Kathryn Seifert Ph.D.

Dr. Kathryn Seifert is an expert in the areas of violence, mental health, criminal justice and addictions. She is the CEO of Eastern Shore Psychological Services (ESPS), a multidisciplinary private practice based out of Maryland that works with high-risk youth and their families. Dr. Seifert specializes in the assessment and treatment of individuals, who are at risk for violence and those who are emotionally disturbed, behaviorally disordered, victimized, delinquent, and/or are suffering from attachment disorders. Frequently called upon by national television networks to discuss violence and mental health, Dr. Seifert has interviewed on Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, the Huffington Post Live, Discovery ID, Fox News, and CBC in Canada. She has appeared on numerous radio shows and local television programs.

Dr. Seifert has written two books on youth violence. Her first book How Children Become Violent: Keeping Your Kids out of Gangs, Terrorist Organizations, and Cults, (Acanthus Publishing 2006)was awarded the 2007 IPPY (Independent Book Publishers Award) bronze medal in the Psychology/Mental Health category. Her second book Youth Violence: Theory, Prevention, and Intervention (Springer Publishing 2011) is written for the professional community and is frequently used in courses and training sessions where this content is a component of the curriculum.

Dr. Seifert has received national recognition for her CARE-2 Assessment: Chronic Violent Behavior and Treatment Needs (Acanthus Publishing, 2007-2012), an assessment tool widely utilized by social workers, teachers, court personnel, and medical professionals, designed to identify youth who are at risk for violent behavior. It is the only assessment of its kind that provides a comprehensive intervention plan to prevent future aggressive outbursts. In 2013, she received a $250,000 grant from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships program to test the accuracy of the assessment, which she is currently working on in partnership with Salisbury University and the Department of Juvenile Services. Dr. Seifert is also the author of the RME (Risk Management Evaluation) for Women, which enable professionals to identify violence and sexual abuse factors in women.

As an expert contributor for Psychology Today, Dr. Seifert authors the “Stop the Cycle” blog, which has amassed over 130,000 views in the past two years, and 25,000 alone between October 30^th 2013 and January 30^th 2014. She has published more than 50 articles in various publications and websites and been interviewed for countless more. Her expertise has appeared on The Daily Beast and Yahoo News and major U.S. dailies such as the Washington Post, Hartford Courant, and the Baltimore Sun. She has become the ‘go-to’ source for news outlets covering incidents of multi-victim violence. She will be appearing in the upcoming second season of the television documentary series on A&E entitled Killer Kids providing expert analysis on several cases of horrific violence committed by young people. Dr. Seifert has a free bi-weekly e-newsletter, which is sent out to over 1,000 subscribers, and she also is active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Dr. Seifert has lectured internationally and is highly sought after speaker to address conventions, discussion forums, and gatherings of mental health, criminal justice and education professionals. She has spoken in Switzerland, Canada, the Netherlands, and across the United States. Select conferences and events include Maryland Psychological Association Annual Conference, Pennsylvania’s NAMI Cherry Blossom Charity Ball, and the Conference on the Federal Response to Reducing Gun Violence, which took place following the Sandy Hook tragedy and was headlined by Vice President Joe Biden. In recent years, she has devoted a significant amount of time to research for her upcoming book Failure to Attach: The Why Behind Terrorists and Mass Murderers.