Associate Professor Karen Turner

Principal Research Fellow

School of Psychology
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
kturner@psy.uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 57302

Overview

Karen Turner is a clinical psychologist and research academic. She is Deputy Director at the Parenting and Family Support Centre. Her research activity focuses on the impact of evidence-nbased parenting support on child, family and community outcomes. She is a foundational co-author of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program and has published 13 professional manuals, 20 parent workbooks and tip sheet series, and 14 video programs, which are currently being used in 27 countries, in 20 languages. She has also co-written television segments and four interactive online parenting programs. She has clinical and research experience relating to the prevention and treatment of a variety of childhood behavioural and emotional problems, including work with feeding disorders, pain syndromes and conduct problems. Her doctoral research focused on the development and evaluation of brief primary care interventions in the prevention of behaviour disorders in children, and the subsequent dissemination of these interventions to the professional community. She has also conducted series of research into: online delivery of parenting programs; the cultural tailoring of mainstream parenting programs for Indigenous families; and enhancing the training and post-training environment for Indigenous professionals. Her current work includes further resource development for primary care settings, early education settings, and an ongoing focus on making evidence-based parenting support programs more accessible for families in low-resource communities.

Research Impacts

Associate Professor Turner has over 30 years of experience in the development, evaluation and dissemination of behavioural family intervention and prevention programs. Her work has primarily revolved around the UQ flagship Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, which has been subjected to over 400 research trials by over 1700 researchers in over 540 institutions; is used by more than 77,000 trained and accredited practitioners from different disciplines; and has reached more than an estimated 7 million children. The key theme of her program development and research endeavours has been increasing access to evidence-based parenting and family support for all families, with the aim of reducing population prevalence rates of child behavioural and emotional problems, family conflict and adversity. The impact of this work is both instrumental (in shaping policy, professional practice and family outcomes) and capacity building (in building community, organisational, professional and individual skills), and is establishing enduring international connectivity. It has led to adoption of evidence-based parenting programs by most state governments in Australia, and from a county/province to a national level in other countries. Her work in the cultural tailoring of programs for Indigenous families has engendered interest from other First Nations and Indigenous populations (e.g. Canada, New Zealand) and refugee families in Australia.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Masters (Coursework), The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Supervision

View all Supervision

Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Turner, Karen M.T., Singhal, Meghna, McIlduff, Cari, Singh, Saumya and Sanders, Matthew R. (2020). Evidence-based parenting support across cultures: the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program experience. Cross-cultural family research and practice. (pp. 603-644) edited by W. Kim Halford and Fons Van De Vijver. London, United Kingdom: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815493-9.00019-3

  • Sanders, Matthew R. and Turner, Karen M. T. (2019). The Triple P System: parenting support for every family. APA handbook of contemporary family psychology: Family therapy and training. (pp. 409-424) edited by Barbara H. Fiese, Marianne Celano, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Ernest N. Jouriles and Mark A. Whisman. Washington, DC United States: American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/0000101-025

  • Turner, Karen M. T., Sanders, Matthew R., Keown, Louise J. and Shepherd, Matthew (2018). A collaborative partnership adaptation model. The power of positive parenting: transforming the lives of children, parents, and communities using the Triple P system. (pp. 310-320) edited by Matthew R. Sanders and Trevor G. Mazzuchelli. New York, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0028

  • Sanders, Matthew R., Turner, Karen M. T. and Mazzucchelli, Trevor G. (2018). Innovation in parenting programs. The power of positive parenting: transforming the lives of children, parents, and communities using the Triple P system. (pp. 486-503) edited by Matthew R. Sanders and Trevor G. Mazzuchelli. New York, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0045

  • Turner, Karen M. T., Dittman, Cassandra, Rusby, Julie C. and Lee, Shawna (2018). Parenting support in an early childhood learning context. The power of positive parenting: transforming the lives of children, parents, and communities using the Triple P system. (pp. 242-251) edited by Matthew R. Sanders and Trevor G. Mazzucchelli. Sydney, Australia: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0021

  • Turner, Karen M. T. and Metzler, Carol W. (2018). Parenting support in the context of primary health care. The power of positive parenting: transforming the lives of children, parents, and communities using the Triple P system. (pp. 231-241) edited by Sanders, Matthew R. and Mazzucchelli, Trevor G.. New York, NY, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0020

  • Turner, Karen M. T., Baker, Sabine and Day, Jamin J. (2018). Technology-assisted delivery of parenting programs. The power of positive parenting: transforming the lives of children, parents, and communities using the Triple P system. (pp. 294-304) edited by Sanders, Matthew R. and Mazzucchelli, Trevor G.. New York, NY, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0026

  • Sanders, Matthew R. and Turner, Karen M. T. (2018). The importance of parenting in influencing the lives of children. Handbook of parenting and child development across the lifespan. (pp. 3-26) edited by Matthew R. Sanders and Alina Morawska. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-94598-9_1

  • Sanders, Matthew R. and Turner, Karen M. T. (2017). The international dissemination of the Triple P - Positive Parenting Program. Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents. (pp. 429-448) edited by John R. Weisz and Alan E. Kazdin. New York, United States: The Guildford Press.

  • Sanders, Matthew R. and Turner, Karen M. T. (2017). Triple P – Positive Parenting Program System. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy . (pp. 1-7) edited by Jay Lebow, Anthony Chambers and Douglas C. Breunlin. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_376-1

  • Turner, Karen M. T., Hodge, Lauren M., Forster, Michell and McIlduff, Cari D. (2017). Working effectively with indigenous families. The power of positive parenting: transforming the lives of children, parents, and communities using the Triple P System. (pp. 321-331) edited by Matthew R. Sanders and Trevor G. Mazzucchelli. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0029

  • Sanders, Matthew R., Turner, Karen M. T. and McWilliam, Jenna (2016). The Triple P - Positive Parenting Program: a community-wide approach to parenting and family support. Family-based prevention programs for children and adolescents: theory, research, and large-scale dissemination. (pp. 134-159) edited by Mark J. Van Ryzin, Karol L. Kumpfer, Gregory M. Fosco and Mark T. Greenberg. New York, NY, United States: Psychology Press. doi: 10.4324/9781315764917-14

  • Sanders, Matthew R. and Turner, Karen M. T. (2015). Triple P—Positive Parenting Program. Evidence-based parenting education: a global perspective. (pp. 225-243) edited by James J. Ponzetti, Jr.. New York, United States: Routledge.

  • Sanders, Matthew R., Turner, Karen M. T. and Markie- Dadds, Carol (2007). Paediatric Psychology and the Treatment of Childhood Disorders. Clinical Psychology: Profession and Practice in Australia. (pp. 287-314) edited by Jay S. Birnbrauer and Paul R. Martin. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Macmillan Education.

  • Sanders, M. R., Markie-Dadds, C., Turner, K. M. T. and Ralph, A. (2004). Using the Triple P system of intervention to prevent behavioural problems in children and adolescents. Handbook of Interventions that Work with Children and Adolescents: Prevention and Treatment. (pp. 489-516) edited by P. Barrett and T. Ollendick. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley. doi: 10.1002/9780470753385.ch20

  • Sanders, Matthew R., Turner, Karen M. T. and Markie- Dadds, Carol (1996). Paediatric psychology and the treatment of childhood disorders. (pp. 287-314) edited by Paul R. Martin and Jay S. Birnbrauer. South Melbourne, Vic., Australia: Macmillan Education.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

Completed Supervision