Austen McGuire, PhD

Professional Background

Dr. Austen McGuire is a licensed psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Sciences within the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. McGuire received his Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas. He completed his clinical psychology internship on the Child Track of the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Following graduate school and internship, Dr. McGuire completed a two-year NIMH T32 Fellowship in the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at MUSC. Clinically, Dr. McGuire provides outpatient psychotherapy services to children and adolescents through the Department of Pediatrics, with a focus on adversity exposure in youth.

• BA, Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
• MA, Clinical Child Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
• PhD, Clinical Child Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Basic & Translational Research Training in Traumatic Stress Across the Lifespan (T32MH018869), Medical Unitersity of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

• Licensed Psychologist, Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board

• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies , Member, 2021 - Present
• American Psychological Association, Society of Child and Family Policy and Practice (Division 37), Student Board Communications Officer, Section on Child Maltreatment , 2020 - 2021
• American Psychological Association, Society of Child and Family Policy and Practice (Division 37), Member, 2019 - Present
• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Member, 2018 - Present
• American Psychological Association, Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (Division 53), Member, 2016 - Present
• American Psychological Association, Member, 2015 - Present

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Research

Overview

Dr. McGuire’s research aims to improve understanding of the mechanisms that link adversity exposure (e.g., maltreatment, community violence exposure, unexpected death of a close individual) to youth wellbeing, with a focus on youth and families involved in the child welfare system and who live below the federal poverty threshold. Another primary focus of his research is the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices in psychology, with a specific interest in evidence-based assessments and treatments for youth exposed to adversity. These areas of research have sought to close the research to practice gap by improving the methods used to assess for and statistically analyze adversity exposure, as well as by developing new tools and online resources (e.g., web-courses) to increase evidence-based treatment utilization.

• Development and evaluation of the SPRINT measure for adolescent PTSD, South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) Institute

• McGuire, A., Singh, A., Jackson, Y. 2024. Let it go, let it go: Stop measuring child maltreatment as a binary yes/no. Child Abuse & Neglect, 155, 106994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106994
• McGuire, A., Glover, J., Smith, D.W. 2024. Evaluation of Two Online Learning Courses for Evidence-Based Trauma Treatments: TFCBTWeb2.0 and CPTWeb2.0.. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2024.04.008
• McGuire, A., Jackson, Y. 2018. A multilevel meta-analysis on academic achievement among maltreated youth. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 21 (4), 450-465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-018-0265-6
• McGuire, A, Gabrielli, J, Jackson, Y. 2024. Trying to fit a square peg in a round hole? Testing the robustness of maltreatment measurement models for youth. Child Maltreatment, 29 (2), 233-245. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595221149447
• McGuire, A., Steele, R.G., Singh, A. 2021. Systematic review on the application of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for preschool-aged children. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24 (1), 20-37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-020-00334-0
• McGuire, A., Cho, B., Huffhines, L., Gusler, S., Brown, S., Jackson, Y. 2018. The relation between dimensions of maltreatment, placement instability, and mental health among youth in foster care. Child Abuse & Neglect , 86, 10-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.08.012