Bio:

Dr. Gearing has extensive experience practicing as a clinical social worker in mental health programs for more than fifteen 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 program is the examination of evidence-based (EBP) psychosocial treatment interventions for children and youth with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) and their families. Children and adolescents with SPMI, namely those with primary psychotic disorders and major mood disorders (bipolar and depressive disorders), experience a chronic and episodic course with a prognosis characterized by relapses, impaired social adjustment and poor familial, educational and occupational functioning. His research focuses on developing and testing interventions for these youth and their families with a goal to improve the management and treatment of their psychiatric conditions by targeting four interconnected areas: 1) Identifying and examining the relapse rate and its associated predictors for children and adolescents experiencing a psychotic episode; 2) Investigating the influence of environmental conditions and supports on treatment; 3) Improving the adherence and fidelity to treatment; and 4) Developing evidence-based psychosocial treatment interventions.

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. & Charach, A. (in press). Medication adherence for children and adolescents with first-episode psychosis following hospitalization. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Nicholas, D. B., Gearing, R. E., McNeill, T., Fung, K., & Lucchetta, S. (in press). Experiences and resistance strategies utilized by fathers of children with cancer. Social Work in Health Care.

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. (2009). 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, 197(1), 6-14.

Gearing, R. E. & Mian, I. (2009). The role of gender in early and very-early onset of psychotic disorders. Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses, 2(4), 298-306.

Charach, A., Volpe, T., Boydell, K., & Gearing, R. E. (2008). Clinical perspectives: Medication adherence for children and youth with psychiatric disorders. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 16(20), 126-135.

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.

Nicholas, D., Gearing, R. E., Koller, D., Slater-Goldie, R., & Selkirk, K. E. (2008). Pediatric epidemic crisis: Lessons for policy and practice development. Health Policy, 88, 200-208.

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 August 17, 2009.