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Heather Jones, Ph.D.

Dr. Heather Jones

Associate Professor
Co-Director of Clinical Training
Clinical Psychology
806 W Franklin, rm 215
hjones7@vcu.edu
(804) 828-5641

she/her/hers
Associate Professor (tenured)
Co-Director of Clinical Training, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Virginia

Ph.D. (2006), University of Maryland at College Park

Other Affiliations

Websites 

Research Interests

My research and clinical training interests lie broadly with child and parental mental health within marginalized communities. Specifically, much of my work has focused in three areas, Black children and their families, maternal mental health, and training the next generation of health service psychologists. As the recipient of a large federal training grant, I co-direct the VCU Primary Care Psychology Training Collaborative. This training collaborative is centered on providing graduate students training in the provision of behavioral health care in primary care settings (i.e., integrated care), with a focus on providing pro bono mental health services to the urban Richmond community as well as rural Virginians. As a scholar, I have been funded as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on grants from the National Institutes of Health, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. My work has been published in top peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Clinical Psychology, Journal of Women’s Health, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and Academic Pediatrics. 

Select Publications

* denotes a student author at the time of writing

*Behhorst, K. L., Sullivan, T. N., & Jones, H. A. (in press). Comorbidity in context: Identifying patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Black early adolescents. Journal of Child & Family Studies.
*Parlier-Ahmad, A. B., Keyser-Marcus, L., Bishop, D., Jones, H. A., & Svikis, D. S. (in press). Improving peripartum care engagement among Black women at risk for low prenatal care attendance: A secondary analysis of predictors of attendance and sample representativeness. Journal of Women’s Health.
Belgrave, F., Clark Goings, T. T., & Jones, H. A. (2021). African American families: Research, Theory, & Practice. San Diego, CA: Cognella.
Jones, H. A., Perrin, P. B., Heller, M. B., & *Hailu, S., & *Barnett, C. (2018). Black psychology graduate students’ lives matter: Mentoring students of color and creating an inclusive climate amidst national race-related events. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 49, 75-82. doi: 10.1037/pro0000169
Jones, H. A., *Eddy, L., *Bourchtein, E., *Parks, A., Green, T. A., Karjane, N., & Svikis, D. (2018). ADHD symptoms, depression risk, and quality of life in Black pregnant women. Journal of Women’s Health, 27(10), 1263-1270. doi:10.1089/jwh.2017.6547

Recent Courses

  • Diversity Dialogues, graduate level
  • Evidence-based Psychological Treatments for Children and Adolescents, graduate level
  • Clinical Practicum (supervisor for the ADHD Clinic and Pediatric Primary Care), graduate level
  • Child Psychopathology, undergraduate level
  • Research Internship in Psychology, undergraduate level 

Recent Grants

The VCU Primary Care Training Collaborative: Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Diverse Youth and their Families

Amount: $1,407, 915
Role: Principal Investigator
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Period: 2021-2025
Number: 2 M01HP31388-05-00

The VCU Primary Care Training Collaborative: A Focus on Substance Abuse, Trauma and Telehealth in Vulnerable Populations

Amount: $1,342,092
Role: Co-Investigator
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Period: 2022-2026
Number: 2 M01HP31388-05-00

The VCU Primary Care Psychology Training Collaborative: Expanding Services With Underserved Youth, Latinx Immigrants, and Refugees

Amount: $1,133,484
Role: Principal Investigator
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Period: 2017—2021
Number: M01HP31388

A Training Program in Lifespan Primary Care Psychology for the Underserved

Amount: $999,500
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Rybarczyk)
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Period: 2016—2019
More info: VCU Primary Care Psychology Training Collaborative

Motivational Interviewing for Parents of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Pediatric Primary Care: Impact on Help-Seeking Behaviors

Amount: $46,480
Role: Principal Investigator
Source: Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Period: 4/2013—10/2014

Recent Awards

  • 2017, Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, VCU Department of Psychology
  • 2016, Elizabeth Fries Young Investigator Award, VCU Institute for Women's Health
  • 2016, Clinical and Translational Research Award, VCU Institute for Women's Health
  • 2016, Summer Fellowship Mentor, VCU Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
  • 2012, Pediatric Research Loan Repayment Award Renewal, National Institutes of Health

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