Kate Rorer Watson

Kate R. Watson, PhD, is a social welfare researcher whose work examines how organizations and systems can become more trauma-informed, equitable, and responsive to the people they serve. Her research focuses on trauma-informed organizational change, organizational climate, child welfare and education systems, and the experiences and well-being of transition-age youth. She uses mixed-methods, community-based participatory research, qualitative, and measurement-development approaches to connect the perspectives of practitioners and people with lived experience to organizational and systems-level change. Her work aims to bridge research, policy, and practice by generating evidence that can inform more effective and humane social service systems.

PhD: University of California, Los Angeles (Social Welfare)

MSW: University of California, Los Angeles (Social Welfare)

B.S.: American University (Business Administration)

Peer Reviewed Publications

Fensterstock, Natalie; Watson, Kate R; Robinson, Luz E; Warri, Vanessa R; Garcia, Anthony A; Wu, Chaoyue; Hogenkamp, Sawyer; Xu, Yinuo; Garner, Hannah; Dunn, Danielle; Astor, Ron Avi; Espelage, Dorothy L; McMahon, Susan D; Reddy, Linda A; Martinez, Andrew; Anderman, Eric M; Worrell, Frank C  (2025). Social Workers' Reports on Needs and Recommendations to Enhance School Safety. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 15 (5) More Information

Watson, Kate R; Astor, Ron Avi  (2025). A critical review of empirical support for trauma-informed approaches in schools and a call for conceptual, empirical and practice integration. Review of education (British Educational Research Association), 13 (1) More Information

Robinson, Luz E; Watson, Kate R; Fensterstock, Natalie; Hogenkamp, Sawyer; Xu, Yinuo; Garner, Hannah; Warri, Vanessa R; Morgan, Casie H; Garcia, Anthony A; Wu, Chaoyue; Dunn, Danielle; Espelage, Dorothy L; Astor, Ron A; McMahon, Susan D; Reddy, Linda A; Anderman, Eric M; Worrell, Frank C; Martinez, Andrew  (2025). School Safety Concerns and Solutions: A Qualitative Analysis of U.S. School Psychologists' Perspectives. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 15 (2) More Information

Watson, Kate R; Astor, Ron Avi; Capp, Gordon P; Benbenishty, Rami  (2024). School Social Workers' Reports of Differences in Policies and Practices in Trauma-Informed and Non-Trauma-Informed Schools. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 14 (11) More Information

Astor, Ron Avi; Benbenishty, Rami; Capp, Gordon P; Watson, Kate R; Wu, Chaoyue; McMahon, Susan D; Worrell, Frank C; Reddy, Linda A; Martinez, Andrew; Espelage, Dorothy L; Anderman, Eric M  (2024). How school policies, strategies, and relational factors contribute to teacher victimization and school safety. Journal of community psychology, 52 (1) , 39-57More Information

Watson, Kate R; Capp, Gordon; Astor, Ron Avi; Kelly, Michael S; Benbenishty, Rami  (2022). "We Need to Address the Trauma": School Social Workers' Views About Student and Staff Mental Health During COVID-19. School mental health, 14 (4) , 902-917More Information

Watson, Kate R; Astor, Ron Avi; Benbenishty, Rami; Capp, Gordon; Kelly, Michael S  (2021). Needs of Children and Families during Spring 2020 COVID-19 School Closures: Findings from a National Survey. Social workMore Information

Capp, Gordon; Watson, Kate; Astor, Ron A; Kelly, Michael S; Benbenishty, Rami  (2021). School Social Worker Voice during COVID-19 School Disruptions: A National Qualitative Analysis. Children & schools, 43 (2) , 79-88More Information

Watson, K. R. & Astor, R. A., Capp, G., & Benbenishty, R.  (2026). Social Workers’ Perspectives on the Climate of Trauma-Informed and Non-Trauma-Informed Schools. Journal of Child & Adolescent TraumaMore Information

Watson, K. R., Camacho Torres, Y., Solis, A. J., Rubtsova Henderson, A., Mogy, N., Wright, Z., Sac Tzep, A., & Talavera, J.  (2025). Foster youth perceptions of the system’s impact on themselves and their families: A California photovoice project. Child Protection and Practice, 5More Information

Abrams, L. S., Watson, K. R., *Lesnick, J., & Barnert, E. S.  (2026). “I was able to stay afloat:” Formerly incarcerated young adults’ experiences of a guaranteed income program. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Kelly, M. S., Benbenishty, R., Capp, G., Watson, K., & Astor, R.  (2021). Practice in a pandemic: School social workers’ adaptations and experiences during the 2020 COVID-19 school disruptions. Families in Society, 102 (3) , 400

Astor, R. A., Benbenishty, R., & Watson, K. R.  (2021). A conceptual and large-scale empirical examination of the Welcoming Empowerment Monitoring Approach (WEMA) for school safety and substance use reduction. Research on Social Work Practice, 31 (5) , 454

Academic - Health Sciences Building
3225 Eden Avenue
Cincinnati  Ohio, 45267
Phone: ‪(513) 452-6355
watso2kr@ucmail.uc.edu