Melissa Wells, Associate Professor, Social Work

Melissa Wells

PROFESSOR
Phone: (603) 862-0076
Office: Social Work, Pettee Hall Rm 239, Durham, NH 03824
Websites:

Melissa Wells, PhD, MSW, is a Professor at the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Social Work. Her research focuses on victimization of children within and outside of families. Her funding includes the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. Her scholarship is widely published in social work and child welfare journals, and she was a member of the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) 2022-2023 cohort. Her scholarship and engagement inform trauma-informed and resilience-based practice in social work.

Courses Taught

  • SW 440A: Honors/Healthy Communities
  • SW 798H: Honors Thesis
  • SW 799H: Honors Project
  • SW 962: Data Analysis and Statistics
  • SW 965: Program & Practice Evaluation

Education

  • Ph.D., Sociology, University of New Hampshire
  • M.S.W., Social Work, University of Minnesota
  • B.A., Spanish, University of New Hampshire

Selected Publications

  • Morton, C. M., Wells, M., & Cox, T. (2019). The Implicit Curriculum: Student Engagement and the Role of Social Media. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION, 55(1), 153-159. doi:10.1080/10437797.2018.1508393

  • Wells, M., Mitchell, K. J., Jones, L. M., & Turner, H. A. (2019). Peer Harassment among Youths with Different Disabilities: Impact of Harassment Online, in Person, and in Mixed Online and In-Person Incidents. CHILDREN & SCHOOLS, 41(1), 17-24. doi:10.1093/cs/cdy025

  • Sage, M., Wells, M., Sage, T., & Devlin, M. (2017). Supervisor and policy roles in social media use as a new technology in child welfare. CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW, 78, 1-8. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.04.018

  • Morton, C., & Wells, M. (2017). Behavioral and Substance Use Outcomes for Older Youth Living With a Parental Opioid Misuse: A Literature Review to Inform Child Welfare Practice and Policy. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE, 11(4-5), 546-567. doi:10.1080/15548732.2017.1355866

  • Wells, M., Bartlett, L., Tappan, C., & Levesque, S. (2015). Child Welfare Agency Climate: Congruence with Practice Model Beliefs. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE, 9(3), 236-255. doi:10.1080/15548732.2015.1043422

  • Mitchell, K. J., Wells, M., Priebe, G., & Ybarra, M. L. (2014). Exposure to websites that encourage self-harm and suicide: Prevalence rates and association with actual thoughts of self-harm and thoughts of suicide in the United States. JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE, 37(8), 1335-1344. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.09.011

  • Wells, M., & Mitchell, K. J. (2014). Patterns of Internet Use and Risk of Online Victimization for Youth With and Without Disabilities. JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, 48(3), 204-213. doi:10.1177/0022466913479141

  • Wells, M., & Mitchell, K. J. (2008). How do high-risk youth use the internet? Characteristics and implications for prevention. CHILD MALTREATMENT, 13(3), 227-234. doi:10.1177/1077559507312962

  • Mitchell, K. J., & Wells, M. (2007). Problematic Internet experiences: Primary or secondary presenting problems in persons seeking mental health care?. SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 65(6), 1136-1141. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.015

  • Wells, M., Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., & Becker-Blease, K. A. (2007). Online mental health treatment: Concerns and considerations. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOR, 10(3), 453-459. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9933

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  • Most Cited Publications