If we value our children, we must cherish their parents.
My work focuses on examining emotional experiences in the context of parenthood. More specifically, I explore factors that influence how adults perceive and experience parenting, including attachment, relationship quality, and socioeconomic status. I am particularly interested in understanding in-the-moment emotional experiences of parents and the impact those experiences have on children. I also work on brief interventions, such as relational savoring, that support parents’ well-being by helping them to identify and relish moments of positive connection with their children. My ultimate goal is to promote family resiliency through developing and implementing parent-focused interventions that improve parents’ experiences and parent-child relationships.
Education
PhD, Positive Developmental Psychology, Claremont Graduate University
MA, Positive Developmental Psychology, Claremont Graduate University
BS, Psychology, Michigan State University
Social Media
Twitter: @DrMaggieKerr
Affiliations
State Specialist in Vulnerable and Underserved Children, UW Division of Extension Institute of Human Development & Relationships
Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty
Affiliate, UW Center for Child & Family Well-Being
Recent press
Women unequally impacted by coronavirus pandemic, Channel 3000 News, December 4, 2020
Being at work during the pandemic, Healthy Minds Innovations, October 28, 2020
The highs and lows of parenting in a pandemic, Wisconsin Public Radio, October 1, 2020