Wendy L. Haight
Professor
Office location: 2040
Phone number: 217-244-5212
Email: wlhaight@illinois.edu
Educational Background
Dr. Haight received her PhD at the University of Chicago in 1989 where she studied developmental psychology, after obtaining her BA from Reed College. She then completed a 2-year NIMH postdoctoral fellowship in developmental psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She joined the social work faculty in 1995.
Research and Practice Interests
Professor Haight’s research focuses on cultural variation in parenting and development. Most recently she has focused on children in vulnerable families involved with the public child welfare system.
Current Research
Current research includes the study of children in foster care because of parent methamphetamine abuse. Her research team has conducted ethnographic research describing the problem of parent methamphetamine abuse in rural, mid-western communities. She has used this descriptive information to develop, implement and evaluate culturally appropriate mental health interventions for affected rural children.
Recent Publications
Chapters in Books
Haight, W., Imagining each other: An African American grandmother combats racial hatred. In R. Shweder (Ed.-in-chief), The Chicago Companion to the Child. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (in press).
Greene, J., Sommerfeld, P. & Haight, W. (in press) Combining methods in social work research: Fusing or Fragmenting? In I. Shaw, B. Briar-Lawson, J. Orme & R.Ruckdeschel (Eds.) Sage Handbook of Social Work Research. London: Sage publications.
Books
Haight, W., Ostler, T., Black, J. and Kingery, L., “Children of Methamphetamine-Involved Families: The Case of Rural Illinois,” New York: Oxford University Press (2009).
Journal Articles
Haight, W., Carter-Black, J. & Sheridan, K. Mothers’ Experience of Methamphetamine Addiction: A Case-based Analysis of Rural, Midwestern Women. Children and Youth Services Review, 86(4), 41-62, (2008).
Haight, W., Finet, D., Bamba, S. & Helton, J. (in press). The beliefs of resilient African-American adolescent mothers transitioning from foster care to independent living: A case-based analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, (in press).
Bamba, S. & Haight, H.(in press). The developmental-ecological approach of Japanese child welfare professionals to supporting children’s social and emotional well-being: The practice of mimamori. Children and Youth Services Review.