University of Nebraska experts can share insights in how families communicate in times of illness and stress. They can explain what happens when a family gets involved in the legal system. They can discuss parental responsibility, juvenile justice and elder care. They can even can offer tips on how to survive holiday gatherings when Uncle Ed and cousin Emily just have to talk politics.
Chairperson
Communication Studies
Professor and Chair, Communication Studies
Communication Studies

bio

Dr. Jody Kellas is a professor who conducts research and teaches classes on interpersonal, family, and health communication. The overarching purpose of her research program is to study the ways in which narratives, storytelling, and related forms of communicated sense-making can help individuals and families understand, negotiate, and improve communication and coping within the context of difficulty and illness. Her research lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln - NARRATIVE NEBRASKA - seeks to implement interdisciplinary, narrative-based interventions to improve caregiving, communication, and psychosocial well-being for families and care providers.

Eve Brank

faculty
Director
Ctr on Children Families & the Law
Director, Center on Children, Families and the Law
Ctr on Children Families & the Law

bio

Brank holds a law degree and doctorate from UNL’s law-psychology program. Her research focuses primarily on the way the law intervenes and sometimes interferes in family and personal decision making. In particular she studies the public support, implementation and effectiveness of parental responsibility laws associated with the juvenile justice system. She also studies the legal requirements for elder care giving.