Michelle E. Roley-Roberts, Ph.D.

Graduate student opening 2026-27

Childhood Adversity, Mental Healthcare Disparities, Trauma and Suicide Interventions

Highly motivated and hardworking undergraduate students interested in joining her research lab should have taken or be enrolled in research methods I and II. Students should plan to work 2 semesters for 10 hours per week, which includes a weekly undergraduate student seminar. If interested, please send me an email that includes your CV OR resume, and the attached undergrad research application.

Click here to visit the POSTSCRIPT Research Lab website to learn more!

About

Michelle E. Roley-Roberts, Ph.D., is a tenure-track assistant professor and licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University. She is licensed in Ohio, Nebraska, and West Virginia.

She formerly was a tenure-track assistant professor and director of psychiatry residency/fellowship quality improvement in the Department of Psychiatry, graduate faculty member in the Department of Neuroscience, adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology at Creighton University, and licensed clinical psychologist at CHI Health.

She completed her postdoctoral research at the Nisonger Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She was a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Trainee, a National Institute of Mental Health Child Intervention, Prevention, and Services (CHIPS) Fellow, and a Leadership Education to Advance Diversity (LEAD) Fellow. Dr. Roley-Roberts graduated from the University of Toledo with a doctorate in clinical psychology in August 2016. She completed her APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the child track. She earned her master’s in clinical psychology from the University of Toledo in December 2013. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as a Lab Manager at the Duke University Medical Center and volunteered at El Futuro from 2008-2011. She graduated from Kent State University with her bachelor’s in psychology and an emphasis in Pan African Studies in 2008. She is a proud Upward Bound alumna from Ohio University.

Degrees

• Kent State University, BA, 2008
• University of Toledo, MA, 2013
• University of Toledo, PhD, 2016

Research Interests

Dr. Roley-Roberts has an active research lab: PTSD, Suicide, and Traumatic Stress in Children: Culturally Relevant Interventions, Prevention, and Training. The goal of her research is to investigate and provide culturally sensitive evidence-based assessments and treatments for PTSD toward the goal of reducing negative outcomes like suicide and homelessness. As a first-generation college student, individual with a {dis}ability, and proud Appalachian from Southeast Ohio, she is passionate about using research to advocate for equitable mental health care and access to knowledge and resources with and for underserved communities. The POSTSCRIPT Lab works collaboratively with the Mon County Child Advocacy Center and the WVU Medicine Resilience After Complex Trauma (ReACT) Clinic to evaluate and support the community-based trauma-informed clinical services provided in each of these settings.

Service Interests

Dr. Roley-Roberts serves in a variety of department, university, and community service roles; a more comprehensive list is available in her CV. She is a co-director of WVU's TRACER (Translational Research on Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience), an interdisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and educators working to enhance resilience and reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The initiative supports this mission through a monthly seminar, a writing group for faculty and graduate students, and undergraduate research mentorship. To learn more, visit the TRACER Initiative webpage.

Teaching Interests

She also teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in the WVU Department of Psychology. She currently teaches a variety of applied courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Her applied clinical Ph.D. courses, including Behavioral and Psychological Assessment II and Child Behavior Therapy, are designed to teach doctoral students how to practice in the areas of assessment and child therapy. She also teaches Multiculturalism in Psychology, a foundational course that supports the tenets of becoming a well-rounded clinical psychologist. In addition, she supervises the Teaching Supervision Practicum for graduate students learning to teach undergraduate Multiculturalism in Psychology courses.

She also teaches applied courses that involve both graduate and undergraduate learners, including Clinical Practicum. In this course, she supervises graduate students' clinical work focused on child and pediatric therapy, assessment, and consultation services. Undergraduate students completing a Clinical Capstone observe applied clinical work, support graduate student clinicians, and participate in weekly supervision to gain a deeper understanding of clinical child psychology services.

The students on her practicum team primarily serve clients through the Quin Curtis Center Psychology Clinic, as well as through community-based partnerships such as WV Academy, where students provide assessments to K–12 youth in school settings to inform Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans. Another example of applied coursework involving both graduate and undergraduate learners is Research Practica. In these courses, she supervises students completing either lab-wide research projects (described elsewhere on her website) or independent research projects initiated by graduate or undergraduate students.

Undergraduate students participate in these independent research experiences through several opportunities, including the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), in which first- and second-year students are paired with a faculty research mentor for one year, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), volunteer research assistant positions, or the Psychology Research Capstone. Graduate students enroll in research credits, contribute to lab-wide projects, and complete independent research projects under her mentorship, including master's theses and doctoral dissertations.

Courses

• Psychology 332 – Multiculturalism in Psychology
• Psychology 670 – Clinical Child Practicum
• Psychology 671 – Child Behavior Therapy
• Psychology 654 – Behavioral and Psychological Assessment II