Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry & Psychology

The overarching aim of my program of study is to advance our understanding of human self-regulation in the context of stress from the theoretical and methodological vantages of clinical psychology and cognitive-affective neuroscience. More specifically, I am studying the psychological and neurobiological effects of severe stress, occurring at different stages across the lifespan, as presented clinically in an array of stress-related disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder, mood disorders, selected anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, and dissociative disorders. I am also studying the psychological and neural basis of healthy and resilient adaptation to severe stress. My approach to the study of these disorders integrates clinical, phenomenological, psychometric, cognitive psychology, computational (neural-network) modeling, psychophysiology, and neuroimaging methods.

The goal of this work is to help better the quality of life of youth and adults living with stress-related psychiatric disorders. In so doing I aim to contribute first to our scientific understanding of the complex psychological and neurobiological effects of stress, and second to our knowledge of the most effective means of the amelioration of these effects via psychological interventions. In both my clinical and research roles I seek to emulate the scientist-practitioner model of clinical psychology.

Recent Publications:

Frewen, P. A., & Lanius, R. A. (2008). Frontal cortex. In G. Reyes, J. D. Elhai, & J. Ford (Eds). Encyclopedia of Psychological Trauma.

Frewen, P. A., Evans, E., Maraj, N., Dozois, D. J. A., & Partridge, K. Letting Go: Mindfulness and Negative Automatic Thinking. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 32, 758-774.

Frewen, P.A., Brinker, J., Martin, R.A., & Dozois, D.J.A. Humor styles and personality-vulnerability to depression. Humor: An International Journal, 21, 179-195.

Hopper, J. W., Frewen, P. A., van der Kolk, B. A., & Lanius, R. A. (2008). Dimensional Analysis of Responses to Script-Driven Trauma Imagery in PTSD: Neural Correlates of Re-experiencing, Avoidance, and Dissociation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20, 1-13.

Frewen, P. A., Dozois, D. J. A., Lanius, R. A., & Neufeld, R. W. J. (2008). Meta-analysis of alexithymia in posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21, 243-246.