Position:

Associate Professor

Contact Information:

afanniff@paloaltou.edu
(650) 961-9300 x3636

Faculty Status:

Core Assistant Professor

Programs:

PhD and Gronowski Center

Education:

PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson (2009)
MA, Clinical Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson (2004)
BS, Human Development and Psychological Services, Northwestern University (2001)

Biography:

Dr. Amanda Fanniff received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona, with a subspecialization in psychology, policy, and law. She completed her clinical internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida.

Her research primarily focuses on developmental considerations in the assessment and treatment of juvenile offenders, with an emphasis on two specialized populations. One line of her research focuses on juveniles adjudicated for sexual offenses, including the study of developmentally appropriate assessment and the identification of clinically-relevant subtypes of offenders. Dr. Fanniff's second main line of research involves investigating the impact of normal development on juvenile defendants' abilities to understand and participate in the legal process. Her research has been supported by the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. Additional areas of interest include the relevance of competence to proceed in sexually violent predator civil commitment proceedings and the impact of early sexualization experiences, including exposure to pornography. She serves as a supervisor in the Gronowski Center and teaches courses in primarily forensic psychology.

Areas of Interest:

Forensic psychology; Developmental considerations in the assessment and treatment of juvenile offenders; juvenile competence to stand trial; adults and adolescents who commit sexual offenses.

Selected Publications:

Selected Book Chapters:

Fanniff, A. M., Becker, J. V., & Gambow, A. L. (in press). Children and adolescents with sexual behavior problems. In R. M. Reece, R. Hanson, & J. Sargent (Eds.), Treatment of Child Abuse, 2nd edition. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Fanniff, A. M. & Becker, J. V. (2013). Adolescents adjudicated for sexual offenses. In D. S. Bromberg & W. T. O’Donohue (Eds.) Handbook of child and adolescent sexuality: Developmental and forensic psychology (pp. 519-546). New York, NY: Elsevier.

Kirsch, L. G., Fanniff, A. M., & Becker, J. V. (2011). Treatment of adolescent and adult sex offenders. In J.E.B. Myers (Ed.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (3rd ed., pp. 289-306). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Selected Articles:

Fanniff, A. M. & Letourneau, E. J. (2012). Another piece of the puzzle: Psychometric properties of the J-SOAP-II. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 24(4), 378-408.

Fanniff, A. M. & Kolko, D. J. (2012). Victim age based subtypes of juveniles adjudicated for sexual offenses: Comparisons across domains in an outpatient Sample. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 24(3), 224-264.

Kimonis, E. R., Fanniff, A. M., Borum, R., & Elliott, K. (2011). Clinicians’ perceptions of indicators of amenability to sex offender specific treatment in juveniles. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 23(2), 193-211.

Fanniff, A. M., Otto, R. K., & Petrila, J. (2010). Competence to proceed in SVP commitment hearings: Irrelevant or fundamental due process right? Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 28(5), 647-670.

Fanniff, A. M. & Becker, J. V. (2006). Specialized assessment and treatment of adolescent sex offenders. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11(3), 265-282.