Dr. Karen M. O’Brien is a professor in the Department of Psychology and associate chair for undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on the vocational development of women (e.g., studying factors associated with successful management of work and family in the United States and internationally) and intimate partner violence (e.g., developing interventions to reduce dating violence). Dr. O’Brien is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and she serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Counseling Psychology and the Journal of Career Assessment. She is a licensed psychologist in the State of Maryland and a member of the Board of Directors for the Family Crisis Center of Prince George's County, Inc. Recently, Dr. O'Brien completed a Graduate Certificate Program in Applied Thanatology at the University of Maryland Baltimore to enhance her knowledge regarding theory, research and clinical practice related to death, dying and grieving. 

Recent projects include: (1) an international study of the meaning of motherhood and its relationship to career outcomes for American and Korean mothers, (2) the development and testing of an online intervention to reduce dating violence on college campuses, and (3) a grant proposal (with colleagues at the University of Maryland Medical Center) to obtain funding to develop and evaluate the efficacy of an online course intervention focused on improving knowledge of end-of-life issues, reducing death anxiety, and enhancing communication skills for future health care professionals including pre-medical students and undergraduate psychology students.

Please refer to Dr. O'Brien's website for additional information about her research, teaching and service. 

http://counselingpsychologyresearch.weebly.com/index.html