Susan Dickstein, PhD

Susan Dickstein, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist at Bradley Hospital and an associate professor (research) in the department of psychiatry and human behavior and the department of pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. For two decades, Dr. Dickstein was director of the Bradley Hospital Early Childhood Clinical Research Center (part of the Bradley/Hasbro Children’s Research Center), and collaborated on research within the realms of developmental psychopathology, attachment theory, family functioning and risk, maternal depression, and early childhood mental health.

Dr. Dickstein is consulting editor for the Journal of Family Psychology and the Infant Mental Health Journal, and developed an online training course, Foundations for Infant/Toddler Social Emotional Health: Provider Modules. She is a founding member and president of the Rhode Island Association for Infant Mental Health, a member of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, and a founding partner and president of the Board of the international Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health. Dr. Dickstein has earned Endorsement as an Infant Mental Health Clinical Mentor (IV-C), and she sits on numerous state and national advisory committees related to infant/early childhood mental health. She offers clinical and reflective supervision and consultation in a variety of programs that serve high risk infants, toddlers and their families.

Research Interests

Dickstein has collaborated on several NIH grants within the realm of developmental psychopathology, attachment theory, family risk, maternal depression, and early childhood mental health issues, and assessment of child outcomes in Head Start. Most recently, Dickstein is co-PI on a SAMHSA systems initiative, Project RI LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health), aimed at building social-behavioral capacities into community-based early childhood systems of care in order to promote and integrate physical and behavioral health wellness. In addition, Dickstein conducts program evaluation for a variety of state-funded contracts and private foundation grants that provide community-based early childhood mental health consultation, and evidence-based parent and teacher training workshops, within child care settings serving high risk infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. 

Selected Publications

Dickstein, S., Seifer, R., Albus, K.E. (2004). Attachment patterns across multiple family relationships in adulthood: Associations with maternal depression. Development and Psychopathology, 16 (3), 735-752.

McHale, J., Fivaz-Depeursinge, E., Dickstein, S., Robertson, J., & Daley, M (2008) New Evidence for the Social Embeddedness of Infants Early Triangular Capacities. Family Process, 47, 445-463.

Dickstein, S., Seifer, R., & Albus, K.E. (2009).  Maternal Adult Attachment Representations across Relationship Domains and Infant Outcomes: The Importance of Family and Couple Functioning. Attachment and Human Behavior, 11 (1), 5-27.

Shepard, S.A., & Dickstein, S. (2009). Preventive Intervention for Early Childhood Behavioral Problems: An Ecological Perspective. In Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (H. Triveti, Ed.), Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (M. Gleason & D. Schecter, Guest Eds.), 18 (3), 687-706.

Gleason, M.M., Zeanah, C.H., & Dickstein, S. (2010). Recognizing young children in need of mental health assessment: Development and preliminary validity of the Early Childhood Screening Assessment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 31 (3), 1-22.

Salisbury, A.L., High, P., Chapman, H., Dickstein, S., Twomey, J., Liu, J., & Lester, B. (in press). A randomized control trial of integrated care for families managing infant colic. Infant Mental Health Journal.