Member since
2005
Her job
Clifasefi is an assistant professor in the psychiatry and behavioral sciences department at the University of Washington and the co-director of the Harm Reduction Research and Treatment Lab at the University of Washington–Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she works with chronically homeless people with alcohol dependence with the goal of creating harm-reduction interventions and programs.
From research to practice
Clifasefi earned her PhD in psychology from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, where she studied how alcohol placebos affect eyewitness memory. In 2003, she came to the University of Washington for a postdoctoral fellowship and learned about harm reduction. The school's pragmatic approach and compassionate philosophy won her over.
Working with the community
Clifasefi's research with the homeless takes her out into the community, where she hopes to lower the barrier between the clients and herself. "The interaction with these individuals is my favorite part of my work," she says. Working with the community has shown her the frustrating side of psychology. Good science takes time, she says, but people can't wait the 14 years it might take to develop a good intervention for a specific population. "Hopefully, co-creating the interventions with affected community members in the relevant communities is one answer to that frustration," she says.
Balancing family and work
Although Clifasefi does not see her work as a job, she makes sure she takes time for herself and for her family. She goes offline one day a week to catch up on research or exercise — she recently discovered cycling. She also spends at least one weekend day with her two sons and husband. In addition, the family takes a vacation every winter to New Zealand, where her husband grew up. Her work has influenced her children, who want to be scientists and do something for the good of the community. "I don't think my 5-year-old understands as much," she says. "My 8-year-old is pretty in tune and is proud of what his mom does."
— Heather Mongilio
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