Sarah A. Helseth

Doctoral Candidate; Predoctoral Intern

Sarah Helseth

Contact Info

Email: shelseth@fiu.edu

Education

  • Predoctoral Psychology Intern – Child Track (2016-2017), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
  • Clinical Science Doctoral Candidate, 2010-Present, Florida International University, Miami, FL
  • B.A., 2008, Psychology (with honors) & French, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Research Interests

My primary research interest centers on problematic peer relationships experienced by children living in underserved communities. Specifically, I seek to utilize peers as agents of change to target children who experience social or academic impairment, by developing targeted prevention and intervention programs. I am also interested in the presentation and treatment of disruptive behavior disorders, particularly among youth high on callous-unemotional traits.

Recent Projects

My dissertation research study examined an evidence-based peer-assisted social learning (PASL) model for after-school programs serving children in low-income Miami neighborhoods. In collaboration with a community-based after-school program called Branches, on-site staff received training and ongoing support from the research team to deliver an intervention consisting of paired peer activities designed to generate natural opportunities for problem-solving skill development. We used a quasi-experimental design to examine the feasibility and promise of the PASL model to improve children’s social problem-solving skills and peer relationships. I successfully defended my dissertation research study in May 2016.

Publications

Sibley, M.H., Graziano, P.A., Kuriyan, A.B., Coxe, S., Pelham, W.E., Rodriguez, L.M., Derefinko, K.J., Sanchez, F., Helseth, S. A., & Ward, A. (in press). Parent-Teen Behavior Therapy + Motivational Interviewing for Adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/ccp0000106

Helseth, S. A., Bruce, B., & Waschbusch, D. A. (2016). Overestimation of physical abilities among boys with and without ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 20(2), 163-167. doi: 10.1177/1087054713496463

Helseth, S. A., Waschbusch, D. A., King, S., & Willoughby, M. T. (2015). Social Information Processing and Response to Peer Provocation: Aggression in Children with Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(8), 1503-1514. doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-0027-6

Helseth, S. A., Waschbusch, D. A., Gnagy, E. M., Onyango, A. N., Burrows-MacLean, L., Fabiano, G. A., …Pelham Jr., W. E. (2015). Effects of behavioral and pharmacological therapies on peer reinforcement of deviancy in children with ADHD-only, ADHD and conduct problems, and controls. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(2), 280-292. doi:10.1037/a0038505

Miller, N. V., Haas, S. M., Waschbusch, D. A., Willoughby, M. T., Helseth, S. A., Crum, K. I., … Pelham, W. E. (2014). Behavior Therapy and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Effects of a Pilot Study Examining Modified Behavioral Contingencies on Child Behavior. Behavior Therapy, 45(5), 606–618. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2013.10.006

Franconeri, S., Scimeca, J.M., Roth, J.C., & Helseth, S. A. (2011). Flexible visual processing of spatial relationships. Cognition, 122(2): 210–227. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.11.002

Presentations

Helseth, S.A., & Frazier, S. L. (2015, November). Leveraging children as agents of change: A Peer-Assisted Social Learning model for supervision. In T. Mehta (Chair). Supporting change and keeping it that way: Evidence-based supervision models across settings. ABCT 49th Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

Helseth, S. A., Dirks, M. A., Rusch, D., & Frazier, S. L. (2014, October). After‐School Program Quality and Youth Social Competence. Poster presented at the National Conference in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (NCCCAP), Lawrence, KS.

Helseth, S. A., King, S., & Waschbusch, D. A. (2013, November). Are Callous-Unemotional Traits Associated with Social Information Processing and Response to Provocation in Children with Conduct Problems? Poster presented at ABCT 47th Annual Convention, Nashville, TN.

Helseth, S.A., Pelham, W.E., Waschbusch, D., Gnagy, E., Onyango, A.N., & Nichols-Lopez, K.A. (2012, November). Effects of behavior modification and stimulant medication on peer reinforcement of deviancy in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In J. McQuade (Chair), Social Impairments in Youth With ADHD: Innovations for Treatment Targets and Intervention. National Harbor, MD: ABCT 46th Annual Convention.

Awards & Honors

2015-2016       FIU Dissertation Year Fellowship

2015                 Student Government Association Graduate Scholarship

2015                 FIU Provost Award for Graduate Student Outstanding STEM Manuscript

2014                 Adolfo Henriques Graduate Scholarship, Florida International University