Pip McGirl

Pip McGirl is Full Professor in School Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr McGirl earned her Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Bristol, England. She worked as a specialist educational psychologist in the UK for 10 years before moving to Chicago in August 2010. As a lead for the UK government funded Targeted Mental Health for Schools (TaMHS) initiative she developed training in 'Mental Health Skills for Schools' and established a team of school based counselor/therapists and family workers. Dr. McGirl is an advocate of multidisciplinary working and has been involved in a number of projects focused on developing parenting programs and pathways for multidisciplinary, ecological assessment and personalized intervention for children and young people with behavior difficulties arising from complex neuro developmental conditions. She has provided training for schools in cognition and learning, and promotion of social and emotional well being for pupils with ADHD, ASC and early childhood trauma. Throughout her career Dr McGirl has focused on increasing accessibility of mental health services for children and adolescents through the development of a community model of mental health, delivered in the schools. Dr McGirl has a particular interest in nurture, attachment, developmental trauma and resilience, bringing her expertise to the role of Research Director at The Theraplay Institute until 2017. She has presented internationally on topics related to trauma, attachment and resilience and current research interests include the neurobiology of moral development. Dr McGirl is a NASP PREPaRE trainer, certified to deliver training in School Crisis Prevention and Intervention. Dr McGirl is the recipient of 7 TCSPP Faculty Internationalization Grants/ Globe Grants, which have supported her work in Rwanda and South Africa since 2014. She has collaborated with University of Rwanda, College of Education to introduce School Counseling programs there and provided consultancy and training for NGO and Government Organizations working with vulnerable populations, including the development of trauma informed ECD practice. Dr McGirl is also an adjunct with the Department of International Psychology, for whom she developed and teaches courses in Community Resilience and Healing. She has been the lead for International Psychology Field Experience to Rwanda since 2014. Dr McGirl is an advocate for Children's Rights and serves as International School Psychology Representative to Child Rights Connect, Geneva Switzerland.