Research team
PROFESSOR SOPHIE HAVIGHURST (BA Hons, Dip Clin Psych, PhD)
Leader Tuning in to Kids Research and Dissemination
Professor Sophie Havighurst is the leader of Tuning in to Kids Research and Dissemination and a program author of the Tuning in to Kids® suite of programs. She is a child clinical psychologist and a Professor at the University of Melbourne.
She completed a degree in clinical psychology at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 1998 before moving to Australia to undertake a PhD at the University of Melbourne, which she completed in 2003. This provided her with the theoretical, methodological and practical foundations for the work on Tuning in to Kids® – the original parenting program which she developed in collaboration with Ann Harley.
Sophie is the Principal Researcher for the Tuning in to Kids research team and provides supervision to postgraduate students as well as other researchers and professionals around the world who are evaluating the program in a range of settings and with different populations. In 2018-2019 she worked at the University of Oslo, Norway, where she is now an honorary research fellow. She also works as a clinical psychologist in private practice.
ANN HARLEY (BA, Dip Teach, Grad Dip Ed, M Ed)
Program Consultant
Ann is the co-creator of the original Tuning in to Kids® parenting program with Sophie Havighurst and co-author of the Tuning in to Kids® program manual. She is a teacher, sociologist, parent educator and counsellor with over 40 years’ experience in parent education and support. She has worked with parents and carers in a variety of community and cultural settings and consulted with parent education professionals at a local, state and international level. This practical experience in the field was one of the central elements in the development of the Tuning in to Kids® program and was further developed in 2012 when she undertook a qualitative study with a sub-set of parents from the first Tuning in to Teens™ research trial, for her Master of Education. This study in particular provided her and the Tuning in to Kids team with additional practical and theoretical ideas for the development of the Tuning in to Teens™ program and manual as well as for Dads Tuning in to Kids™ and Tuning in to Toddlers™.
From 2008 to 2020 Ann was the Training Manager for Tuning in to Kids®, Tuning in to Teens™ and Dads Tuning in to Kids™ parenting programs, where she organized local, interstate and overseas trainings and was part of the team providing training, supervision and specialist consultation to trainees and organizations.
Ann is now a Program Consultant for the Tuning in to Kids® suite of programs, having retired in 2020. She continues to contribute to program development and dissemination.
DR.CHRISTIANE KEHOE (BSSc Hons, PhD)
Research Manager
Christiane is currently Research Manager for the Tuning in to Kids® suite of programs and co-author of Tuning in to Teens™, Tuning in to Toddlers™ and the Whole School Approach. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2014, where her research involved the pilot trial and subsequent development of the Tuning in to Teens™ program, as well as the first randomised control trial which established the efficacy of this program for parents of pre-adolescents. She was Project Manager for the second evaluation of that program and for the trial of the Tuning in to Toddlers™ program. More recently she has adapted Tuning in to Teens™ for use as a Whole School Approach for teachers, parents, and students.
In addition to her role as Research Manager, Christiane is an accredited facilitator trainer for the entire Tuning in to Kids® suite of programs, and provides supervision and consultation to professional trainees, parents and teachers.
Dr Christina Ambrosi
(BPsych Hons, PhD)
Research Fellow
Christina returned to the Tuning in to Kids team as a Research Fellow in February 2023, after previously working as Research Assistant on the Tuning in to Toddlers™ trial in 2017-2018. Christina completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of South Australia, in which she developed and evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of Tuning in to Kids Together™. Tuning in to Kids Together™ is a modified version of Tuning in to Kids® that encourages caregivers/parents to attend sessions with one another. In addition to her research, Christina is completing her Master of Psychology (Clinical), with the intention of combining research and clinical practice to support family and child wellbeing. In the role of Research Fellow, Christina is formalising the manual and developing facilitator training for Tuning in to Kids Together™, as well as examining factors that influence the implementation of Tuning in to Kids® programs.
Dr Nikki Boswell
(BA Ed & Training, Masters Human Nutrition, Grad Dip Teaching and Learning, PhD)
Research Assistant
Nikki joined the Tuning in to Kids® team as a Research Assistant in April 2022. She completed her PhD at the University of Queensland with a focus on understanding the relationship between parenting practices, family food environments and eating behaviours during early childhood. Nikki has a Master’s in Human Nutrition and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (Secondary Education). Nikki has over 10 years’ experience working with families and young people through her work in health promotion, community nutrition and education. In her role at Tuning in to Kids®, Nikki is involved in implementation and evaluating the Tuning in to Kids® programs in the retail and research setting.