Melissa Wells

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

Melissa Wells, M.S.W Ph.D., is Professor of Social Work at the University of New Hampshire. Her research examines child welfare workforce retention and juvenile victimization within families and online. She teaches courses in statistics, program evaluation, child maltreatment, and school social work. Her externally funded work has included training grants with the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth, and Families, and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. She received her MSW from the University of Minnesota Duluth and her BA and Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire.

Education

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

Courses Taught

  • INCO 590: Rsrch Exp/Social Work
  • SW 962: Data Analysis and Statistics
  • SW 965: Program & Practice Evaluation
  • SW 983: Field Internship IV

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

Most Cited Publications