Skip to main content
Headshot of Deborah Jones

ASSOCIATE CHAIR AND ZACHARY SMITH DISTINGUISHED TERM PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Dr. Jones is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience’s clinical psychology program. As part of the program’s child and family track, her work aims to understand and enhance the lives of children and families, with particular attention to those families traditionally underrepresented in clinical science and underserved in clinical practice. To this end, Dr. Jones’ work employs basic and applied research to investigate the mechanisms underlying child, parent, and family functioning, as well as how those mechanisms shape treatment access, process, and outcomes. Her work has been funded by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Most recently, Dr. Jones’ work leverages digital tools with the goal of providing more contextualized, personalized, responsive services with a particular focus on families of young children with behavior disorders.  Early-onset behavior disorders increase the risk for psychosocial and physical health problems in adolescence and through adulthood as well costing individuals, families, and society millions in criminal justice, education, and health care costs per high risk child. Dr. Jones’ work in this area has focused on using digital tools to increase engagement of families with low-income in evidence-based treatment for early-onset behaviors disorders, as well to better understand the processes underlying treatment engagement, progress, and outcomes. Dr. Jones’ work at the intersection of children, parenting, and digital mental health is reflected in two books: Integrating Digital Tools into Children’s Mental Health Care (Jones & Anton) and Parenting the Strong-Willed Child: The Clinically Proven Five-Week Program for Parents of Two-to Six-Year Olds (Expanded 4th Edition; Forehand, Jones, & Long). She was also a member of an American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force that reviewed and provided recommendations regarding the oversight and clearance of digital therapeutics targeting mental health and related issues.

Consistent with the mission of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Dr. Jones is committed to the dissemination of evidence-informed prevention and intervention programming. For example, with a gift to the College of Arts and Sciences, she is currently working on a web-based learning platform to introduce those working with families of young children, including professionals and paraprofessionals alike, to the theory, assessment, and techniques critical for the treatment of early-onset behavior disorders. Notably, Dr. Jones’ involvement with the Center started soon after she joined the faculty at UNC Chapel Hill through a collaboration with her colleague, mentor, and friend, Dr. Dianne Ward.  Their common interests in parenting and child well-being informed Healthy Child Weight Through Improved Parenting Practices and Environmental Change (NHLBI). She is grateful to Dr. Ward for introducing her to the Children’s Healthy Weight Research Group and Dr. Jones continues her collaboration with them today.

Dr. Jones completed her doctorate at the University of Georgia, her clinical internship at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium, and her postdoctoral fellowship at  the University of Pittsburgh. Her first academic position was at West Virginia University where she was on faculty for two years before joining the Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.