Biography
Allyson Blackburn (she & they) is a doctoral student interested in recovery from sexual violence, the role of social networks in recovery, and the sexual violence experiences of sexual and gender minority people. As a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Allyson has worked with Dr. Nicole Allen on a state-wide evaluation of the Rape Prevention and Education program and serves as the editorial assistant for the American Journal of Community Psychology.
Allyson graduated from Tufts University in 2017 with a B.A. in Clinical Psychology. As an undergraduate, Allyson was the student co-chair of the Resource Working group on the Tufts University President's Task Force for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Education, working to implement resources and effective pathways for referrals for survivors of sexual assault. Allyson worked as a Research Assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Community Psychiatry Program for Research in Implementation and Dissemination of Evidence-Based Therapies (PRIDE) under Dr. Luana Marques, where Allyson completed a senior honors thesis on the specific barriers to care faced by Latinos seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Upon graduation, Allyson worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant within the MGH Department of Psychiatry at the studying the treatment and treatment engagement of people with PTSD, working at both the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders and Complicated Grief Program (CATSD) as well as the Home Base Program, which serves veterans and family members struggling with the invisible wounds of war. Allyson also served as a Rape Crisis Counselor at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center on the 24-hour Hotline.
Research Interests
- Psychological sequelae of sexual violence
- Sexual violence among sexual and gender minorities
- Help-seeking behaviors following trauma exposure
- Implementation of evidence-based interventions
Education
Tufts University, Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology, 2017
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master of Science, 2021
Additional Campus Affiliations
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Highlighted Publications
Blackburn, A.M., Xu, B., Gibson, L., Wright, E., & Ohye, B., (In Press). The effect of intimate partner violence on treatment response in an intensive outpatient program for suicide-bereaved military widows. Military Psychology.
Blackburn, A.M. & Goetter, E.M. (2020). Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in the Digital Age. In Bui, E., Charney, M., Baker, A., (Eds). In Clinical Handbook of Anxiety Disorders: From Theory to Practice. Springer.
Garthe, R., Kaur, A., Rieger, A., Blackburn, A. M., Kim, S., Goffnet, J. (2021). Peer and dating violence victimization experiences of cisgender, transgender, and gender expansive adolescents. Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2020-004317
Garthe, R., Blackburn, A. M., Kaur, A., Sarol, J., Goffnet, J., Rieger, A., Reinhart, C., & Smith, D. (In Press). Suicidal ideation among transgender and gender expansive youth: Mechanisms of risk. Transgender Health. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2021.0055
Goetter, E.M., Blackburn, A.M., Stasko, C., Brenner, L.H., Tanev, K., Lejeune, S., Spencer, T., & Wright, E., (In Press). Comparative Effectiveness of Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post-9/11 Veterans Delivered in an Intensive, Accelerated Treatment Format. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. DOI: 10.1037/tra0000956
Goetter, E. M. & Blackburn, A. M. (2019). Mental health treatment disparities in racial and ethnic minority military service members and veterans. In M.T. Williams, D. C. Rosen, & J. W. Kanter (Eds.), Eliminating Race-Based Mental Health Disparities: Promoting Equity and Culturally Responsive Care Across Settings. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Books. ISBN: 978-1-68403-196-2
Rieger, A., Blackburn, A.M., Bystrynski, J., & Allen, N.E., (In Press). Gender-based violence and COVID-19 in the United States: Framework and policy recommendations. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. DOI: 10.1037/tra0001056