Child Development and Family Relationships Lab
Former Graduate Students
Yael Barak-Levy
My research interests focus on the adjustment of families of children with developmental disabilities. I have completed my M.A. in educational counseling and my theses examined the “social and emotional adjustment of healthy siblings of children with autism”. My PhD was done in the field of developmental psychology and centered on “parenting and stress in mothers and fathers of children with developmental delay”.
In my professional life I’ve been a kindergarten teacher for children with autism for 8 years and later an educational counselor in a school for children with autism. These days I teach in Achva Academic College and in Kaye Academic College of Education in the departments of special education. I am also a proud mother of 3 beautiful children.
Noa Gueron-Sela
My research interests include the effects of early risk factors (e.g., premature birth, postpartum depression) on children’s developmental outcomes, as well as the buffering effects of early positive parent-child interactions under high risk conditions.
For the past five years I have been working on my PhD project, a longitudinal study following preterm infants and their families through the first year of life. This study aims to determine the long term effects of infant, parent and relationship factors on developmental outcomes at age 12 months. I am particularly interested to explore the role of dyadic (mother-child, father-child) and triadic (mother-father-child) interactions on early cognitive and social development among preterm infants. In addition, I have been involved in a study focusing on parent-child interactions among families of children with early feeding and sleeping problems.
I have also attended the Reflective Parenting Program (RPP) training in the Center for Reflective Parenting in Los Angeles, California, and am certified to facilitate group workshops for parents aimed to promote reflective functioning.
Michal Mottes
I am an MA student in Clinical Psychology and a member of the Child Development and Family Studies Lab. My research interests focus on parent's reflective functioning- the capacity to understand the child's internal mental experience. I am interested in the connection between this ability and parent-child dynamics during mealtime.
I received my BA in Psychology and Art History from Ben-Gurion University.
Noga Mosco
I am a Ph.D student in Clinical Psychology. I am interested in cross-cultural developmental psychology. I would like to understand how parenting differs in individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Also, I would like to learn how clinical practice should be modified to better meet the needs of parents and children from different cultural groups in Israel.
Yael Damri
I am a Ph.D. Student in the Social Work Department at Ben-Gurion university, in Beer-Sheva, Israel. My research interests focus on Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) among parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. PRF refers to a parent's awareness of thoughts and feelings of himself/herself and his/her child.
In addition, I am a therapist at the Mental Health Clinic for Children and Youth at Soroka Medical Center. I have a BA in Social Work from Ben-Gurion University and an M.S.W from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
