Expertise
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.
Research Interests:
- Traumatization (Chronic and Acute) in Children, Adolescents and Adults, Resiliency, Posttraumatic Growth, Trauma-Centered Psychotherapy, Stigma of Mental Illness, Mentalization and Suicide, Somatic Awareness, Emotional Intelligence,
- Family Systems and Ambiguous Loss, Trauma Assessment (Implicit). Psychodynamic Treatment of Traumatized Adolescents and Children, Poverty and Mental Health, Depression and Creativity