What is the Greatest Eight?

The Greatest 8 is an exciting initiative designed to help parents give their children a great emotional start in life. The initiative focuses on eight key skills, which if developed at an early age, can set a child up for a life of mental wellness. The Greatest 8 is about helping parents help their kids with healthy emotions and behavior.

The topic of child development can be overwhelming for parents, and finding trustworthy resources can be a challenge. The Greatest 8 was designed with parents in mind by a team of researchers from the University of Rhode Island. Each of the eight key skills are segmented into age groups, and feature real-life examples, strategies, and tips. The eight skills include: communication skills, understanding and identifying feelings, balancing emotions, self-perceived competence, problem solving, coping and resilience, conflict management and resolution, and diversity awareness and respect.

The 8 Core Skills

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The Team

Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, Ph.D., ABPP

Ellen Flannery-Schroeder is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Rhode Island (URI). Dr. Flannery-Schroeder received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University. Dr. Flannery-Schroeder, who has dedicated her career to preventing and treating childhood anxiety, lives in nearby Connecticut with her husband and three children.

Lindsey Anderson, Ph.D.

Lindsey Anderson is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Director of the Psychological Consultation Center (PCC) at the University of Rhode Island (URI).  Dr. Anderson received her Masters and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at URI.  Her expertise includes health behavior change and community intervention efforts to promote mental health.  Dr. Anderson lives in southern Rhode Island with her husband and three young daughters.

Louise S. Kiessling, MD, FAAP

Louise S. Kiessling, beloved Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrician & Professor Emerita, Pediatrics and Family Medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University, served as Pediatrician-in-Chief & Founder of the Neurodevelopmental Center at Memorial Hospital of RI.  A long-time member of the Washington County Coalition for Children, Dr. Kiessling served as the driving force and inspiration for the development of The Greatest 8.  She died in 2023.

Susan A. Orban, LICSW

Susan A. Orban is a clinical social worker whose career working with children and families spans six states.  Susan leads the Washington County Coalition for Children (child advocacy organization.  For 7 years she led Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Washington County, addressing childhood obesity and children’s mental health.  She has one daughter (now all grown up!) and lives in Narragansett with her husband.

Maria DiFonte, Ph.D.

Maria DiFonte is a psychologist at the Institute of Living’s Anxiety Disorders Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Dr. DiFonte received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rhode Island (URI). Her expertise includes treating youth anxiety, obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and trauma-related disorders, and working with parents to improve youth mental health outcomes. She is a former Rhode Islander and is now living in central Connecticut.

Von Marie Rodríguez-Guzmán, Ph.D.

Von Marie Rodríguez-Guzmán, PhD, is a bilingual, bicultural Clinical Psychologist at Lifespan’s “Clínica Latina" and serves as Clinical Instructor in the Dept. of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at Brown University.  She completed a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) postdoctoral fellowship in Child & Adolescent Mental Health and has a strong interest in promoting community & individual resilience behaviors and ways Latinx cultural values (e.g. ethnic pride, family cohesion, acculturation)...