Dr. Ruth Paris

Biography

Ruth Paris is recognized for her expertise in trauma and infant early childhood mental health (IECMH), with a particular focus on families struggling with substance use disorders (SUDs) and opioid use disorders (OUDs). She has received support from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), as well as federal funders and private foundations, to develop and evaluate multiple attachment-based interventions targeted at vulnerable families with young children. Paris' work is driven by her desire to create effective and accessible interventions that are feasible in community settings, culturally responsive, and beneficial to families with young children. She has evaluated the dyadic therapeutic parenting intervention, BRIGHT (Building Resilience Intervention: Growing Healthier Together), which is offered within substance use treatment programs. Additionally, Paris has developed a curriculum guide in association with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) to provide in-depth social work education in infant early childhood mental health. She has served as a subject matter expert with SAMHSA/HHS and Mathematica Policy Research on interventions for parents with SUDs and young children, and was invited to be a member of the Council on Social Work Education's steering committee to develop an IECMH curriculum guide for schools of social work.

Research Interests