National Crime Victims Center > About Us > Faculty > MUSC/NCVC faculty - Dr. Carla Kmett Danielson					Print This Page

Carla Kmett Danielson, Ph.D.  
[NCVC Rotation; COPE Rotation]

Dr. Carla Kmett Danielson is currently an Assistant Professor at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC). Dr. Danielson completed her undergraduate coursework in 1997 at the Ohio University, graduating Summa Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors in Psychology. She earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dayton in 1999 and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Case Western Reserve University in 2003. She completed a Pre-Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program at MUSC, followed by a 2-year, NIMH-supported Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the NCVC. Broadly, Dr. Danielson’s research interests focus on both treatment and prevention with high risk adolescent populations.  In the area of treatment, her current program of research, funded by a NIDA K-23 award, involves the development and evaluation of Risk Reduction through Family Therapy, an ecologically-based intervention targeting trauma-related psychopathology, substance abuse, and HIV-risk behaviors among adolescent sexual assault victims.  Dr. Danielson is also involved with translational research focusing on the identification of mechanisms underlying the development of PTSD, substance abuse, and other high risk behaviors - to be targeted in treatment - through a collaboration with the Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.  Dr. Danielson also is significantly involved in treatment research investigating the role of cultural factors in the assessment and treatment of Hispanic victims of traumatic events, including cultural adaptation of trauma-focused treatment for the Hispanic population.  In the area of prevention, Dr. Danielson is the Principal Investigator and Program Director on the SAMHSA-funded EMPOWERR Program, which focuses prevention of HIV and substance abuse among African American adolescents in Charleston County.  Dr. Danielson has been the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of her work in the aforementioned areas, including the 2008 Early Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Practice, awarded by the American Psychological Association's Section on Child Maltreatment, Division 37.

Research Interests:

• Treatment outcome research in the evaluation of Risk Reduction through Family Therapy (RRFT) as a comprehensive intervention approach for adolescent sexual assault victims.
• Evaluating the roles of distress tolerance and risk taking propensity, as measured through behavioral assessment tasks, in the etiology and maintenance of PTSD, substance abuse, and other high risk behaviors among youth.
• Cultural adaptations of a trauma-focused assessment and treatment of Hispanic and African American families.
• Prevention of HIV and substance abuse in high risk adolescent populations.

Honors/Awards:

Select Publications:

• Danielson, C. K. Macdonald, A., Amstadter, A. B., Hanson, R. F., de Arellano, M. A., Saunders, B. E., & Kilpatrick, D. G. (in press). Risky behaviors and depression in conjunction with –or in the absence of—lifetime history of PTSD among sexually abused adolescents. Child Maltreatment.
• McCauley, J. L., Danielson, C. K., Amstadter, A. B., Ruggiero, K. J., Resnick, H. S., Hanson, R. F., Smith, D. W., & Saunders, B. E., Kilpatrick, D. G. (in press). Prescription drug use without the prescription: The role of traumatic event history in nonmedical prescription drug use among U.S. adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry.
• McCauley, J. L., Amstadter, A. B., Danielson, C. K., Ruggiero, K. J., Kilpatrick, D. G.,. & Resnick, H. S. (2009). Mental health and rape history in relation to non-medical use of prescription drugs in a national sample of women. Addictive Behaviors, 34, 641-648.
• Danielson, C.K., Amstadter, A. B., Dangelmaier, R. E., Resnick, H., Saunders, B., & Kilpatrick, D. G. (2009). Does typology of substance abuse and dependence symptoms differ by exposure to child maltreatment?  Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 18.
• Daughters, S. B., Reynolds, E. K., MacPherson, L., Kahler, W. W., Danielson, C. K., Zvolensky, M., & Lejuez. C. W. (2009). Negative reinforcement and early adolescent externalizing and internalizing symptoms: the moderating role of gender and ethnicity. Behavioral Research and Therapy, 47, 198-205.
• de Arellano, M. A., Bridges, A. J., Hernández, A, A., Bolívar, S., Ruggiero, K. J., Vasquez, D., Acierno, R., & Danielson, C. K. (2009). Trastorno por estrés Postraumático en niños: Una revisión. Psicologia Conductual, 17, 11-39.
• Danielson, C.K., Amstadter, A., Dangelmaier, R. E., Resnick, H., Saunders, B., &., Kilpatrick, D. G. (2009). Trauma-related risk factors for substance abuse among male versus female young adults. Addictive Behaviors, 34, 395-399.
• Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Ruggiero, K., J., Danielson, C. K., Saunders, B. E., Kilpatrick, D. G. (2008). Prevalence and correlates of dating intimate partner violence in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 755-762.
• Danielson, C. K., Borckardt, J. J., Grubaugh, A., Pelic, C., Hardesty, S., & Frueh, B. C. (2008). Quantifying staff and patient perceptions of quality of care improvement in the psychiatric inpatient setting: Preliminary psychometrics of a new measure. Psychological Services, 5, 1-10.
• de Arellano, M. A., & Danielson, C. K. (2008). Assessment of trauma history and trauma-related problems in ethnic minority child populations: An INFORMED approach. Cognitive & Behavioral Practice, 15, 53-67.

Select Presentations:

• Danielson, C. K. (June, 2009). Risk Reduction through Family Therapy (RRFT). Advanced Training Pre-Meeting Institute at the annual colloquium of APSAC, Atlanta, GA.
• McCauley, J.L., Danielson, C.K., Amstadter, A.B., Ruggiero, K.J., Resnick, H.S., Hanson, R.F., Smith, D.W., Saunders, B.E., & Kilpatrick, D.G. (Nov., 2008). U.S. teen non-medical prescription drug use: Associations with potentially traumatic life experiences and mental health problems. Poster presented at the 42^nd Annual ABCT Convention, Orlando, FL.
• Macdonald, A. Hawkins, A., Eap, S., Danielson, C.K., Silcott, L., Rheingold, A., de Arellano, M. A. (Nov., 2008). Rates of exposure to potentially traumatic events during immigration to the US in a sample of Hispanic youths. Poster presented at the 42^nd Annual ABCT Convention, Orlando, FL.
• Hawkins, A., Danielson, C.K., Saunders, B.E., & Kilpatrick, D.G. (Nov., 2008). Co-occurrence of witnessing domestic violence and child physical abuse: Findings from a national sample of adolescents. Poster presented at the 42^nd Annual ABCT Convention, Orlando, FL.
• Eap, S., Sanchez, L. Hawkins, A., MacDonald, A., Danielson, C. K., Rheingold, A.,  Silcott, L., & de Arellano, M. A. (Nov., 2008). Culture and trauma as predictors of risky sexual behavior among Hispanic youth. Poster presented at the 42^nd Annual ABCT Convention, Orlando, FL.
• Sanchez, L. Eap, S., MacDonald, A., Hawkins, A., Rheingold, A., Danielson, C. K., Silcott, L., & de Arellano, M. A. (Nov., 2008).  Examining the intergenerational effects of traumatic experiences among Hispanic families. Poster presented at the 42^nd Annual ABCT Convention, Orlando, FL.
• Danielson, C.K., Amstadter, A. B., Dangelmaier, R. E., Resnick, H., Saunders, B., &., Kilpatrick, D. G. (June, 2008). Gender differences in the association between victimization history and substance abuse with regard to prevalence and risk factors. Research paper presented at the annual College on Problems of Drug Dependence, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Danielson, C. K. & McCart, M. (Jan., 2008). Risk Reduction through Family Therapy. Two-part workshop presented at the annual San Diego conference on Child and Family Maltreatment.
• de Arellano, M. A. & Danielson, C. K. (Jan., 2008). Trauma History and Trauma-Related Problems in Mexican/Mexican-American Community Samples. Research paper presented at the annual San Diego conference on Child and Family Maltreatment.
• Danielson, C.K., Daughters, S., Ruggiero, K., Lejuez, C.W. (Nov., 2007). Distress Tolerance as a Potential Link between Childhood Trauma and PTSD: Findings from a Lab-Based Task. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

Curriculum Vitae   (2009)  (Requires Adobe® Readerto view)

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Last Published: November 2, 2009