Melissa Hunter, PhD, LP
Associate Professor, MMI Dept of Psychology
Coordinator, Undergraduate Behavioral Health Experience Practicum (UB-HEP), BHECN
Co-Coordinator, Masters in Psychology Training Program, MMI
Co-Chair, Continuing Education Committee, Nebraska Psychological Association
Melissa Hunter, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute and a licensed psychologist in MMI’s Department of Psychology. She received her doctorate in school psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi, completed her internship at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Child Study Center. Hunter practiced as a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania for more than a decade, providing outpatient child and adolescent behavioral health services and school-based consultation. She taught at Pennsylvania State University for nine years as an associate teaching professor of psychology and continues to teach as adjunct faculty at Penn State and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
At MMI, Hunter provides outpatient assessment and behavioral health treatment for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental, anxiety, mood and behavioral concerns. Additionally, she provides group therapy services for children and adolescents focused on building coping skills and executive functioning skills. She also provides case management for MMI’s Specialized Behavior Intervention Program, co-coordinates the Masters in Psychology Training Program and coordinates the Undergraduate Behavioral Health Experience Practicum, a BHECN initiative. Across these roles she supervises pre-doctoral psychology interns, post-doctoral fellows, masters-level trainees and undergraduate students. Hunter’s scholarship centers on neurodiversity-affirming clinical practice and training, including funded work on brief group treatment for adolescent depression and on risk and protective factors related to neurodevelopmental disability and targeted violence.
- Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Psychology – Child Study Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center - 2006.
- PhD: School Psychology - University of Southern Mississippi, 2005.
- Predoctoral Internship in Psychology – Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center - 2005.
- MA: School Psychology - University of Southern Mississippi, 2003.
- BA: Psychology - University of Central Arkansas, 1999.
Specialty Certifications
- Licensed Psychologist, State of Nebraska.
Hunter provides patient care services at the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute Department of Psychology.
Clinic Locations
"Career Awareness: Connecting Nebraskans with Behavioral Health Careers" in the BHECN's 2024-2025 Legislative Report.
Funded Projects
- Development of a Brief Group CBT Model for Adolescent Depression: The Brief Adolescent Depression Group (BADG). Child Health Research Institute. Principal Investigator, 2024–2026.
- Exploring Neurodevelopmental Disorders as Risk Factors for Extremist Beliefs, Targeted Violence, and Terrorism. University of Nebraska Collaborative Initiative. Principal Investigator, 2023–2025.
- Hunter, M.D., Burt, J., Franta, E., Pike, N., Klunejko, S., & Druffner, R. (in press). Providing school-based behavioral health services in Catholic schools. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
- Hunter, S.T., & Hunter, M.D. (2022). Performance management and career development for employees with autism: Uncovering hidden requirements. In Bruyere & Colella (Eds.), SIOP Organizational Frontiers Series: Neurodiversity in the Workplace.
- Wilczynski, S.M., Rue, H., Hunter, M., & Christian, L. (2013). Elementary behavioral intervention strategies: Discrete trial instruction, differential reinforcement, and shaping. In Prelock & McCauley (Eds.), Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Evidence-Based Intervention Strategies for Communication and Social Interaction.
- Wilczynski, S.M., Menousek, K., Hunter, M., & Mudgal, D. (2007). Individualized education programs for youth with autism spectrum disorders. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 653–666.
- Abnormal psychology (undergraduate and graduate).
- Adolescent psychology.
- Child psychopathology.
- Developmental psychology.
- Honors and senior thesis supervision.
- Independent study and internship in psychology.
- Introduction to clinical psychology.
- Psychological interventions in childhood.
- Senior seminar in psychology: A lifespan developmental perspective of autism.
- Autism across the lifespan, including transition to adulthood.
- Behavioral health workforce development and undergraduate and masters-level clinical training.
- Group therapy for anxiety, depression and executive functioning needs in youth.
- Neurodiversity-affirming assessment and behavioral health care.
- Risk and protective factors related to neurodevelopmental disability, extremism and targeted violence.
- Phoenix Award for Excellence in Faculty Clinical Services, Munroe-Meyer Institute, 2025.
- Psychology Professor of the Year, Psi Chi Honor Society, Penn State University, 2018.
- American Psychological Association.
- Association for Behavior Analysis International.
- National Association of School Psychologists.
- Nebraska Psychological Association.
- UNMC Child Health Research Institute.
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Munroe-Meyer Institute
985450 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5450
Explore programs and services available through MMI's Department of Psychology.