The holiday season has arrived, and thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and its many regulations and restrictions, it will be a holiday season like no other. Experts from Indiana University are available to speak to the various ways individuals and families will be impacted during this season’s celebrations.

Beth Trammell

Trammell, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at IU East, can speak about how parents can talk to their children about missing out on holiday traditions (seeing grandparents, visiting Santa Claus, etc.) due to COVID-19 restrictions. Trammell is an experienced clinician who has worked with kids and families for over 15 years in a variety of settings. Her expertise is behavioral and communication strategies to help parents and teachers connect and communicate with kids as well as developmentally appropriate responses to trauma, crisis and everyday stressors, and ways to help parents recognize and react to children’s behaviors more effectively.

Maria Brann and Jennifer Bute

Brann, a professor in the Department of Communication Studies at IUPUI, and Bute, an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at IUPUI, can speak to new parents about how to enjoy the holiday season while setting boundaries to preserve safety during COVID-19.

Brann and Bute have been collecting COVID-19 birth stories to identify the best ways to support women giving birth during the pandemic and can provide advice and guidance for new parents who are facing a very different holiday season than they may have expected. Brann’s primary research interests focus on the study of women’s and ethical issues in health communication contexts and promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors to improve personal and public health and safety. Bute’s research centers on communication about health in interpersonal relationships; most of her work has explored issues of reproductive health, such as how people manage private information about topics like infertility and miscarriage.

Ukamaka Oruche

Oruche, an associate professor of psychiatric mental health nursing at the IU School of Nursing, can provide advice for families, particularly families that may include children with behavioral challenges.

Oruche’s clinical research focuses on improving outcomes for children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavior problems. She designs and tests programs to enhance adolescents and their parents’ interactions with mental health providers. She coaches both parents and providers to improve parent engagement and shared decision-making in all aspects of their child and adolescent's treatment. Her overall goal is to use research to inform organized mental health structure and delivery for equitable outcomes across diverse populations.