Ralph Buonopane, Ph.D

Ralph Buonopane, Ph.D., is a graduate of Northeastern University Counseling Psychology Program, with a Ph.D. (2002) and M.S. (1993), and B.S. from Tufts University (1988).  He is the Program Director of the McLean-Franciscan Child & Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health Program at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, MA.  He has over 25 years of experience in the field of child and adolescent mental health care in Massachusetts.  He is a clinical instructor in psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  He directs the McLean-Franciscan advanced practicum training program for graduate students in the fields of psychology and social work, and collaborates in the teaching of psychiatry fellows from the Mass General Child Psychiatry residency program.

As the program director of the McLean-Franciscan Child & Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health Program at the Franciscan Hospital for Children since 2000, he has coordinated the development of a trauma sensitive, family driven, strength-based approaches to acute psychiatric care at the McLean-Franciscan program.  This collaborative approach has been recognized by the Department of Mental Health 2008 Commissioner’s Award, and was featured in the March, 2003 BostonWorks On-Call magazine for healthcare professionals, as well as in several DMH annual conferences.  The focus on integrating the psychology of strengths and resilience into treatment and work environments has been successful in achieving dramatic reductions in the use of restrictive interventions in the care of children in crisis.  His work in this area has also been recognized with the 2002 Partners in Excellence Award at McLean Hospital.