Katarzyna Celinska grew up in Poland where she attended the University of Warsaw. Her master’s thesis focused on analyzing sociological and legal implications of infanticide in Poland. She earned her doctorate in Sociology at the University of Utah, completing a dissertation entitled “Individualism and Collectivism in America: The Case of Gun Ownership.” An article based on her dissertation is published in Sociological Perspectives. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research (IHHCPAR) at Rutgers University, she examined how imprisoned mothers struggle to maintain their maternal identities while separated from their children. From this qualitative data, she has developed a typology of coping strategies. Dr. Celinska is currently working with the Violence Institute of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) to evaluates a program that provides Family Functional Therapy to court-involved youth with disciplinary and behavioral problems.