Description: Dr. Wherry is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology and a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University. He directs the Institute for Child and Family Studies which provides training, services, and research related to child and family trauma. Dr. Wherry also holds adjunct appointments in the Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics where he provides child abuse training to students, interns, and residents. Jeff has worked in a variety of settings serving abused children for the past 27 years. He served as the Director of Psychological Services and Program Evaluation at the Methodist Children's Home where he first became interested in the assessment of abused children. He then worked at Arkansas Children's Hospital while tenured in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. There he was involved in research related to PTSD in abused children. Subsequently, he served as the CEO of a children's advocacy center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis where he was tenured in the Department of Psychology. More recently, Dr. Wherry has worked in more traditional academic settings training undergraduates, graduate students, interns, and residents.
Dr. Wherry has been part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), a funded initiative of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, since 2002. He was appointed to the Steering Committee of the NCTSN and has worked on various committees related to child abuse and the child welfare system, screening and assessment of traumatized children, and training of foster parents.Jeff also serves as the Co-Director of the Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars of Texas which provides non-partisan family impact seminars for legislators and other policymakers in the State of Texas. Dr. Wherry also was appointed by the Texas Commissioner of Health and Human Services to serve on the Work Group for Integration of Health and Behavioral Health Services. He provides trauma-focused screening, assessment, and psychological evaluation.