The Traumatic Stress Studies (TSS) Group is a community-engaged research team committed to addressing the pressing problem of intimate violence through psychological science and collaboration.
Meet the Team
We are a team of researchers with a commitment to doing research that matters to the people in our communities.
Thank you for your interest in the TSS Group and the PhD programs in the Department of Psychology. Our director, Anne DePrince, PhD, is interested in taking a student for Fall 2025.
DePrince mentors students from across department graduate programs. Students in the child clinical psychology program receive clinical training to work with children and adolescents as well as adults, which fits well with the TSS Group's developmental research that reaches across the lifespan. Former students have gone on to careers focused in child and adolescent as well as adult psychology.
You can catch regular updates on our work, including students' research efforts, on our blog and in journal articles (available on this site). In these pages, you can also read more about ongoing team projects that:
Use basic science to identify consequences of gender-based violence and child abuse.
For example, we are currently doing data analysis in the Women's Health Project, which focuses on the impact of social reactions women received when disclosing sexual assault on psychological well-being and engagement with the criminal justice system.
Apply basic research to the design and testing of interventions.
For example, the SAFE Project is a randomized clinical trial testing the impact of a mindfulness-based curriculum designed to increase safety and decrease substance use among homeless youth. This project is a collaboration with Kim Bender, PhD, from the Graduate School of Social Work, and Denver's Urban Peak.
Seek to understand the development and impact of community-coordinated responses to violence.
For example, the CARIT Project involved research into the impact of efforts to improve system responses to child abuse.
The OAR Project tests the impact of a multidisciplinary response to older adult abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. This project is a collaboration with Leslie Hasche, PhD, from the Graduate School of Social Work, and the Denver Forensic Collaborative.
The Title IX Project studied the development of coordinated responses to sexual assault across criminal justice, campus and community-based systems of care.
Involve collaboration with community partners to answer real-world questions about policy and practice.
For example, the Legal Information Network of Colorado (LINC) Project involved research to identify gaps in legal services following crime. Using that research, LINC was developed and launched. Currently, we are evaluating the impact of LINC.
You are welcome to email us to introduce yourself; however, due to the volume of messages we receive, we are typically not able to provide individual responses. Given the volume of applications we receive and to be equally fair to all applicants, our director Anne DePrince, PhD, does not meet with anyone individually until the time of the interviews. Please do rest assured that your application will be given full consideration. DePrince personally reads each application to identify applicants with strong research experience and interests that are well-matched to the TSS Group.
If you have questions about admission criteria, please visit the Department of Psychology website for more information.
If you have questions about the application process, please feel free to contact Paula Houghtaling, the graduate program administrator, at phoughta@du.edu.
Undergraduate Students
The TSS Group relies on the important contributions of undergraduate research assistant (RA) team members. RAs work with us in volunteer, student employment and class credit (PSYC 2112) positions. RAs help with all stages of the research process. We usually ask for a minimum of a two-quarter commitment at 6–9 hours per week. Generally speaking, we recruit new RA team members in the fall and therefore have few positions open winter and spring quarters. For more information about available positions, please call 303-871-7407.
To apply for an RA position (volunteer, student employment or course-credit), you will have to complete an application. After we review your application, we may set up an interview to evaluate the match between our group and your interests.
Go to the graduate admission application to submit your information. For information on admission requirements, visit the graduate academic programs page and locate your program of interest.
