Lauren Hunter Naples, Ed.D. is a postdoctoral associate at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Her research focuses broadly on the development of social and emotional skills to enhance student well-being among children with diverse learning needs. Her recent work involved the design, implementation and evaluation of a brief SEL intervention program for fostering gratitude, optimism, persistence and zest among young students with social cognition challenges. Dr. Naples is also interested in using design-based mixed methods research to investigate the psychometric properties and socioecological validity of assessment tools targeting student well-being and social and emotional health in elementary school settings.
Dr. Naples joined the Child Study Center after receiving an Ed.D. in special education and disability studies, with a concentration in translational neuroscience, from the George Washington University. Nationally board-certified as a mental health counselor, Dr. Naples specializes in play therapy with an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and she holds a B.S. in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her current work focuses on collaborating within research-practice partnerships to develop and adapt strengths-based strategies that promote positive classroom climates and access to effective SEL instruction for the widest range of student diversity.
Dr. Naples is passionate about engaging in participatory action research to co-create communities of inclusion that encourage all students to grow and thrive as happy, healthy, and productive members of society. Follow her @LHunterNaples.
