Meet the Faculty: Laura Miller-Graf ’08

Laura Miller-Graff is associate professor of psychology and peace studies and a core faculty member of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Working within an ecological framework, Miller-Graff’s research seeks to understand how various systems (i.e. individual, family, and community) interact to promote or inhibit healthful development following violence exposure. With a focus on children who have multiple traumatic exposures, she investigates resulting patterns of resilience and psychopathology, including the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms.

In addition to conducting basic research on the effects of violence on development, Miller-Graff also seeks to identify effective intervention practices for children and families affected by violence. This line of work considers the status of psychosocial interventions currently available in international conflict settings and seeks to identify evidence-based intervention practices that facilitate resilience in families and communities. Specific aims of this work include identifying culturally appropriate assessment and treatment practices and developing efficacious and cost-effective psychosocial interventions that can be readily disseminated in conflict settings.

Detailed information about ongoing studies can be found at her research lab website, but Miller-Graff’s current projects focus on the intergenerational effects of violence against women, psychological care of pregnant, violence-exposed women and their young families, and individual and family-based psychosocial support programs for adolescents and young adults exposed to chronic sociopolitical conflict.

Miller-Graff’s recent work can be found in Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, the Journal of Traumatic Stress, Developmental Review, Psychology of Violence, the Journal of Clinical Psychology, and the International Journal of Behavioral Development. She also recently co-edited the volume Psychological Perspectives on Understanding and addressing Violence against Children (Oxford University Press). Miller earned a Ph.D. in clinical science from the University of Michigan in 2013.