Wayne State University

Warrior strong
Login
Search

College of Education College of Education

Francesca Maria Pernice, Ph.D.

Francesca Maria Pernice, Ph.D.

Professor of Educational Psychology

313-577-1718

FrancescaPernice@wayne.edu, bb3832@wayne.edu

Office Hours: Varies by semester; by appointment.

351 Education Bldg.

Francesca Maria Pernice, Ph.D.

Degrees and Certifications

  • M.S. Clinical Psychology
  • Ph.D.Michigan State University, Family & Child Ecology with a specialization in  Marital and Family Therapy
  • Michigan: Licensed Psychologist
  • Michigan: Licensed Marital and Family Therapist

Responsibilities

Dr. Pernice is an assistant professor and director of the Counseling Psychology M.A. program in the Division of Theoretical and Behavioral Foundations located in the College of Education. She instructs graduate courses in the area of adult psychopathology, ethics, and educational psychology. She serves as advisor for PhD students in the School Psychology PhD Concentration and Learning and Instructional Sciences PhD concentration within the department of Educational Psychology.

Academic Interests

Recovery from serious mental health; Recovery oriented commnunity mental health treatment environments; Social network supports and mental health;  Family systems theory; Ecological theory in development and mental health.

Area of Expertise

  • Clinical practice in the behavioral disorders in children and famililes, couples and marital therapy
  • Family psychoeducation/ serious mental illness
  • Evaluation and research of psychiatric rehabilitation programs known as "Clubhouses"
  • Intentional recovery communities, peer support services

Research Interests

  • Ecological systems theory methodology of applying principles, methods, and results of science to the improvement of people’s lives and their environments.
  • Psychiatric rehabililation recovery programs
  • Peer support programs
  • Social support networks
  • Family System Theory

Awards

  •  2012
    2012 Alumni Faculty Service Award

Community Engagement Activities

  • State of Michigan Governer Appointment, Board of Marital and Family Therapy (2011)
  • Board of Directors, Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), Detroit, MI (2011)
  • Director-at-Large, Michigan Division of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
  • Board member, Michigan Chapter- U.S.  Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services
  • Recovery Council- Wayne County Mental Health Agency and Project Care
  • Training Faculty: Merrill-Palmer & Skillman Institute, Wayne State University

Presentations

Pernice-Duca, F. (2012, July). Panel Speaker, Clubhouse Midwestern Regional Conference, Lansing, MI.

Pernice-Duca, F. & Bateson, S. (2012). Clubhouse: A path to recovery. Invited presentation at Cross-Cutting and Integrated Practices Conference, Michigan Department of Community Health and Michigan Association of Community Health Boards. June 18-19, Lansing, MI.

Pernice-Duca, F, Alward, M., Williams, P., & Onaga, E. (2011, August). The role of clubhouse research. Invited Chair and presenter for Panel Presentation with Michigan Department of Community Health and Michigan State University. Michigan Clubhouse Training Conference, Lansing, MI.

Pernice-Duca, F., & Blasberg, S. (2011, August). Clubhouse relationships: Why they matter so much. Invited presenter with Grand Avenue Clubhouse, Milwaukee WI. Michigan Clubhouse Training Conference, Lansing, MI

Maisha, M., & Pernice-Duca, F. (2010, April). Stomp out Stigma! Reign in Recovery! Invited presenter, 21st Century Dilemmas Facing Families. Michigan Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Conference, East Lansing, MI.

Kellogg, L., Pernice-Duca, F., & Hall, L. (2010, March). Strategies in helping auspice agencies understand the critical role of clubhouse. Invited speaker by Livingston County Community Mental Health, Michigan Clubhouse Training Initiative Conference. Funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, through the Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI.

Pernice-Duca, F.(2010, September). The important role of research in the clubhouse movement. Invited presentation for the 9th Mid-State Clubhouse Conference, Troy, Michigan.

Pernice-Duca, F. (2010, September). The Science of Clubhouses. Invited Plenary Speaker for the 9th Mid-States Clubhouse Conference, Troy, Michigan.

Pernice-Duca, F. & Onaga, E. (2010, June). The Interaction between the Social Environment, Social Network Support, and the Recovery Process from Serious Mental Illness. Invited International Research Symposium- Fountain House New York, New York.

Pernice-Duca, F. & Pierce, N. (2010, June). The social discourse of recovery: The role of clubhouse staff in recovery promotion. United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, 35th Annual conference, Boise, ID.

Pernice-Duca, F. (2010, March). Family and peer networks as a function of social support across ethnic reference groups. 2010 Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research on Adolescence, Philadelphia, PA.

Pernice-Duca, F. (2009, November). For love or money? Perspectives of marriage among romantically involved new parents. National Council on Family Relations conference, San Francisco, CA.7.

Pernice-Duca, F., Yoon, J. & Taiariol, J. (2008, March) The role of family and school influences in relational aggression. Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.

Featured publications

A Contemporary Review of the Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation: Past, Present, and Emerging Directions

 Hinchey, L. M. E., Pernice, F. M., Christian, J. N., Michon, A., & Rice, K. (2023). A Contemporary Review of the Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation: Past, Present, and Emerging Directions. The Psychiatric quarterly, 10.1007/s11126-023-10051-w. Advance online publication.

Keywords

Clubhouse
Narrative review
Psychosocial rehabilitation
Serious mental illness (SMI)
Social practice

Since the 1940s, the Clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation has evolved towards a comprehensive practice of social theory and intervention. A narrative review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Using the search term "Clubhouse," 194 articles were identified in online databases. 38 met criteria for inclusion. Most studies were qualitative (60.5%) and few utilized experimental or quasi-experimental designs (7.9%). Narrative synthesis revealed research aims and outcome variables falling into six key areas: social integration and connectedness, quality of life, recovery, relational dynamics, policy, and virtual adaptations of the model. Options for increasing experimental methodologies in this area are reviewed. Recommended future directions involve moving towards a biopsychosocial approach to clarifying the mechanisms through which the model promotes recovery-aims that may yield implications beyond the realm of serious mental illness.

Fountain House and the Clubhouse Movement

Pernice, F., D’Angelo, L., Dudek, K., Michon, A., Aquila, R. (2022). Fountain House and the Clubhouse Movement. In: Sowers, W.E., McQuistion, H.L., Ranz, J.M., Feldman, J.M., Runnels, P.S. (eds) Textbook of Community Psychiatry. Springer, Cham.

Prior to the 1960s, people suffering from a serious mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia, major depression, and other conditions, lived in state institutions and asylum wards. Although these asylums for the mentally ill evolved from a caring, therapeutic approach of the moral treatment, by the mid-twentieth century these institutions had become overcrowded, underfunded, and hardly reflective of the humane values upon which they were originally based. The story of Fountain House, a working recovery community known as a “clubhouse,” relates a different narrative concerning the treatment of mental illness. While society historically relegated people living with serious mental illness to the periphery, today Fountain House welcomes them on West 47th Street to find meaning in their lives and invited them to demonstrate their productive talents in the heart of New York City. As early allies in community psychiatry recognized the importance of not only providing physical and psychiatric care but also the social component of relationships and a place to belong Fountain House offers.

The Predictive Utility of Trauma Subtypes in the Assessment of Mental Health Outcomes for Persons Resettled as Refugees

Hinchey, L.M., Grasser, L. R., Saad, B., Gorski, K., Pernice, F., & Javanbakht, A. (2022). The Predictive Utility of Trauma Subtypes in the Assessment of Mental Health Outcomes for Persons Resettled as Refugees. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

Authored by Francesca's doctoral student and Community Psychiatry students and faculty.

Responding to the Global Pandemic: A Pulse of the Well-Being of Clubhouse Communities Moving Virtual

Michon, A., Hinchey, L., Pernice, F., Drews, J., Price, M., Christian, J., Rice, K., & Kellogg, L. (2021). Responding to the Global Pandemic: A Pulse of the Well-Being of Clubhouse Communities Moving Virtual. Journal of psychosocial rehabilitation and mental health, 1–13. Advance online publication.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic
Clubhouse
Engagement
Virtual communities
Well-being

Clubhouse communities rapidly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic to keep members connected as psychosocial rehabilitation programs were globally disrupted. This investigation aims to elucidate how Clubhouse directors responded to the pandemic and their members' needs, while also directly assessing the needs and well-being of members. This study utilized secondary data from Director and Member surveys designed to capture Clubhouse status, member engagement, and measures of well-being. Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients were computed across data from directors (n = 140) and members (n = 1136). Directors across 19 countries indicated that the majority of Clubhouses closed and were engaging with members using a variety of technologies, primarily Zoom videoconferencing. For members, greater levels of virtual Clubhouse engagement were positively correlated with physical and mental well-being and negatively correlated with hospitalization rates. This study provides support for an association between virtual Clubhouse engagement and well-being. Repeated measures studies are needed to further investigate this association. 

Why We Come: Clubhouse Members Seek Connection, Purpose and Meaning

Pernice, F.M., Price, M.H. & Rice, K. W. (2021). Why We Come: Clubhouse Members Seek Connection, Purpose and Meaning. Community Mental Health Journal 57, 446–456.

Fountain House and Community Psychiatry

Pernice, F., D’Angelo, Dudek, K.,Michon, A., Aquilla, R. (In Press). Fountain House and Community Psychiatry. In W. Sowers, H. McQuistion, J. Ranz, J. Maus Feldman P. Runnels; (Eds.) Textbook of Community Psychiatry,Springer Publication (Spring 2021).

Publications

Conrad-Garrisi, D., & Pernice-Duca, F.. (in press). Sense of mattering to recovery and stigma in consumer-oriented recovery environments. Special Issue: Peer Support at Fountain House/Clubhouses as Rehabilitation Efforts in the Mental Health Field, Guest Editor: K. Magnus, International Journal of Self Help and Self Care.

Bernardon, S., & Pernice-Duca, F. (in press). A narrative-attachment perspective to the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. The Family Journal

Pernice-Duca, F. (in press). The Social process of recovery in the Clubhouse environment: Special Issue: Peer Support at Fountain House/Clubhouses as Rehabilitation Efforts in the Mental Health Field, International Journal of Self Help and Self Care.

Biegel, B.E., Pernice-Duca, F., Chang, C., & D’Angelo, L. (2012). Peer supports in an urban clubhouse. Community Mental Health Journal.

Pernice-Duca, F., Case, W., & Conrad-Garrisi (2012). The role of intentional communities to support recovery from mental illness. In L.Labate (Ed.). Mental Illness-Evaluation, Treatments and Implications. Intech. ISBN 979-978-953-307-645-4.

Carolan, M., Onaga, E., Pernice-Duca, F., & Jimenez, T. (2011). A place to be: The role of Clubhouses facilitating social support. Psychiatric Rehabiliation Journal, 23(2), 125-132.

Pernice-Duca. F. (2010). Family network support and mental health recovery. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 36(1), 13-27.

Pernice-Duca, F. (2010). Staff and member perceptions of the clubhouse environment. Administration and Policy and Mental Health Services Research, 37(4) 345-356.

Pernice- Duca,F. Saxe, B., & Johnson, J. (2010). Factors influencing staff perceptions of the organizational environment of clubhouses. Administration and Policy and Mental Health Services Research,37(4), 334-344.

Bernardon, S. & Pernice-Duca, F. (2010). A family systems perspective to recovery from post-traumatic stress in children. The Family Journal, 18(4), 349-357.

Pernice-Duca, F, Taiariol, J., & Yoon, J. (2010). Perceptions of school and family climates and experiences of relational aggression. Journal of School Violence, 9(3), 303-319.

Owens, D., Pernice-Duca, F., & Thomas, D. (2009). Post-training needs of urban high school counselors: Implications for counselor education training programs. Journal of School Counseling, 7(17).

Pernice-Duca, F. & Onaga. E. (2009) Examining the contribution of social network support to the recovery process among clubhouse members. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 12, 1-30.

Pernice-Duca, F. (2008). The structure and quality of social network support among mental health consumers of clubhouse programs. Journal of Community Psychology, 36,(7), 929-945.

Herman, S., Onaga, E.E, Pernice-Duca, F., Oh., S., & Ferguson, C. (2005). Sense of community in clubhouse programs: member and staff concepts. American Journal of Community Psychology, 36(3/4), 343-356.

Onaga, E.E., & Pernice-Duca, F. (2005). Service-learning. In B.C Fisher, & R. Learner (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science, Volume II (pp.990-991). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

Onaga, E.E. & Pernice-Duca, F. (2005).Special education: Transition from school to young adulthood. In B.C Fisher, & R. Learner (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science, Volume II (pp.1042-1044). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Schellenbach, C., Strader, A., Pernice-Duca, F., & Key-Carniak, M. (2005). Building Strengths and Resilience among At-Risk Mothers and Their Children: A Community-Based Prevention Partnership. In R. Peters, B. Leadbeater, & R, J. McMahon, (Eds.), Resilience in Children, Families, and Communities: Linking Context to Practice and Policy (pp. 101-116). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Pernice-Duca, F., & Rogers, M.A. (2001). The psychology of negotiation: a wider lens on divorcing families. Michigan Family Law Journal, 48-52.

Courses taught by Francesca Maria Pernice, Ph.D.

Fall Term 2024 (future)

Winter Term 2024 (current)

Fall Term 2023

Winter Term 2023

Fall Term 2022

Winter Term 2022

Recent university news spotlights

← Return to listing