Barbara Katic
Assistant Professor Loyola Marymount University
Biography
Prior to joining LMU, she taught in the Clinical Psychology master’s program at Antioch University Santa Barbara. She also worked at the Santa Barbara County SELPA, where she evaluated special education programming for students with emotional and behavioral needs. Additionally, she served as a wraparound services facilitator, working with families to coordinate school- and community-based supports tailored to each student’s unique needs.
Dr. Katic’s research centers on three interconnected areas: the implementation and evaluation of restorative justice practices in K–12 schools, the adaptation and evaluation of school-based mental health programs, and the preparation and training of future school psychologists. Her work is grounded in a commitment to advancing equity and improving student outcomes through culturally responsive, evidence-based practices.
Education
University of California, Riverside
PhD
School Psychology
2022
University of California, Riverside
MA
School Psychology
2020
California State University, San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus
MS
Counseling and Guidance
2017
University of Calgary
Bachelor of Arts
Psychology
2012
Areas of Expertise
Industry Expertise
Affiliations
- National Association of School Psychologists
- American Psychological Association
Languages
- English
- Croatian
Articles
From Local Classrooms to Global Impact: Exploring the Intersection Between Restorative Justice and Global Citizenship
School Psychology ReviewBarbara Katic, Laura Alicia Alba
2025-05-20
Restorative justice (RJ) is increasingly being implemented in schools across the U.S. and internationally. School-based RJ practices have demonstrated short-term benefits, including school climate improvements and reduced discipline disparities. However, their potential to impact students beyond the classroom remains untapped. This potential aligns with the broader concept of global citizenship (GC), which encompasses an individual’s rights and responsibilities to act locally, nationally, and globally. In an increasingly interconnected world, there is a pressing need to foster a sense of social responsibility, global humility, and active engagement, all key elements of RJ and GC. The classroom plays a central role in translating these skills, values, and behaviors from local school communities to global contexts. This paper aligns Zehr’s pillars of RJ with Morais and Ogden’s GC conceptual model through three key intersections: (1) Harm, Healing & Humility, (2) Voice, Action & Engagement, and (3) Responsibility, Justice & Empathy. Implications are discussed.
Training “with” Families: Transforming Social Justice Principles into School Psychology Practice
School Psychology ReviewTerese Aceves, Barbara Katic
2025-05-19
Social justice in school psychology calls for professionals to partner with families from diverse communities. However, research on training methods in the United States to enhance culturally responsive practices in family-school partnerships is limited. This basic qualitative research study examines the implementation of the family as faculty (FAF) approach within a school psychology graduate program, where training is facilitated ‘with’ families. Two parent instructors and eight first-year graduate students participated in interviews or focus groups to reflect on their experiences with FAF pedagogy. Data analysis identified five content themes: Parent as Expert, Parent Advocacy Journey, Ecological Awareness, Family-Professional Collaboration, and Text to Reality, and two methodology themes: Parent as Co-Instructor and FAF Collaboration. The themes highlight “what” participants learned and “how” content was delivered, helping graduate students better understand how to partner effectively with families. Findings indicate that involving families as co-educators enhances graduate students’ understanding of culturally responsive practices, offering implications for social justice in school psychology preservice training and future research.
Cultivating a Restorative Lens: Integrating Restorative Justice into School Psychology Practice
School Psychology ReviewAnnmary S Abdou, Barbara Katic, Kyna Hernando
2025-06-19
School psychologists are increasingly called upon to integrate Restorative Justice (RJ) practices into their work to foster equitable and inclusive educational environments. RJ principles, rooted in Indigenous wisdom and focused on relationship-building and healing conflict, offer a framework for addressing systemic inequities and promoting positive school climates. Highlighting the anti-bias, anti-oppressive, and decolonizing principles of RJ, the authors seek to demystify RJ by providing an overview of its history and emerging scholarship, with a particular focus on relevance within the field of school psychology. The overarching goals of this paper include (a) introducing a guiding framework of reflective questions to support the development of a restorative lens, enabling school psychologists to align their practices with core RJ tenets, and (b) outlining examples of RJ-aligned activities across NASP’s ten domains of school psychology practice. We argue that adopting a restorative lens and aligning practices may serve as a powerful vehicle for cultivating relational, healing-centered, and equitable schools. This work provides a critical analysis for understanding the role of RJ in creating systemic change and emphasizes the need for more conceptual and empirical study of restorative school psychology practice.
A Systematic Evaluation of Restorative Justice Practices: School Violence Prevention and Response
Journal of School ViolenceBarbara Katic, Laura A. Alba, and Austin H. Johnson
2020-06-26
Despite its increasing recognition and use in U.S. schools, a limited amount of research has evaluated the effect of restorative justice (RJ) for school violence prevention and response. To date, there is no standardized method for RJ implementation. Therefore, this systematic literature review investigates peer-reviewed studies on the application of RJ practices in K-12 school settings. Ten articles were included in the review. Results of the review indicate a high degree of variability regarding the implementation and evaluation of RJ practices in schools. However, the majority of studies reported positive outcomes, including improved social relationships and reductions in office discipline referrals. The utility of RJ as a school violence prevention and intervention approach are discussed, along with future research directions.
