Anne P. DePrince, PhD

Welcoming a New Team Member

With September comes the start of our Fall Quarter at the University of Denver. One of the most exciting parts of kicking off an academic year is when new graduate students join our team. This year, the TSS Group gets to welcome Becky Suzuki to our team. A first-year doctoral student in the Department ofContinue reading “Welcoming a New Team Member”

Need and Barriers Facing Caregivers in Child Abuse Investigations: Preliminary Finding from a New Measurement Tool

by Adi Rosenthal, 3rd Year Graduate Student, TSS Group Each year in the United States, about 3.5 million children are the center of child abuse or neglect investigations. These children are arguably our country’s most vulnerable. Often, the well-being of these children can be supported by providing services to their caregivers based on families’ needs.Continue reading “Need and Barriers Facing Caregivers in Child Abuse Investigations: Preliminary Finding from a New Measurement Tool”

Tracking Victim Services in Colorado

by Anne P. DePrince & Naomi Wright Would more money help? More precisely: Would increases in funding for victim services across Colorado change service provision, improve organizational capacity to service victims, and improve collaboration across service agencies? That kind of change is a tall order. But that’s what our colleagues at the Office for VictimsContinue reading “Tracking Victim Services in Colorado”

Naming Relationship Abuse

Psychologists have a role to play in educating the public about relationship abuse. At least, that’s what we believe in the Traumatic Stress Studies Group. Graduate students Adi Rosenthal and Maria-Ernestina Christl took up that education charge when they penned a commentary for The Denver Post, entitled Tiger King, Abuse, and Coercive Control. Their opinionContinue reading “Naming Relationship Abuse”

Check-in + Check Out: Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Abuse

For many years, the term traumatic brain injury (or TBI) has evoked thoughts about the perils that faced combat troops or world-class athletes. Recently, victim advocates and researchers have pointed out the importance of recognizing that TBIs also affect victims and survivors of intimate partner abuse (IPA). Here at the Traumatic Stress Studies (TSS) Group,Continue reading “Check-in + Check Out: Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Abuse”

Building an Antiracist Action Plan for the Long Haul

The world has always been on fire for those who are marginalized and minoritized. Black people of all genders are murdered on the streets and in their homes. Indigenous women are killed at rates ten times the national average. Black, […]

Older Adult Exploitation and Housing

by Anne P. DePrince, PhD and Leslie Hasche, PhD From the Democratic presidential debate stage to op-ed pages, the affordable housing crisis hitting communities across the country has received much needed attention. As a trauma psychologist and social worker, we applaud the national spotlight on housing affordability. Yet, that’s only part of the conversation weContinue reading “Older Adult Exploitation and Housing”

Bringing Trauma Science to the 2020 News Cycle

The news in 2020 has been fast and furious. In January and February, the world watched as Harvey Weinstein stood trial for (and was convicted on) multiple counts of sexual assault. By March, our worlds were turned upside down by the coronavirus crisis. These whirlwind events have had numerous implications for victims, survivors, and serviceContinue reading “Bringing Trauma Science to the 2020 News Cycle”

Sexual Assault Awareness in a Pandemic

Last month’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month looked different from past years. Instead of group shots on Denim Day, the TSS Group found ourselves piecing together photo montages from different corners of Denver and the world. Instead of showing up to events focused on consent or what it means to start by believing, we’ve found ourselvesContinue reading “Sexual Assault Awareness in a Pandemic”

What’s in a Measure? Developing the Trauma Appraisal Questionnaire

Clinicians and researchers have long recognized that violence and abuse affect how people make meaning — of the world and themselves. For example, survivors might blame themselves or feel rage at others. Those appraisals of the trauma can, in turn, affect psychological distress and healing. Measuring appraisals, then, can be important to both clinical workContinue reading “What’s in a Measure? Developing the Trauma Appraisal Questionnaire”