Dr. Julie Kaplow is a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. After establishing the first SAMHSA-funded Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center at the University of Michigan, Julie saw a pressing need for trauma- and grief-informed services in Texas and subsequently brought the TAG Center to the Greater Houston area, now housed at The Hackett Center for Mental Health. In her role as Executive Director of the TAG Center, she develops, evaluates, and disseminates trauma- and bereavement-informed “best practices” to community providers nationwide. Given that the TAG Center is not a direct service provider, the Lucine Center works hand-in-hand with the TAG Center to pilot-test, implement and evaluate innovative treatments for traumatized and grieving youth. In this way, the Lucine Center serves as a “living laboratory” to further inform the overlapping fields of childhood trauma and grief.

Julie and the Lucine Center clinicians have responded to tragedies impacting youth in Texas. Following Hurricane Harvey, Julie and her team provided evidence-based risk screening and interventions to children and families adversely affected by Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath. She also helped to establish the Santa Fe Resiliency Center following the Santa Fe High School shooting, where Lucine Center staff have provided evidence-based assessment and treatment to families who were impacted by the shooting.

A strong proponent of a scientist-practitioner approach, Julie’s primary research interests focus on the psychological and behavioral health consequences of childhood trauma and bereavement, with an emphasis on individual and environmental factors that can be used to inform interventions. Julie has published widely on the topics of childhood trauma and grief, with over 75 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She is lead author of Multidimensional Grief Therapy, co-author of Collaborative Treatment of Traumatized Children and Teens: The Trauma Systems Therapy Approach, and co-author of Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents. She has served as a consultant to the DSM-5 Work Group on Prolonged Grief Disorder, the ICD-11 Work Group on Disorders Associated with Stress (PTSD and Prolonged Grief), the National Academy of Medicine (Scientific Advisory Council on Child Death), and the Mass Violence and Children Working Group of the FBI.

As the founder and CEO of The Lucine Center, Julie provides oversight and supervision of all clinical activities taking place within the Center. She also conducts trainings and workshops for community- and school-based clinicians as well as youth-serving organizations, schools, academic medical centers, and group practices on trauma- and grief-related topics.

Julie received her BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Duke University. She completed her internship at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School followed by specialized postdoctoral training in childhood trauma at the Center for Medical and Refugee Trauma at Boston Medical Center. Most recently, Julie served as the Chief of Psychology and Vice Chair for Behavioral Health in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine.

Originally from Michigan, Julie has two sons, Jonah and AJ, the “lights” of her life, and partner, Mark, whose love and support inspires her to view “big challenges as big opportunities.”  Julie enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring Texas wildlife, drinking iced coffee, and discovering new restaurants (preferably Mexican).