Bio:

Dr. Gearing has extensive experience practicing as a clinical social worker in hospital-based mental health programs for more than ten years. He has provided a wide range of therapeutic and clinical services as a child and family therapist to individuals, groups and families at a children's research hospital, in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric programs. Dr. Gearing has also worked as a psychiatric social worker with the crisis team of a community hospital where he provided adults and adolescents with clinical consultation and crisis risk assessment. Beyond his work as a clinician, Dr. Gearing's experience has included the provision of clinical management to a multidisciplinary team in an adult mental health day hospital program, and as a clinical supervisor for therapists in community counseling agencies.

Dr. Gearing has a concentrated interest in the areas of child and adolescent mental health, intervention and treatment. His research in this area focuses on evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions that improve the social, familial, and academic functioning. His work investigates the reduction of relapse and improvement to treatment adherence amongst children and adolescents with severe mental health conditions, and their families.

Research Interests:

• Child and adolescent mental health
• Serious and persistent mental illness
• Mental health and the family
• Social and familial determinants of health and mental health
• Parenting children with a chronic condition
• Social work practice with children and families
• Evidence-based practice (EBP)
• Relapse prevention
• Adherence to treatment and intervention

Current Projects:

• Evidence-based practice (EBP) research for children and adolescents with mental health disorders, and their families
• Reducing relapse in children and adolescents with psychotic disorders and major mood disorders
• Improving treatment and medication adherence in children and adolescents with mental health disorders
• Determinants of health
• The influence of psychosocial factors and interventions on mental health and health conditions

Recent Publications:

Journal Articles
Gearing, R. E., Mian, I., Sholonsky, A., Barber, J., Nicholas, Lewis, R., Solomon, L., Williams, C., Lightbody, S., Steele, M., Davidson, B., Manchanda, R., Joseph, L., Handelman, K., & Ickowicz, A. (in press). Developing a risk-model of time to first-relapse for children and adolescents diagnosed with psychotic disorders or mood disorders with psychotic features. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

Charach, A., Volpe, T., Boydell, K., & Gearing, R. E. (in press). Clinical perspectives: Medication adherence for children and youth with psychiatric disorders. Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

Nicholas, D., Gearing, R. E., Koller, D., Slater-Goldie, R., & Selkirk, K. E. (in press). Pediatric epidemic crisis:  Lessons for policy and practice development. Health Policy.

Gearing, R. E. (2008). Evidence-Based Family Psychoeducational Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Psychotic Disorders. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 17(1), 2-11.

Gearing, R. E., Colvin, G., Popova, S., & Regehr, C. (2008). Re:Membering
fatherhood: Evaluating the impact of a group intervention on fathers. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33(1), 22-42.

Gearing, R. E., Selkirk, E. K., Koren, G., Leslie, M., Motz, M.,  Zelazo, L., McNeill, T., & Lozier, F. A. (2008). Perspectives of Mothers with Substance Use Problems on Father Involvement. Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 15(1), 99-107.

Mian, I. A., Gearing, R. E., DeSouza, C., & Solomon, L. (2007). Corticosteroid-related psychiatric complications in the treatment of hodgkin’s lymphoma in an adolescent. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 16, 27-29.

Gearing, R. E., Saini, M., & McNeill, T. (2007). Experiences and implications of social workers practicing in a pediatric hospital environment affected by SARS. Health and Social Work. 32, 17-27.

Gearing, R. E., Mian, I. A., Barber, J., & Ickowicz, A. (2006). A methodology for conducting retrospective chart review research in child and adolescent psychiatry. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 15, 126-134.

Koller, D. F., Nicholas, D. B., Slater-Goldie, R., Gearing, R. E., & Selkirk, K. E. (2006). Bowlby and Robertson revisited: The impact of social isolation on hospitalized children during SARS outbreaks. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 27, 134-140

Koller, D., Nicholas, D., Slater-Goldie, R., Gearing, R. E., & Selkirk, K. E. (2006). When family-centered care is challenged by infectious disease:  Pediatric health care delivery during the SARS outbreaks. Qualitative Health Research, 16, 47-60.

Gearing, R. E., & Mian, I. A. (2005). An approach to maximizing treatment adherence of children and adolescents with psychotic disorders and major mood disorders. The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review, 14, 106-113.

Gearing, R. E., McNeill, T., & Lozier, F. A.  (2005). Father involvement and fetal alcohol syndrome: Developing best practice guidelines. Journal of FAS International, 3, 1-12.

Gearing, R. E. (2004). Bracketing in research: A typology. Qualitative Health Research, 14, 1429-1452.

Gearing, R. E. (2003). Conflicting principles in social work doctoral programs: The effects of unspoken power dynamics. Canadian Social Work Review, 20, 243-257.

Colvin, C., & Gearing, R. E. (2002). Re:membering fatherhood: Report on a
demonstrative-research program for fathers. IMPrint, 34, 7-10.

Last updated March 24, 2008.