Did you know that some mental health problems are treatable with specific, relatively short-term evidence-based therapies? And if so, how do you know which providers practice these treatments?

Today we're talking with Professor Peter Tuerk, a clinical psychologist who specializes in evidence-based treatments for anxiety spectrum disorders and who serves as director of the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development’s Sheila C. Johnson Center for Clinical Services, a community-facing outpatient and training clinic.

In our conversation, Peter helps us differentiate between general mental health care and evidence-based treatments for specific mental health problems, like the anxiety spectrum disorders he specializes in, that include obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. But according to Tuerk, not enough practitioners are trained in these treatments.

As a practicing clinician who directs the clinic where our graduate students are training to become practitioners, Peter shares how the School of Education and Human Development programs are designed to launch new practitioners into the field well trained in these areas and discuss his efforts to support the learning of professionals already practicing.

Peter Tuerk: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/peter-tuerk

Shiela C. Johnson Center for Clinical Services: [https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/sheila-c-johnson-center-clinical-services ](

Schools are regularly making important decisions that impact the quality of their students' education. Add technology like artificial intelligence that is advancing lightning fast into the mix and schools are at risk of implementing products that have little evidence of actually working.

So how do they get their hands on the evidence they need to make informed decisions? That question is at the heart of the work conducted by education researchers like Vivian Wong. In this episode, Vivian shares why education research is so important and why now—with the rapid deployment of all kinds of technology, including AI—is a critical time for it to continue.

November 14, 2025 Note: At the time of recording, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) contract had been canceled along with many other Institute of Education Sciences (IES) research contracts. Since then, the U.S. Department of Education has begun reinstating a subset of those terminated contracts. Public disclosures indicate that the WWC contract has been approved for reinstatement in a limited form, including website operations but not yet the full research-review activities previously conducted. The status and scope of the reinstated WWC contract remain unclear.

Vivian Wong:

For those in education, today’s guest likely needs no introduction. Carol Ann Tomlinson, the William Clay Parrish Professor Emerita at the UVA School of Education and Human Development, is a world-renowned expert in differentiation, an idea that connects to how teachers see and teach each student in their class.

In this conversation, Carol shares her definition of what exactly differentiation means and how her definition has evolved over time.

With 21 years of teaching experience, during which she was named Virginia’s Teacher of the Year, Tomlinson transitioned into academia, investing in a generation of future teachers at the UVA School of Education and Human Development. Her scholarship generated hundreds of publications, including books that have been translated into 14 languages. Though officially retired, Carol still works with educators across the US and around the world.

Looking back over her career, one principal reigns supreme for her when it comes to teaching: the power of human connection.

https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/carol-ann-tomlinson

Adolescent dating abuse is a topic that, while maybe not entirely taboo, is often a difficult one for many parents and other caregivers to consider. And yet, according to the Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, one in twelve adolescence experiences physical dating violence. With a background in public health, Katrina Debnam is focused on preventing abuse in adolescent dating relationships before it happens.

Katrina Debnam: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/katrina-debnam Youth-Nex: https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/youth-nex

Resources for Building Healthy Relationships This list of resources was curated and written by Katrina Debnam. This is not an exhaustive list of publicly available resources. The University of Virginia and the School of Education and Human Development do not endorse specific resources.

These hotlines are free, confidential, and open 24 hours a day.

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
• ChildHelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453)

Online Resources There are many resources available online which provide information on healthy romantic relationships and dating violence.

Ujima Inc., The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community -https://ujimacommunity.org/ Serves as a national, culturally-specific services issue resource center to provide support to and be a voice for the Black Community in response to domestic, sexual and community violence.

Break the Cycle - www.breakthecycle.org Break the Cycle inspires and supports young people 12 - 24 to build healthy relationships and create a culture without abuse.

Love Shouldn’t Have to Hurt Teens - https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/love-teens This American Psychological Association webpage tells teens what dating violence is and how to recognize, it how to avoid it, and what to do if it happens.

National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) - http://www.nyacyouth.org The National Youth Advocacy Coalition is a social justice organization that advocates for and with young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) in an effort to end discrimination against these youth and to ensure their physical and emotional well-being.

One Love - https://www.joinonelove.org/ One Love empowers young people with the tools and resources they need to see the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and bring life-saving prevention education to their communities.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: Dating Violence Fact Sheet - https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/about-teen-dating-violence.html

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - https://ncadv.org

Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime - https://victimsofcrime.org/stalking-resource-center/

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) - http://www.rainn.org/ The nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization (RAIIN) operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

Can a wearable fitness tracker, paired with a mindfulness app, help patients feel more confident about being active after their ACL surgery recovery?

Most active young people who undergo ACL repair surgery are eager to graduate from physical therapy and get back to their activity of choice. But when the day arrives, many don’t quite trust that they are ready.

In this episode of EdLab, researcher Chris Kuenze shares why the mental health aspects of ACL recovery are just as important as the physical recovery and how his pilot study that leverages the Oura Ring and the Headspace app is designed to do support both.

Chris Kuenze: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/chris-kuenze

UVA's Exercise and Sport Injury Recovery Laboratory: https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/research-labs/exercise-and-sport-injury-laboratory

EdLab is a production of the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development and WTJU 91.1 FM. EdLab is produced and hosted by Audrey Breen with support from Mary Garner McGehee and Sage Tanguay. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions. You can subscribe to EdLab wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

EdLab: https://education.virginia.edu/edlab-podcast

There is a lot happening in education. From the stubborn teacher shortages to the conversations about shuttering the U.S. Department of Education. So, what role do schools of education and human development play in this present moment? We are kicking off season two of EdLab with our dean, Stephanie Rowley, who said she thinks about that very question every day.

Stephanie Rowley: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/stephanie-rowley

EdLab is a production of the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development and WTJU 91.1 FM. Ed Lab is produced and hosted by Audrey Breen. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions. You can subscribe to EdLab wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

https://education.virginia.edu/edlab-podcast

EdLab Season Two launches Friday, September 5.

What do driving in rush hour traffic, a denied debit card at checkout and teaching have in common? High levels of stress. But according to today’s guest, while two of those experiences are temporary, teachers—especially novice ones—commonly experience overwhelm daily. So, what can be done to help?

Special education Professor Michael Kennedy and his lab are leveraging generative artificial intelligence to lessen teachers’ mental load and improve their capacity in the classroom. In this episode of EdLab, Kennedy discusses his own learning struggles and how they informed his journey to become a special education professor and work to improve outcomes for teachers and their students.

Professor Michael Kennedy: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/michael-j-kennedy

The Supporting Teachers Through Coaching, Observations, and Multimedia to Educate Students with Disabilities Lab: https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/research-labs/supporting-teachers-through-coaching-observations-and-multimedia-educate-students-disabilities

EdLab is a production of the UVA School of Education and Human Development and WTJU 91.1FM. EdLab is produced by Audrey Breen, with support from Mary Garner McGehee and Sage Tanguay. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions. You can subscribe to EdLab wherever you get your podcasts.