Department of Psychology

Biography:

Keywords: trauma recovery; PTSD; intimate relationships; cognitive-behavioral therapy; couple therapy; clinical trials

I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Nebraska and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Schools of Medicine and Law. In 2000 I joined the medical staff at the White River Junction, Vermont, U.S. Veterans’ Administration Medical Center and was an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School. From 2004-2009, I was Deputy Director of the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD at the Boston VA Healthcare System and was promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. I continue to collaborate with my colleagues at the National Center for PTSD as an Affiliate.

My passion for developing, testing, and disseminating effective psychotherapies is in keeping with our commitment to a scientist-practitioner model at Ryerson. Four broad areas of research underway in my I.M.P.A.C.T. (Investigating Methods to Prevent, Assess, and Care for Trauma) Lab include:

• Testing couple-based interventions to prevent and treat posttraumatic stress disorder and associated problems
• Examining interpersonal factors in trauma recovery
• Gender differences in the perpetration of intimate aggression
• Forensic assessment of posttraumatic reactions

As Director of Clinical Training, I am invested in providing students with the mentorship and training necessary to become successful clinical psychologists. My classroom teaching interests include systems of psychotherapy, couple/family therapy, clinical research methodology, and assessment. I provide clinical supervision and consultation to a range of mental health trainees and practitioners, and regularly present workshops on individual and conjoint psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress reactions.

Selected Publications:

Monson, C. M., Fredman, S. J., Macdonald, A., Pukay-Marin, N. D., Resick, P. A., & Schnurr P. P. (2012). Effect of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 308, 700-709.  

Monson, C. M., Fredman, S. J., Adair, K. C., Stevens, S. P., Resick, P.A., Schnurr, P. P., MacDonald, H. Z., & Macdonald, A. (2011).
Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD: Pilot results from a community sample. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24, 97-101.

Fredman, S. J., Monson, C. M., Schumm, J. A., Adair, K. C., Taft, C. T., & Resick, P. A. (2010). Associations among disaster exposure, intimate relationship adjustment, and PTSD symptoms: Can disaster exposure enhance a relationship?  Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23, 446-451.

Monson, C.M., Taft, C.T., & Fredman, S.J. (2009). Military-related PTSD and intimate relationships: From description to theory-driven research and intervention development. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 707-714.

Monson, C. M., Gradus, J. L., La Bash, H. A. J., Griffin, M. G., & Resick, P. A. (2009). The role of couples’ interacting world assumptions and relationship adjustment in women’s post-disaster PTSD symptoms. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22, 276-281.

Monson, C. M., Gradus, J. L., Young-Xu, Y., Schnurr, P. P., Price, J. A., Schumm, J. A. (2008). Change in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: Do clinicians and patients agree? Psychological Assessment, 20, 131-138.

Monson, C. M., Schnurr, P. P., Resick, P. A., Friedman, M. J., Young-Xu, Y., & Stevens, S. P. (2006). Cognitive processing therapy for veterans with military-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 74, 898-907.