Author Archives: Anne P. DePrince, PhD

Welcoming New TSS Group Members

This fall, the TSS Group continues our tradition of welcoming new graduate student team members! We invite you to get to know Amber Fredrick and Leah Waltrip through the following brief Q&A. Q: Welcome to the TSS Group, Amber! Tell us about yourself, please! Hi all, I’m Amber Fredrick, and I use she/her pronouns. I’mContinue reading “Welcoming New TSS Group Members”

Why Acceptance is Necessary for Change

Practice radical acceptance. This advice shows up in memes, self-help columns, and the pages of books on mindfulness. It’s good advice, in line with an ever-growing literature that documents the benefits of mindfulness– and acceptance-based therapies. At first pass, though, calls to acceptance can be misunderstood. I’ve found, for example, that the advice can sometimes be heard as asking people to resignContinue reading “Why Acceptance is Necessary for Change”

Trauma, Violence, and Reproductive Rights: A Special Issue

In June 2022, the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. As a trauma researcher who studies intimate abuse, the implications echoed loudly. I recall thinking (and blogging about for Psychology Today) at the time that researchers have a term for forcing people to stay pregnant: reproductive coercion. In recent years, research on reproductiveContinue reading “Trauma, Violence, and Reproductive Rights: A Special Issue”

PTSD Awareness

June 27 is PTSD Awareness Day. In a world where traumas are all too common — from natural disasters to combat and mass shootings as well as sexual assault and intimate partner violence — here are a few things to know about PTSD. What Is PTSD? PTSD is short for posttraumatic stress disorder, a diagnosis that appears in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical ManualContinue reading “PTSD Awareness”

Is There an Antidote to Alienation after Trauma?

A sexual assault survivor mentions feeling disconnected from people with whom she once felt close. Another explains that he feels like a stranger to himself. In interview after interview with my research team, survivors of interpersonal trauma have shared descriptions such as these. Some survived child abuse or adolescent dating violence; others, intimate partner abuse or sexual assault. Regardless of the type ofContinue reading “Is There an Antidote to Alienation after Trauma?”

Postcards from the Road with Every 90 Seconds

The TSA Agent grabbed my carry-on off of the conveyor belt. “We have to search your bag. You have a library of books in there,” he explained over the din of the security checkpoint. Is there some sort of book limit, I absently wondered to myself? The agent, unpacking my bag, proceeded to pull outContinue reading “Postcards from the Road with Every 90 Seconds”

Countering Myths about Sexual Assault

Myths about sexual assault remain common, including in courtrooms. This was certainly true during the recent civil trial in the case filed by E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump. To counter those myths, I took to the pages of The Conversation in a piece published this past month. In case you missed it (ICYMI), checkContinue reading “Countering Myths about Sexual Assault”

What do Earth Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month Have in Common?

Here we are on the final day of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a week after Earth Day. I’ve been thinking about the many colorful flyers I’ve seen this past month (in real life and on social media), advertising seemingly separate events: One set celebrating Earth Day and another raising awareness about sexual assault, including for DenimContinue reading “What do Earth Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month Have in Common?”

Denim Day 2023

The Traumatic Stress Studies Group is proud to join the Colorado Coalition against Sexual Assault as well as survivors, allies, and providers from near and far for Denim Day 2023! Our team wears denim to show our commitment to using research to raise awareness and take action. Will you join us? After all, a worldContinue reading “Denim Day 2023”