Faculty Profiles

Dr. Nathaniel von der Embse

Professor, Admissions Coordinator

Von der Embse headshot

Email: natev@usf.edu
Phone: 813-974-9698
Curriculum Vitae
RAISE Lab website

Dr. Nate von der Embse is a professor of school psychology at the University of South Florida, and Co-Executive Director of the School Mental Health Collaborative, a national research and technical assistance center that conducts research that informs policy and practice for the promotion of the social-emotional and behavioral success of all students. 

Dr. von der Embse's research has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed publications, professional articles, and book chapters and has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Conversation, and Tampa Bay Times, and presented nationally and internationally. Dr. von der Embse was the recipient of the 2018 Lightner Witmer Award for Early Career Scholarship from the American Psychological Association. Dr. von der Embse has been awarded over $35 million from the Institute for Education Sciences, William T Grant Foundation, Florida Department of Education, US Department of Education, Spencer Foundation, National Institute for Justice, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). His research improves educational decision-making by identifying the influence of external policies and contextual drivers while developing novel solutions to improve the selection and use of preventative school mental health assessments and interventions. His research program includes: 

  • Examination of external accountability policies on student and teacher emotional wellbeing, and instructional practices;
  • Development of efficient decision-making tools including universal screening and progress monitoring measures;
  • Creation of decision-making models including teacher training in assessment use and data interpretation, multi-informant decision-making algorithms, and discrete event simulations.

Dr. von der Embse provides technical assistance to the largest school districts in the US to install universal mental health and prevention services, consults with professional associations and state governments on best practices in school mental health, and provides government advocacy training. Dr. von der Embse is a co-creator of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS) assessment suite. SAEBRS has been used with over ten million students. His book, Conducting Behavioral and Social-Emotional Assessments in MTSS: Screen to Intervene (2022) is published by Routledge. 

Courses Taught:

  • Introduction to School Psychology (SPS 6936)
  • Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality (SPS 6196)
  • Psychoeducational Interventions II: Behavioral Approaches (SPS 6701)