Marva L. Lewis, PhD, IMH-E®

A PhD in Sociocultural Psychology and Associate Professor at Tulane University, Marva Lewis has worked in child welfare and as an infant mental health psychotherapist. She researches the building on the interactions during the everyday 24-hour cycle of cultural childcare routines of hair-combing, mealtime, bathtime, and bedtime stories, to strengthen parents’ attachment to children, culture, and community. Psychosocial tools and measures based on this research are presented in the book Talk, Touch & Listen While Combing Hair©, culturally valid, strengths-based community interventions with African American and Latino families. 

Dr. Lewis' program of research focuses on the development of culturally valid research methods and measures of racism-based stress during pregnancy, Colorism in African American families, and parental acceptance or rejection of children. Specifically her basic and applied research includes:

• Basic research on racism-based stress as an unrecognized factor in racial disparities in perinatal infant outcomes in African American women.
• Applied research using narrative therapy techniques and measures to strengthen African American family intergenerational relationships based on issues of Colorism as a legacy of the historical trauma of slavery.
• The prevention and reduction of child abuse and neglect and strengthening parent-child attachment through the use of the hair combing task, and a parent-education curriculum, Talk, Touch & Listen While Combing Hair, for use with a community-based parent support group using visualization methods and peer support, infant mental health concepts and techniques.
• The development of an evidenced-based tool for use by individuals, organizations, and groups on the topic of Diversity, Privilege and Oppression.

In 2021, Dr. Lewis was endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Mentor-Research/Faculty by the Alliance for the Advancement of  Infant Mental Health.