More than a course, ADAPT is an opportunity for parents to learn, practice, use, and retain positive parenting techniques and tools.
The program includes a focus on mindfulness and emotional coaching, designed especially for families who have experienced stress and/or trauma. Our goal is to strengthen stressed parents’ capacities to regulate their emotions and be more effective with their children.
ADAPT began as After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools, initially developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota to build resilience by supporting parents in military families. ADAPT is now housed at Arizona State University.
Our approach is based on more than 50 years of rigorous research on positive parenting techniques. Our studies to date have involved active duty military, Guard, and Reserve members and veterans across all branches of service. Recently our work has expanded to focus on healthcare professionals whose parenting roles have been affected by their challenging work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each study evaluates parenting tools with the goal of addressing families’ unique stressors and creating positive outcomes.
Abi’s research interests are in trauma, resilience, parenting, and promoting children’s healthy development. Her team is involved in multiple research and implementation projects throughout the United States that all aim to help parents be their children’s best teachers during times of stress and trauma. Dr. Gewirtz has published more than 100 articles, chapters, and books and is the recipient of several grant and career awards.
Read Abi’s full bio here.
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Amy serves as the Senior Program Manager for the ADAPT team, where she plays a key leadership role in the research and implementation efforts of the evidence-based program Adaptive Parenting Tools. She is a certified facilitator, assistant trainer and member of the FIMP team. Amy first joined the team as a graduate student assisting with study recruitment and outreach, and transitioned into the Program Manager role in January 2016 after earning a Master’s in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on military families.
Amy brings a unique blend of experience in military service, education, and family social science. She retired from the Minnesota Air National Guard in 2012 after 22 years of service, including one overseas deployment. As both a veteran and the spouse of a military retiree, Amy brings a personal and professional commitment to supporting military families.
Dr. Susanne Lee is the Data Manager for the ADAPT team, where she oversees data processing systems and supports a wide range of data analysis efforts. She joined the team in 2018, bringing extensive expertise in prevention science and statistical analysis. Her research interests focus on preventive interventions designed to strengthen parenting skills and promote children’s mental health.
Dr. Lee completed her postdoctoral training in prevention science in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining ADAPT, she worked as a statistician on multiple prevention trials evaluating the effectiveness, dissemination, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions for at-risk children and families.
Dr. Molly Willer is the Clinical Director for the ADAPT team, where she provides leadership in clinical training, program implementation, and fidelity monitoring. She has been with ADAPT since 2010, serving in multiple roles including facilitator, coach, fidelity rater, trainer, and clinical director.
Dr. Willer earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota, with a research focus on treatment outcomes for eating disorders. Prior to joining ADAPT, she worked for three years as a psychologist in the rehabilitation/polytrauma program at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, where she provided care for veterans with complex clinical needs.
Shauna Tiede is a Program Manager with the ADAPT team. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Psychology and has been involved with the ADAPT studies since 2011. She is passionate about children’s mental health and has had the privilege of working with a diverse group of families, including military, first responder, and immigrant families as well as those experiencing housing instability.
Shauna began her tenure with ADAPT by conducting in-home interviews with parents and children before going on to serve as the Interview Coordinator where she oversaw data collection efforts across multiple sites. In her current role, she supports multiple projects, specializing in the development of data collection systems and quality assurance processes that promote data integrity.
Amberlee Martin is a Program Coordinator with the ADAPT team, currently supporting multiple efforts within the REACH Institute. Previously, she was the coordinator for a new study exploring stress and wearable technology among frontline workers. She brings a strong background in human services, research, and community leadership to her role.
Amberlee holds a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling with a focus on Military Resilience. As a former active duty Army spouse of six years, she brings personal insight into the challenges faced by military families. Her professional journey with ADAPT has included multiple research roles, such as Assessment Technician, Site Coordinator Assistant, and Site Coordinator.
In addition to her research experience, Amberlee has a diverse background in volunteer work and community service. Her dedication to supporting others and fostering resilience informs all aspects of her work with ADAPT.
Patty received her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary's University of Minnesota in 2017. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Minnesota and utilizes evidence-based therapy models at her private practice. Patty has worked in community-based mental health and extensively with military families and parents. Prior to becoming a therapist, she earned two Bachelor's degrees in Journalism and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin River Falls and worked as a journalist for a decade at the Minnesota State Capitol. Since joining ADAPT in 2017, Patty has worked as a facilitator, coach, trainer and is a fidelity rater.
Darlene graduated with her MSW from the University of Minnesota and has worked primarily with military families including the Minnesota Army National Guard. Darlene joined the ADAPT team in 2011 and is a facilitator, coach, fidelity rater and trainer.
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