Dr. Staves is a licensed professional counselor, specializing in psychological trauma, compassion fatigue, attachment in children and adults, family systems, child abuse and prevention and ethics. Her interests include child development, specifically emotional and brain development, psychopathology, social issues impacting children and society and restorative justice. Dr. Staves is active in our community as an advocate to prevent child abuse and neglect and also to support restorative justice in our community. She currently serves on the board of the Missouri Children’s Trust fund, where she is a former board chair. She has worked in residential treatment, psychiatric hospital, and private practice; and has also mentored adults reentering society post incarceration. Dr. Staves currently teaches undergraduate and graduate classes and facilitates workshops in her areas of expertise, including compassion fatigue and child sexual abuse prevention.