The University of Tulsa clinical psychology doctoral student Kendall Whitney-Snel (M.A. ’23) has been awarded a $1,500 grant from the American Psychological Foundation Division 18 to support the writing and research of her dissertation.
The foundation utilizes the power of philanthropy to advance psychological knowledge by investing in innovative research and applications that prioritize people and their wellbeing. Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) research grants support efforts in research that respond to the needs of the public in areas such as psychological practice, research, training, and policy formation. Their mission is to enhance knowledge about psychology in public service settings and elevate the human condition in these contexts.
Whitney-Snel’s dissertation aims to explore whether survivors of intimate partner violence involved with child welfare services under failure-to-protect statutes experience institutional betrayal. She will compare reports of institutional betrayal between survivors who had their children removed and those who did not by conducting independent sample t-tests. Additionally, she will use qualitative methods to examine the experiences of those whose children were removed under failure-to-protect policies.
The hope is that, with her study’s findings, more nuanced interventions can be developed that are tailored to the unique needs of survivors who face child removal threats.