Chavez Phelps

Chavez Phelps

Chavez Phelps, PhD, is an assistant professor of school psychology at Indiana State University. His research interests include childhood trauma and mindfulness, and he is completing a grant-funded trauma-intervention project for middle school students. Chavez offers professional development in trauma-informed care for school districts across Indiana. Currently, he serves as the director for the Hoosier Whole Child Resilience Initiative at Indiana State University, which offers professional development and technical support to schools and other community agencies that support youth with trauma-related behavior and emotional needs.

Chavez is a member of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Government and Professional Advocacy Committee, where he represents states located in the central region of the United States. Between 2009-2017, he was a school-based practitioner in New Orleans, Louisiana, working in nontraditional schools such as juvenile correctional facilities, adolescent mental health hospitals, and alternative high schools. Chavez also served as director of a therapeutic program for students in grades K-8 who presented with significant behavior and social-emotional needs.

From 2014–2017, he worked in a private practice serving children and adolescents presenting with aggression, anxiety, or depression challenges. Chavez also engaged in mental health public policy work in Louisiana where he advocated for legislation that targeted school-based mental health services. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of New Orleans, and a master’s and doctorate from Indiana State University.