Faculty Profiles

Kate Szymanski

Associate Professor
Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology

Hy Weinberg Center 318
516.877.4825
szymanski@adelphi.edu

General Information

Diplomas/Degrees

Diplomas/Degrees

Certificate in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Postdoctoral Programs in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, (2007)

Ph.D., Northeastern University (1988)

M.A., Northeastern University, (1985)

M.A., Warsaw University (1979)

Licenses and Certifications

Licenses and Certifications

New York State License in Psychology

Personal Statement

Personal Statement

My research is dedicated to work on trauma and its clinical implications. I study risk and protective factors (intra and interpersonal) for PTSD, Complex Trauma and Traumatic Stress; adaptive and maladaptive ways of trauma coping and affect regulation; responsiveness to trauma-centered treatments; and trajectories for resiliency and Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). I am interested in trauma (acute and chronic) in the context of attachment, mentalization, object relations, and language use in adults and children. Over the years I explored a wide range of traumatizations such as suicide, sexual/physical abuse and neglect, rape, sudden loss, combat and war, cancer and mental illness. As a clinician I am also interested in trauma assessment and trauma-centered treatment effectiveness. With regard to assessment I am collaborating with linguists from Canada and Netherlands to evaluate structural characteristics of trauma narratives as clinical tools for trauma diagnosis. My research on trauma-centered psychotherapy concentrates on the impact of type of traumatization on treatment outcomes. I'm currently studying the process of therapeutic change in trauma treatment. I've also developed and implemented the model of interpersonal group therapy for traumatized adolescents. My current book titled "Expressions of the Unspeakable:Narratives of Trauma" (2014) reflects my multidimensional research interests in trauma by presenting a cross disciplinary approach to the understanding of traumatization.
Currently my work with doctoral students includes some of the following: suicidality and mentalization, sexual abuse and rape, parent-child dyad in 9/11 families, cancer and somatic regulation, therapeutic alliance in trauma-centerd psychotherapy, trauma integration and posttraumatic growth in trauma narratives. Some of my students are also involved in implementation of my psychodynamic model of group intervention for traumatized adolescents. In my workgroup we also pursue research on the impact of trauma on parenting and children psychological wellbeing, and transgenerational transmission of trauma.

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