Connie Beck

Connie Beck, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona. For the past 20 years, she has conducted research investigating short-and long-term outcomes for divorcing couples experiencing intimate partner violence and mediating their disputes. This work includes a large, longitudinal archival study though multiple official databases (mediation, superior court, law enforcement). With colleagues from Indiana, Connie Beck developed a risk assessment instrument for the mediation context and is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial of two models of divorce mediation for highly violent couples (i.e. shuttle and videoconferencing) as compared to those couples returning to court. Connie Beck’s newer research includes a pilot study testing a batterer treatment program adapted for adolescent boys charged with domestic violence against a parent/primary caregiver. She is also involved in research investigating children who repeatedly return to the child welfare system and involuntarily committed individuals who repeatedly return to the civil commitment process. The newest research project is working with a team of lawyer advocates and law professors from across the country investigating the roles of guardians ad litem, best interest attorneys and court appointment advisors in family court and order of protection cases.