Catherine Kunsch
Professor and Co-Director of School Psychology; Chair, School Counseling and School Psychology
Joined Eastern: 2013
Education
- Ph.D. in School Psychology, Lehigh University
- M.S. in Psychology, Villanova University
- B.A. in Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University
Licenses/Certifications
- Pennsylvania Certification in School Psychology
- Nationally Certified School Psychologist
Research Interests
- Positive Behavior Support
- Peer-mediated interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders
- Self-management interventions
- System level interventions in school psychology
- Interventions for adults with autism spectrum disorders
Clinical Interests
- Behavioral assessment and interventions
- School-wide positive behavior support
- Students with low-incidence disabilities such as autism
- Students with emotional and behavioral disorders
- Response to intervention
Recent Publications
- Bambara, L.M., Cole, C.L., Kunsch, C., Tsai, S.C., & Ayad, E. (2016). A peer-mediated intervention to improve the conversational skills of high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 27, 29-43.
- Bambara, L.M. & Kunsch, C. (2014). Effective teaming for positive behavior support. In F. Brown, J. Anderson, & R. De Pry (Eds.). Individual positive behavior supports: A standards-based guide to practices in school and community-based setting. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
- Cole, C.L. & Kunsch, C. (2013). Self-monitoring. In B. D. McLeod, A. Jensen-Doss, & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.). Handbook of child and adolescent diagnostic and behavioral assessment. New York: Guilford.
Presentations
- Edgar-Smith, S., Kunsch, C.A., Kennard, R., & Walton, A. (2018, February). Tiered Behavior Support at a Bilingual Urban High School. Poster presented at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Annual Conference, Hershey, PA.
- Kunsch, C.A., Cole, C.L., & Bambara, L. M. (2016, February). What are YOU Doing: Social- Communication Interventions for Adolescents with ASD. Practitioner conversation presented at the National Association of School Psychologists 2016 Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA.
- Kunsch, C.A., Cole, C.L., Bambara, L. M., Ayad, E., Lubar, A., & Tsai, S.C. (2015, February). Teaching Peers to Support Conversation with High School Students with ASD. Mini-skills workshop presented at the National Association of School Psychologists 2015 Annual Convention, Orlando, FL.
- Bambara, L., Cole, C.L., Kunsch, C. A., Tsai, S.C., & Drogan, R. (2014, December). Teaching Peers to Support Conversation with High School Students with ASD. Paper presented at the 2014 TASH Conference, Washington, DC.
- Bambara, L., Cole, C.L., Kunsch, C. A., Tsai, S.C., & Ayad, E. (2014, April). Improving the Social Communication Skills of High School Students With Autism. Paper presented at the 2014 Council for Exceptional Children Convention and Expo, Philadelphia, PA.
- Bambara, L., Cole, C.L., Kunsch, C. A., Tsai, S.C., & Ayad, E. (2014, March). Helping High School Students With Autism Become Active Conversationalists Through Peer Mediation. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Positive Behavior Support, Chicago, IL.
- Bambara, L., Cole, C.L., Kunsch, C. A., Ayad, E., & Lubar, A. (2014, February). Peer Mediation to Improve Social Communication of Adolescents with Autism. Paper presented at the National Association of School Psychologists 2014 Annual Convention, Washington, D.C.
- Ayad, E., Cole, C.L., Bambara, L., & Kunsch, C. (2014, February). Peer-mediated Social Skills Interventions for Students with Autism: Peer Behavior. Poster presented at the National Association of School Psychologists 2014 Annual Convention, Washington, D.C.
- Bambara, L.M., Cole, C.L., Kunsch, C.A., Dumnich, J., & Tsai, S.C. (2013, December). Peer Intervention to Improve the Conversational Skills of High Schoolers with Autism. Paper presented at the 2013 TASH Conference, Chicago, IL.
- Kokina, A., Bambara, L., & Kunsch, C. (2013, March). Intervention Research for Adults With Autism: Current Evidence, Critical Gaps. Paper presented at the Association for Positive Behavior Support Annual Conference, San Diego, CA
- Bambara, L., Cole, C., Kunsch, C., Drogan, R., & Tsai, S.C. (2013, March). Supporting the Conversational Skills of High School Students with Autism Through Peer-Mediation. Paper presented at the Association for Positive Behavior Support Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
Professional Associations
- National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
- American Psychological Association (APA) (Division 16)
- Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) (Behavioral Disorders Division)
- TASH
- Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS)
