Colleen Cowperthwait PhD, Duke University
Dr. Colleen Cowperthwait is a licensed clinical psychologist, Assistant Professor, and Associate Director of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center. Clinically, she provides individual and family-based cognitive behavioral interventions for adolescents, young adults, and adults with a variety of psychiatric and medical diagnoses, including personality pathology, chronic suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury, mood and anxiety disorders, and PTSD and trauma-related disorders. In her faculty role, she provides training, supervision, and education for graduate students, clinical psychology interns, and psychiatry residents. Dr Cowperthwait has been recognized for her clinical teaching with an Outstanding Didactic Teaching Award from the Duke Psychiatry Residency Program. Her research focuses on adaptation and implementation of contemporary, family-based and cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapies.

Topic: Understanding and Supporting Emerging Adults in the Post-COVID Era
Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage distinct from both adolescence and adulthood (Arnett, 2007). This concept arose at the end of the 20th century from significant shifts in the age at which traditional adult milestones - such as social and financial independence, marriage, parenthood, and stable career - are typically reached. Recent research shows that brain development, especially in the prefrontal cortex, and skills like problem-solving and delaying gratification continue to evolve well into a person’s twenties (Wood et al., 2017). Consequently, emerging adulthood is characterized by significant change, ambiguity, identity exploration, and personal development. Developmental norms for emerging adulthood have changed rapidly, trends that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging adults have faced declines in job opportunities and increased financial instability, lower levels of life satisfaction, and higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to other age groups (Preetz et al., 2022). Although more 18- to 24-year-olds are employed full time now than 30 years ago, fewer than 20% are financially independent, and nearly 60% live with their parents (Minkin et al., 2024). What was once seen as "failure to launch" is now a typical pathway to adulthood (Bartolomeo et al., 2022). Emerging adults are increasingly dependent on family and situated in their parents’ homes during a period characterized by constant change and ongoing skill and identity development. In this presentation, Dr. Cowperthwait will review current research to better understand the unique needs of emerging adults and their families, highlight key implications, and provide recommendations for delivering family-inclusive and developmentally responsive care.