adolescents. These interests have led to a series of qualitative and quantitative studies designed to identify factors that promote urban adolescents' use of effective nonviolent responses to problem situations. Farrell's work has been interdisciplinary and has been funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Education, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institute of Justice. In 2005, Farrell founded the Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development – one of five National Centers of Excellence for Youth Violence Prevention funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Farrell has strong interests in research methodology and the application of statistical methods, particularly as they apply to longitudinal research and prevention science. They are committed to training graduate students to become clinical researchers. Many of Farrell's students complete research projects using one of the many large, longitudinal datasets collected through projects completed by the Institute. Farrell is not taking on any new graduate students.

Select Publications

• The Multisite Violence Prevention Project. (2009). The ecological effects of universal and selective violence prevention programs for middle school students: A randomized trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 526-542.
• Farrell, A. D., Mays, S, Bettencourt, A., Erwin, E. H., Vulin-Reynolds, M., & Allison, K. W. (2010). Environmental influences on fighting versus nonviolent behavior in peer situations: A qualitative study with urban African American Adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46, 19-35.
• Farrell, A. D., Goncy, E. A., Sullivan, T. N., & Thompson, E. (2018). Victimization, aggression, and other problem behaviors: Trajectories of change within and across middle school grades. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 28, 438-455.
• Farrell, A. D., Sullivan, T. N., Sutherland, K. S., Corona, R., & Masho, S. (2018). Evaluation of the Olweus Bully Prevention Program in an urban school system in the USA. Prevention Science, 19, 833-847.
• Farrell, A. D., Thompson, E. L., Curran, P. J., & Sullivan T. N. (2020). Bidirectional relations between witnessing violence, victimization, life events, and physical aggression among adolescents in urban schools. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49, 1309-1327.

Courses

• Research Methods in Clinical Psychology, graduate level

Affiliations

• Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Virginia
• APA Fellow (Divisions 5, 12, & 53)
• Diplomate and Charter Member, American Board of Assessment Psychology

Awards

• Outstanding Faculty Award, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, 2015
• Currents of Change Award for Outstanding University-Community Partnerships, VCU Council for Community Engagement, awarded to Clark Hill Institute for Positive Youth Developmentk, 2014
• University Award of Excellence, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013
• Nan Tobler Award for Review of the Prevention Science Literature from the Society for Prevention Research, 2012
• Distinguished Scholar Award, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003