Terry Petrenchik is an associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She earned a Ph.D. in occupational therapy from Nova Southeastern University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Petrenchik has held faculty positions at universities in the U.S. and Canada including McMaster University, University of New Mexico, and Northern Arizona University. She was a founding member of the McMaster-Community Poverty Initiative and has served as an invited expert on panels hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (Children and Youth at Risk Branch). She is a graduate of Georgetown University's Leadership Academy to Address Disparities in Mental Health Care, a part of SAMSHA's Eliminating Disparities Initiative, and she is a member of the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED).
Petrenchik's research area is in child and adolescent mental health, particularly trauma and resilience. She is a contributing author on the first occupational therapy text concerning mental health promotion and prevention approaches for children and youth. She is currently involved in workforce development in resilience and recovery-oriented practices, as well as health
Petrenchik teaches courses on the following topics:
