Graduate Programs in Psychology

Culture and Trauma Research Lab

The Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) Culture and Trauma Research Lab meets weekly to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on the cultural context of interpersonal trauma recovery.  Projects, including critical analyses of the literature, focus on partner abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, genocide, and the societal trauma of racism. Current populations of interest are American Indian, African American, Latina, Asian American, Jewish American, Liberian, and South African. The lab has also examined the role of religion and spirituality in the trauma recovery process. 

The lab is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pepperdine University Faculty Scholars Grant. Findings from the Culture and Trauma Lab have been presented at the annual conventions of the American Psychological Association, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Association of Women in Psychology, the National Summit on Interpersonal Violence, the National Scientific Meeting on Sexual Assault, and the Multicultural Summit. 

Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis, Director

Bryant-Davis and research assistants use movement, collage-making, and other art forms to work with children.