The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) has conferred its organization's prestigious Student Award to Megan Haselschwerdt. Ms. Haselschwerdt is a doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Ms. Haselschwerdt received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Indiana University at Bloomington and a Master of Science degree at the University of Illinois. Her dissertation project will begin to fill a gap in the family studies literature by exploring domestic violence and secrecy within affluent families and communities. Through the use of grounded theory ethnography, her study will examine family dynamics in an understudied population.

Ms. Haselschwerdt' s research will rely on individual interviews with affluent mothers who experienced domestic violence in their marriage, college students from affluent families who were exposed to domestic violence and domestic violence professionals and advocates (e.g., attorneys, social workers, therapists) who work with affluent families.

Ms. Haselschwerdt believes that researchers need to collaborate with a variety of practitioners who have been working with affluent populations at the grassroots or practical level. Despite the lack of research on domestic violence in affluent families, practitioners in these communities are well aware of the presence of domestic violence, as well as the potentially unique dynamics that occur within these families and communities. She feels that developing ongoing relationships between researchers and practitioners is essential in examining this unstudied population.

The National Council on Family Relations is the nation's premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families. NCFR has a membership of over 3500 family researchers, practitioners and educators.  For more information on the National Council on Family Relations or its scholarly publications, contact NCFR at 1-888-781-9331 or visit its website at www.ncfr.org .