Katie Lingras
,
Credentials
PhD, LP
Bio
My experience and expertise sits at the intersection of early childhood mental health research, practical applications, and policy implications. I specialize in social-emotional development in early and middle childhood, with particular emphasis on children experiencing behavioral concerns or who have experienced traumatic events. In the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, I co-direct the Early Childhood Mental Health Program. In addition to outpatient treatment and assessment, my body of work is centered on community-based collaboration with pediatric primary care clinics and early childcare programs.
I am also passionate about issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I regularly conduct trainings that link together DEI and children’s mental health (e.g. talking with children about race and racism). Within the department, I am the Director of Inclusive Excellence and Well-Being (IEWB; formerly known as Deputy Vice Chair for the Impact & Wellbeing Sector). Together with my colleague, Dr. Danielle Vrieze, I founded and co-chaired our department’s first Diversity & Inclusion Committee in 2017. We have grown so much since then, and now integrate our DEI work into the IEWB Council. I also co-direct the DEI Thread within the Undergraduate Medical Education curriculum. From 2021 to 2023, I chaired the Medical School DEI Council through the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Prior to joining the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty, I worked as a Psychologist at a community-based non-profit agency in New York City, the New York Center for Child Development, where I provided mental health treatment and consultation, as well as training for providers located in Pediatric Primary Care Clinics, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centers, Home-based Daycare programs, and mental health clinics. I served as the team lead for a group of mental health professionals who provided professional development training and consultation in ECE centers. During my time in New York, I held academic appointments at Columbia University Medical College, and Weill Cornell Medical College, and hospital appointments with the Family Health Center of Harlem and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
I completed my undergraduate and Masters degrees in Psychology at Stanford University and my doctoral work at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Child Development, where I collaborated and published with internationally recognized experts on aggressive behavior, social competence, risk, and resilience in children and families. I completed my clinical psychology internship with the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and my post-doctoral training with Brown University’s Alpert Medical School and Bradley Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
In my life outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my partner and our three “furry children”, running, exploring the trails of the Twin Cities, singing in a community choir, and volunteering with Girls on the Run Minnesota as a member of the Board of Directors.
Expertise
- Infant/early childhood mental health
- Child development/developmental psychopathology
- Community-based relationships and projects
Administrative Assistant
(for academic support only)
Molly Jokimaki
jokim004@umn.edu
In the Media
- 2023: Featured in this article titled, “New Inclusive Excellence and Well-Being Council leadership excited to get started”.
- 2022: Featured in this article titled, "Interprofessional collaboration at the U aims to improve mental health treatment for children and adolescents".
- 2020: Featured in this Minnesota Public Radio piece titled, "She saw me in George Floyd’: The trauma of watching another black person die".
Research Summary
Dr. Lingras is focused on bridging gaps between academic research and practice by providers who work directly with children. As such, her research is focused on social-emotional development and early childhood mental health, broadly, with specific attention to program evaluation and issues of implementation and sustainability.
Teaching Summary
Dr. Lingras provides training and supervision for clinical psychology graduate students and psychiatry residents and fellows in the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Clinical Summary
Dr. Lingras is a Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota and provides individual psychotherapy and psychological assessments in the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic. She provides clinical services to children and their parents, and specializes in young children under 8. She also provides training and mental health consultation to providers in community-based organizations such as pediatric clinics and early education programs.
As a licensed child-clinical psychologist specializing in early childhood mental health, Dr. Lingras has shaped her training and career around improving care and access to care for young children through scientific inquiry, prevention/intervention efforts, and the translation of developmental research to applied settings. Her work spans from direct child/family clinical services (outpatient assessment/treatment) to community-based program support (training, consultation, program evaluation).