June Horowitz (CSON)

Promoted to full professor

Ph.D., New York University

Faculty member since 1980

Specialization: Family mental health; postpartum depression; childhood bullying and teasing

Representative publication: “Promoting responsiveness between depressed mothers and their infants” (Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2001)

“If a mother is dealing with postpartum depression, which about 10-15 percent of moms do, it’s hard for her to be tuned into the very subtle cues her baby gives off. And when babies get a mother who doesn’t respond, they themselves pull back. Those early months are a critical time for their development—they’re learning how to trust and relate to other people—so it’s important to have a caregiver who encourages the baby to reach out, smile, play little games. We try first to help the mom understand how her baby communicates, when he’s looking to interact, and when he needs a rest. And we watch her play with the baby and see what she does. Many depressed mothers have a flat facial expression, without variability in their tone of voice. We coach them on how they can lift their eyebrows, use their eyes, use touch. I think even parents who are not depressed could use this kind of hands-on teaching. Our society spends a lot of time helping moms learn about labor and delivery, but how much time is spent on what it’s really going to be like to take care of a baby?”