Catherine Solheim

Catherine Solheim is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development. Her research focuses on refugee family resettlement, transnational family systems, and ambiguous loss theory. She holds a PhD, MA, and BA in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota.

• Educations:
  • PhD in Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
  • MA in Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
  • BA in Home Economics Education, University of Minnesota

Research Interests: Dr. Solheim explores how refugee families navigate resettlement challenges, transnational family dynamics across borders, and ambiguous loss in contexts like deportation and incarceration. Her work integrates human ecology and social justice frameworks, emphasizing global-local connections through study abroad programs in Thailand.

Key Research Trends: Recent publications highlight pandemic impacts on immigrant families, resilience in transnational parenting, and theoretical advancements like the double ABC-X model of family stress. Her work bridges qualitative and quantitative methods, often involving participatory approaches with marginalized communities.

Awards & Honors:

• 2014 Program Chair, National Council on Family Relations
• 1998 Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award
• Multiple fellowships and recognition for multicultural scholarship

Advising & Grants: Active in doctoral and master’s advising, she collaborates on projects like the Immigrant and Refugee Families Center studying Karen refugees’ financial navigation. Leads curriculum development for financial education programs targeting limited-resource families.

Labs/Teams: Directs global fieldwork in Thailand, linking Hmong/Karen families in Minnesota with their transnational counterparts. Co-leads initiatives on deportation impacts and participatory community research in Bolivia and Thailand.