Katie Eklund

Dr. Katie Eklund is a Professor in the School Psychology Program. She received her doctorate in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Prior to entering academia, Katie worked in public education for 10 years as a school administrator, school psychologist, and school social worker. She is currently a licensed psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Katie currently serves as Co-Director of the School Mental Health Collaborative, a center focused on conducting research that informs policy and practice related to the promotion of the social-emotional and behavioral success of all students.

Dr. Eklund’s research focuses on school mental health, including early identification and intervention for children who have behavioral and/or social-emotional concerns, culturally responsive mental health interventions, social emotional learning, and school safety. Her current research projects include implementation of universal screening and Tier 2 social emotional interventions in K-12 schools, addressing the social-emotional and behavioral needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and examining school threat assessment practices in Wisconsin middle and high schools. Katie is co-author of the Resilience Education Program, a Tier 2 intervention for students at-risk for internalizing behavior concerns. Katie’s research has been funded from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, the Office of Special Education Programs, and the National Institute of Justice.

Katie currently teaches courses in the School Psychology Graduate Program at UW-Madison, including Introduction to School Psychology, School Safety and Crisis Response, and Beginning Practicum. She has previously taught Consultation and Supervision, Academic Assessment, Cognitive Assessment, and School-based Field Practicum. In 2025, Dr. Eklund received the UW-Madison Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.