Michael  Wessells
Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health
E-mail: mwessell@rmc.edu

Michael Wessells, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health and currently teaches the course "Psychosocial Impact of Forced Migration." He is also Senior Child Protection Specialist for Christian Children’s Fund and Professor of Psychology at Randolph-Macon College. He regularly advises various government and international agencies on child protection and psychosocial programs and policies, and he currently is Co-Chair of a U. N. Task Force on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. His research on children and armed conflict examines child soldiers, psychosocial assistance in emergencies, and post-conflict reconstruction for peace. His most recent book, Child Soldiers: Stolen Childhoods will be published by Harvard University Press in late 2006.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Wessells M. (2003). Terrorism and the mental health and well-being of refugees and displaced people.  In F. Moghaddam & A. Marsella (Eds.), Understanding terrorism: Psychosocial roots, consequences, and interventions (247 – 263). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Wessells M, Monteiro C. (2004). Healing the wounds following protracted conflict in Angola: A community-based approach to assisting war-affected children. In U. P. Gielen, J. Fish, & J. G. Draguns (Eds.), Handbook of culture, therapy, and healing ( 321-341).  Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Wessells M, Monteiro C. (2006). Psychosocial assistance for youth: toward reconstruction for peace in Angola. Journal of Social Issues, 62(1), 121-139.

Wessells M. (2006). Negotiating the shrunken humanitarian space: Challenges and options. In G. Reyes & G. Jacobs (Eds.), Handbook of disaster psychology, vol. 1 (147-164) Westport, CT: Praeger.

Wessells M. (2006). Child soldiering: Entry, reintegration, and breaking cycles of violence. In M. Fitzduff & C. Stout (Eds.), The psychology of resolving global conflicts: From war to peace, vol. 3 (243-266). Westport, CT: Praeger Security International

Wessells M. (2007) Child soldiers: from violence to protection. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.