Shannon Lynch, Ph.D.
Professor, Clinical Psychology
Office: Garrison Rm 421
B.A. (1992), Tufts University;
M.A. (1996) and Ph.D. (1999), University of Michigan;
Postdoctoral Fellow (1999-2001), Victims of Violence Program, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School.
Research Interests
My research interests focus broadly on individuals’ experiences of and recovery from interpersonal violence. Currently, my research team is conducting a series of projects examining incarcerated women's and youths' trauma exposure, mental health, treatment/programming needs, and factors influencing current functioning as well as reintegration into the community and reoffending. I am interested in understanding how mental health and trauma and marginalization intersect to increase the risk of becoming involved with the criminal legal system and reoffending. Finally, my team is also examining how emotion regulation and shame are associated with trauma exposures and subsequent mental health problems in multiple populations.
My clinical interests are in trauma treatment, interpersonal treatment, couples, and general individual and group treatment.
I am recruiting a new graduate student for admission in fall 2023.
Selected Publications
*denotes current or former students as co-authors
DeHart, D.D. & Lynch, S.M. (2021). Women’s and Girls’ Pathways through the Criminal Legal System: Addressing Trauma, Mental Health, and Marginalization. San Diego, Cognella. ISBN: 978-1-5165-3446-3
*DeCou, C., Lynch, S.M., *Weber. S, *Richner, D., *Mozafari, A., *Huggins, H. & *Perschon, B. (Accepted September 2021). On the association between trauma-related shame and symptoms of psychopathology: A meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence & Abuse.
*Weber, S. & Lynch, S. (2021). Understanding the relations among adverse childhood experiences (ACE), substance use, and reoffending among detained youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 120. 105211. First published July 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105211
*Mahoney, C.T., Lynch, S.M. & Benight, C.C. (2019). The indirect effect of coping self-efficacy on the relation between sexual violence and PTSD symptoms. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. First published Oct 14, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519881525
*Konecky, E. & Lynch, S.M. (2019). Cumulative trauma exposure, emotion regulation, and PTSD among incarcerated women. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32 (5), 806-811.
*DeCou, C. R., *Mahoney, C., *Kaplan, S. & Lynch, S. M . (2019). Coping self-efficacy and trauma-related shame mediate the association between negative social reactions to sexual assault and PTSD symptoms. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11 (1), 51-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000379
Lynch, S. M., DeHart, D., Belknap, J., Green, B., Dass-Brailsford, P., *Johnson, K.J. & Wong, M.M. (2017). An examination of the associations among victimization, mental health, and offending in women. Criminal Justice & Behavior, 44, 796-814. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854817704452
DeHart, D. D., Lynch, S. M. Belknap, J., Dass-Brailsford, P., & Green, B. (2014). Life-history models of female offending: The role of serious mental illness and trauma in women’s pathways to jail. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 38(1),138-151. doi 0.1177/ 03616843134 94357.
Lynch, S. M., DeHart, D. D., Belknap, J., Green, B., Dass-Brailsford, P., *Johnson, K.J. & *Whaley, E. (2014). A multi-site study of the prevalence of serious mental illness, PTSD, and substance use disorders in women in jail. Psychiatric Services, 65(5), 670-674. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201300172.