IBS Associations
Director, Center for Resilience + Well-Being
Prevention Science Program
Brief Biography
Dr. Monica Fitzgerald is a licensed clinical psychologist and Senior Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science, where she co-leads the Center for Resilience + Well-Being (CRW). She specializes in childhood trauma, resilience, social-emotional development, family communication, and parenting.
Her research focuses on understanding how child abuse, violence, and trauma impact emotional and behavioral health, and the pivotal role supportive caregivers play in helping children navigate adversity. Dr. Fitzgerald emphasizes the importance of adults’ well-being in creating safe, nurturing environments and strong, trusting relationships that foster healthy emotional regulation and coping skills for youth.
CRW is dedicated to designing and testing programs that strengthen adult well-being and relationship skills to better support youth. Dr. Fitzgerald has extensive experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating trauma-informed, evidence-based prevention programs for families and schools. She is a certified expert trainer and consultant in trauma-focused interventions, including TF-CBT and AF-CBT, and enjoys training locally, nationally, and internationally.
As the co-developer of the Let’s Connect® (LC) parenting prevention program, Dr. Fitzgerald is supporting efforts to evaluate this program in our local communities through initiatives like the Community Collective for Youth + Family Resilience (CCYFR). CRW collaborates with several community partners, including the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN), Clinica Family Health & Wellness, and Boulder Housing Partners (BHP) to increase access to evidence-based, trauma-focused interventions and reduce health disparities for underserved youth and caregivers impacted by violence.
In addition, Dr. Fitzgerald and her team support a large community health center, Clinica Family Health & Wellness, through a SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) grant, implementing trauma-informed programs and interventions such as TF-CBT, AF-CBT, and LC in Boulder, Broomfield, Gilpin, and west Adams counties. Dr. Fitzgerald is Principal Investigator co-leading a new five-year NCTSN project, The Community Collective for Trauma-Informed Evidence-Based Prevention and Treatment Services, which is a collaboration between CU and partners in Boulder, Garfield and Montrose counties who support youth and families in local and rural communities in Colorado.
For schools, Dr. Fitzgerald co-developed the RISE: Resilience in Schools & Educators program, a trauma-informed K-12 prevention initiative currently being implemented and evaluated in Colorado schools. Her team has also worked closely with the Colorado Department of Education to support their initiatives that enhance the state’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports for youth and adult health and well-being in schools.
A strong believer in the power of collaboration, Dr. Fitzgerald works closely with multidisciplinary partners, families, and youth. All CRW initiatives are grounded in clinical, developmental, and community-based research, with a focus on implementation science.
Dr. Fitzgerald earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia and completed a clinical internship and NIMH postdoctoral research fellowship at the National Crime Victims Research Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. When not working, Monica enjoys spending time with her three children and staying active through rock climbing, mountain biking, and skiing in Colorado.