Melissa DeRosier

Melissa DeRosier, PhD, is a clinical psychologist whose research and clinical work is dedicated to improving social, emotional, and behavioral health. For more than 15 years, Melissa has investigated how to bridge research‐proven methods for assessment and intervention into real‐world settings so that youth and their families can directly benefit. She has written extensively in this area, publishing dozens of journal articles and book chapters.

Melissa has served as Principal Investigator for more than 30 federally funded grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Through these funded projects, Melissa has created more than a dozen rigorously researched social‐emotional interventions, which are currently used by schools and clinics with thousands of children across the United States and abroad. A particular focus of her current work is understanding how emerging technologies can be effectively used to scale up research‐based programs more broadly in schools and community healthcare settings.

Melissa obtained her master’s degree in child developmental psychology from the University of Virginia and received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2001, she founded 3C Institute, a research and development company devoted to the creation and delivery of evidence‐based tools that promote health and well-being, with a focus on social, emotional, and behavioral health.

Melissa is the editor of Social Skills Assessment Through Games: The New Best Practice, a book in which she and others review social skills research literature and demonstrate how game-based social skills assessment can transcend the limitations of traditional methods.

In addition to the book, Melissa has published the following research on SEL games:

Sanchez, R.P., Bartel, C.M., Brown, E., & DeRosier, M. (2014).The Acceptability and Efficacy of an Intelligent Social Tutoring System. Computers & Education.
DeRosier, M. E., McMillen, J. S., & Thomas, J. M. (2011). Intelligent social tutoring system for children: Application of interactive software technology to the assessment and development of social problem solving. In A. Columbus (Ed.), Advances in Psychology Research, Vol. 72 (pp. 99-132). Hauppauge, NY: NovaScience.
Thomas, J. M. & DeRosier, M.E. (2010). Toward effective game-based social skills tutoring for children: An evaluation of a social adventure game. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Foundations of Digital Games, Monterey, California: USA.
DeRosier,M. E., Craig, A. B., & Sanchez, R. P. (in press). Zoo U: A stealth approach to social skills assessment in schools. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction.

Melissa has also published extensively on social emotional learning:

DeRosier, M. E. & Lloyd, S. W. (2011). The impact of children’s social adjustment on academic outcomes. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 27, 25-47.
DeRosier, M. E. & Mercer, S. H. (2009). Perceived atypicality as a predictor of social rejection and peer victimization: Implications for emotional adjustment and academic achievement. Psychology in Schools, 46, 375-387.
Harrell, A., Mercer, S., & DeRosier, M. E. (2009). Improving the social-behavioral adjustment of adolescents: The effectiveness of a social skills group intervention. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 18, 378-387.
Mercer, S. H., McMillen, J., & DeRosier, M. E. (2009). Aggressive and prosocial classroom descriptive norms as predictors of change in children’s aggression and victimization.Journal of School Psychology, 47, 267-289.
DeRosier, M. E. (2008). Peer relations research. In W. A. Darity (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social sciences (2^nd ed.). MI: Macmillen Reference.
DeRosier, M. E. (2008). Social skills interventions. In W. A. Darity (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2^nd Edition. MI: Macmillen Reference.
Mercer, S. & DeRosier, M. (2008). Teacher preference, peer rejection, and student aggression: A prospective study of transactional influence and independent contributions to emotional adjustment and grades. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 661-685.
DeRosier, M. E. & Gilliom, M. (2007). Effectiveness of a parent training program for improving children’s social behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16(5), 660-670.
DeRosier, M. E. & Mercer, S. H. (2007). Improving student behavior: The effectiveness of a school-based character education program. Journal of Research and Character Education, 5, 131-148.
DeRosier, M.E. (2007). Peer victimized and rejected children: Promoting school-based adjustment through social skills intervention. In Zins, J.E., Elias, M.J., & Maher, C.A. (Eds.), Handbook of Prevention and Intervention in Peer Harassment, Victimization, and Bullying. New York: Haworth Press.
DeRosier, M.E. & Marcus, S.R. (2005). Building friendships and combating bullying: Effectiveness of S.S.GRIN at one-year follow-up. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 140-150.
DeRosier, M.E. (2004). Building relationships and combating bullying: Effectiveness of a school-based social skills group intervention. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33. 125-130.