Dr. Karyn Purvis earned her doctorate in developmental psychology, specializing in serving at-risk children, and she has spent the last ten years developing research-based interventions for those children. She is a former foster mother with a personal and professional calling to create a welcoming, loving environment for children who come from “hard places.” She serves as an expert witness in court cases of child abuse, testifies for state and national legislation, and speaks frequently to national and international groups. Recent trips have taken her to varied national groups from trainings for judges and CPS workers, to training international parents and professionals in England, Iceland, Scotland, Romania, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. She has eight grand children, two of which are adopted.
Dr. Purvis received her undergraduate degree at TCU and continued on to receive her masters and doctorate in Developmental Psychology from TCU as well. During her time at TCU, Dr. Purvis developed and directed (1999 – present) the Hope Connection, a research and intervention summer day camp for adopted children. She continued her work with this population as the director of the Adoption Project from 2003 -2006. Work from these projects has been featured in NBC Dateline, Fort Worth Weekly, Newsweek, Parents Magazine, and other popular parent magazines. She and her colleague, Dr. David Cross, write for scientific journals, parents magazines, and have co-authored a feature book for McGraw-Hill titled, The Connected Child: Bringing Hope and Healing to your Adoptive Family, which was released Spring 2007. Within six months of publication, The Connected Child earned rank as a best-seller in adoption books. She and her colleague, Dr. David Cross were recently honored with the Dallas business journal Heroes of Healthcare Award. Dr. Purvis was awarded the T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. Infant Mental Health Advocacy Award, a state-wide award for child advocacy. She was also awarded the title of Distinguished Fellow in Adoption and Child Development by the National Council for Adoption. Dr. Purvis was appointed Presiding Officer of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Committee on Licensing Standards by Governor Rick Perry.
