Dr. Laura Backen Jones is a researcher and practitioner concerned with the well-being of children. Her research focuses on the design of effective intervention and prevention programs for families and schools.

She has taught parenting classes for over 15 years and served as a family consultant in the middle-school environment, coordinating and implementing multi-systemic interventions with students, teachers, parents, and administrators.

Laura is co-author of The First Three Years Series, a developmentally-based, intensive 30-session group parenting program designed for parents of children aged birth to three. Dr. Backen Jones is also a team member on an evaluation study of the The First Three Years curriculum, a collaborative effort between the University of Oregon and Oregon Research Institute.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her three children: Gwen, Kate and Nick and loves to explore the natural world through hiking, mountain climbing, and camping.

Laura received training in family and marital counseling and has many years experience creating and conducting cognitive and social-emotional assessments with teachers, parents and young children. She received her doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Oregon. If you would like to contact Laura, please visit our contact page.