Dr. Kirsten Ellingsen

Practice:

Dr. Ellingsen works with children and parents to improve well being and functioning, strengthen relationships, and build skills to better manage stress, anxiety, behavior, and emotions. Participation in therapy is collaborative with a focus on strengths, reducing challenges, and increasing effective coping strategies to allow for optimal engagement in daily life.

Community Engagement:

Dr Ellingsen has over two decades involvement in leading development and disability research at local, state, national, and international levels. . She has provided training on maternal mental health screening and support to home visitors and local early childhood community providers as well as presented on parenting, emotion regulation, early childhood assessments, managing worry and anxiety and promoting mental health. She is currently serving as a clinical supervisor for graduate students in psychology at the University of South Florida and the Clinical Workgroup Chair for the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative

Her aim is to support parents, build strong relationships, and help children/teens develop to their best potential to participate fully in all areas of their lives. She served as a national research director for an early intervention home visiting program and taught psychology graduate coursework at different universities. She has been an invited expert and presenter at international conferences and national early childhood and disability workgroups, as well as presented her dissertation work on the World Health Organization ICF-CY at various national conferences. Dr Ellingsen has provided clinical treatment in hospital, school, behavioral health setting, and home settings and authored various books chapters on child assessment and the ICF-CY.

EDUCATION

Ph.D.   University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2011). School Psychology, (APA, NASP Accredited program)

Post Doctoral Fellowship: Nemours, Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children (AIDHC) Division of Behavioral Health (2011). Pediatric Psychology, Early Childhood focus. Wilmington, DE.

APA Accredited Pre-doctoral Internship: Psychological Services, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (2009-2010) Resident in Pediatric Neuropsychology

M.S. Iowa State University (1999). Human Development and Family Studies, specializing in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)

B.A.  DePauw University, Greencastle IN. English Composition, Minors: Psychology and Sociology. College Year in Athens (CYA): Semester abroad 

INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATIONS

ISEI (2025) The Earliest Intervention: supporting the pregnant and postpartum population Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention  8^th ISEI Childhood Intervention Conference, Lisbon (September 2025) Presenting Author: Kirsten Ellingsen, PhD PMH-C Co-Authors: Lacy Chavis, PsyD, Kirsten Ellingsen, PhD, Sharon Ross-Donaldson, MSW, LCSW

Ellingsen, K. M., (2014, November). Supporting Children with complex health conditions and their families in educational and medical settings. Invited presentation for the 10^th annual 10th International Parent-Child Forum, 10th Annual Anniversary Conference of China Medical University Children’s Hospital, Taichung Taiwan. 

Ellingsen, K. M., (2014, November). Collaborating with parents and professionals to promote the health and development of children with complex health conditions. Invited Workshop Presented for the 10th International Parent-Child Forum, 10th Annual Anniversary Conference of China Medical University Children’s Hospital, Taichung Taiwan. 

Simeonsson, R., Pinto, A., Ellingsen, K., Castro S., Monica, M., Catarina, G. (2011, May). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth: A common language and policy framework for early intervention. In Symposium, Early intervention without borders: Global issues and priorities. Presented at International Society on Early Intervention Conference, New York, NY.

NATIONAL PEER REVIEWED PRESENTATIONS

Ellingsen, K., (2013, April). Applying a unified global framework in pediatric psychology: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-CY) Developmental code sets. In E. Puffer (chair), Beyond the clinic walls: Reducing U.S. and global health disparities through community-based and culturally anchored intervention models. Presented at the meeting of the National Conference on Pediatric Psychology, New Orleans, LA.

Ellingsen, K. E., Peterson, C., & Guskin, K. (2013, March). Examining Fidelity, Implementation and Effectiveness for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) USA . In Ellingsen (chair) Evaluating fidelity, implementation, and effectiveness in early childhood intervention: The experiences of three national home visiting program models. Symposium at the meeting of the Children’s Mental Health Research and Policy Conference, Tampa, FL.

Ellingsen, K. & Myers, L. (2013, April). Measuring parent engagement in early intervention programs. Paper presented at the meeting of the National Conference on Family Literacy, Louisville, KY. 

Ellingsen, K. (2012, April). Demystifying research. Paper presented at the meeting of the HIPPY USA National Conference, Dallas, TX.Ellingsen, K. & Black, M. (2012, April). Assessment tools for early childhood education. Workshop conducted at the meeting of the HIPPY USA National Conference, Dallas, TX. 

Ellingsen, K. & Wirtz, P. (2012, March). Are we asking the right questions? Evidence of effectiveness in early childhood home visiting programs. Paper presented at the meeting of the Children’s Mental Health, Policy, and Research Conference, Tampa, FL.

Ellingsen, K. (2011, August). Classifying child health and disability across settings and around the world: Introducing developmental code sets from the WHO ICF-CY. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. 

Ellingsen, K. & Burch, A. (2011, February). Linking child disability classification: across settings and around the world.  Paper presented at the meeting of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), San Francisco, CA. 

Benjamin J., Gustafson K, Smith P. B., Ellingsen K., Tompkins K., Goldberg R., Cotton, C. M., Goldstein R. (2010).Early school age follow-up of congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors.  Paper presented at the meeting of theSoutheastern Regional Conference on Perinatal Research, Key Largo, FL.

Roberts, R. & Ellingsen, K. (2008, April).  Creating a statewide home visiting alliance. Presentation at the meeting of the National Parents As Teachers Conference, St. Louis, MO.

STATE CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 

Ellingsen, K. Ross-Donaldson, S. Balos, J. (2026) Beyond Self Care. Clinical Workgroup Presentation. 10th Annual Perinatal Conference, Tallahassee FL

Ellingsen, K. (chair), Flynn, H., Brognano, L. Knudson Gonzalez, D, MD and Boyer, M. (2021, December). Evidence Based Practice for Perinatal Wellness. Panel Presentation at the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, Perinatal Mental Health Conference, Tampa, FL.

Gibson, K. & Ellingsen, K. (2016, April). Child Trauma: An Introduction to Five APA Supported Evidence Based Treatments. Presentation at the Regional Convention Florida Psychological Association, St  Petersburg, FL.

Ellingsen, K. (2013, January). Parenting practices and discipline strategies that support positive child development.Workshop conducted at the meeting of the Florida HIPPY Coordinator / Home Visitor Staff Development Training, St. Petersburg, FL.

OTHER INVITED PRESENTATIONS

Ellingsen, K (2022, April). Supporting the wellbeing of pregnant and postpartum mothers. Contracted developer and trainer for Champions for Children, Tampa FL. Provided training 3 times to approximately 100 frontline workers on screening and understanding perinatal anxiety and depression.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Ellingsen, K. M & Simeonsson, R. J. (2024). Defining childhood disability: ICF-CY developmental code sets. Disability and Rehabilitation, 46(22), 5304–5312. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2024.2303385

Ellingsen, K., Karacul, E., Chen, M.T., and Simeonsson, R.J. (2017).  The ICF goes to school: contributions to policy and practice in education. In Susan Castro & Olympia Palikara (Eds.), An emerging approach to education and care: Implementing a worldwide classification of functioning and disability. NY, NY and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge

Ellingsen, K. (2016). Standardized assessment of cognitive development. In A. Garro (Ed.), Early Childhood Assessment in School and Clinical Psychology (pp. 25-49). NY: Springer Publishing.

Ellingsen, K., Boone, D, & Chavis, L. (2016). Assessment related to developmental disabilities and psychological disorders during early childhood. In A. Garro (Ed.), Early Childhood Assessment in School and Clinical Psychology (pp. 203-231). NY: Springer Publishing.

Ellingsen, K., Ortiz. K., Norwood, J., & Cohen, J. (2014). Starting the Early Childhood Assessment conversation: Contributing to better educational outcomes for young children. Report for Helios Education Foundation, summary of convening of early childhood assessment.

Ellingsen, K. & Thormann, M. S. (2011) Access to quality education for children and youth with disabilities in conflict, crisis, and stable countries: Background report (Unpublished Report). Washington, DC: USAID/EQUIP (United States Agency for International Development/ EQUIP: Education Quality Improvement Program).

Ellingsen, K. Burch-Lewis, A., & Pham, A. (2012). Learning and applying knowledge. In A.  Majnemer (Ed.), Measures of outcomes and their determinants for children and youth with developmental disabilities (pp. 282-302).London: Mac Keith Press.

Adolfsson, M., Simeonsson, R. Lee, A. & Ellingsen, K. (2012).  Major life areas.  In A. Majnemer (Ed.), Measures of outcomes and their determinants for children and youth with developmental disabilities. (pp. 435-439). London: Mac Keith Press  

Simeonsson, R., Lee, A., & Ellingsen, K. (2012). Personal Factors in A. Majnemer (Ed.), Measures of outcomes and their determinants for children and youth with developmental disabilities. (pp.435-439). London: Mac Keith Press  

Benjamin, J. R., Gustafson, K. E., Smith, P. B., Ellingsen, K. M., Tompkins, K. B., Goldberg, R.  N., Cotten C. M., & Goldstein, R. F., (2013). Perinatal factors associated with neurocognitive outcomes in early school age congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors, Journal of Perinatology, 48(4), 730-737.  doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2012.09.02