Debra Hope

Dr. Hope received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Albany-State University of New York in 1990 and joined the department in the same year. Her current research interests follow two broad themes: (a) assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders (particularly social anxiety disorder) and (b) the impact of stigma and discrimination on mental health and health services, particularly for individuals who identify as transgender, lesbian, gay, or bisexual.  Dr. Hope is the director of the the Rainbow Clinic, an LGBTQ speciality service within the Psychological Consultation Center. Her work on psychopathology emphasizes information processing models that describe the role of attention and memory in social anxiety disorder and the impact of these cognitive processes on interpersonal functioning. Dr. Hope also has ongoing research on both the outcome and process of psychotherapy, with a most recent emphasis on using technology to make evidence-based treatment more available, especially in underserved rural areas.  The LGBT line of research is examining how stigma and discrimination impact mental health.  Her current major collaborative effort is Trans Collaborations, a community-based participatory research group focused on reducing health dispartities for individuals who identify as transgender or gender diverse and reside in areas with few specialty resources.  Dr. Hope also has a teaching and research interest in the psychology of gender. Dr. Hope teaches a course in behavior therapy fundamentals and supervises practicum at the graduate level.  She teaches psychology of diversity, abnormal psychology, introductory psychology at the undergraduate level.

Representative Publications

• Ralston, A. L.,# Holt, N. R.,# & Hope, D. A. (in press). Telehealth with marginalized communities: Trainee and supervisor perspectives. Journal of Rural Mental Health. #Denotes co-first authors.

• Hope, D. A., Woodruff, N., & Mocarski, R. (2020). Advocacy opportunities from academic-community partnerships: Three examples from Trans Collaborations. the Behavior Therapist, 43, 247-249.

• Mocarski, R., Eyer, J. C., Hope, D. A., Meyer, H., Holt, N. R., Butler, S. & Woodruff, N. (in press). Keeping the promise of Community-Based Participatory Research: Integrating Applied Critical Rhetorical methods to amplify the community’s voice for Trial Development. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship. 

• Holt, N. R., King,  R. E., Mocarski, R. Woodruff , N., & Hope, D. A. (2020) Specialists in name or practice? The inclusion of transgender and gender diverse identities in online materials of gender specialists, Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, DOI: 10.1080/10538720.2020.1763225

• Caze, T., Vasquez, D., Moffatt, K., Waple, K., Hope, D. A. (2020). A prospective pilot study of anxiety sensitivity and adolescent sports-related concussion. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, acaa113, https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaa113

• Hope, D. A., & Chappell, C. (in press).  Extending training in multicultural competencies to include individuals identifying as lesbian, gay and bisexual: Key choice points for clinical psychology training programs.  Clinical Psychology:  Science and Practice, 22, 105-118. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12099.
• Anderson, K. N., Jeon, A B., Blenner, J. A., Wiener, R. L., & Hope, D. A. (2014). How people evaluate others with social anxiety disorders: A comparison to depression and general mental illness stigma.  American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000046
• Singh, S., Capozzoli, M. Dodd, M. & Hope, D. A.  (in press). The effects of social anxiety and state anxiety on visual attention: Testing the vigilance-avoidance hypothesis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2015.1016447.
• Bautista, C. & Hope, D. A. (2015). Fear of negative evaluation, social anxiety and positive and negative response to online social cues. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39, 658-668. DOI 10.1007/s10608-015-9687
• Meidlinger, P. & Hope, D. A. (2014). Diversity considerations in the assessment and treatment of social anxiety disorder. (p. 223-246). In J. Weeks (ed.). Handbook of Social Anxiety Disorder. New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Meidlinger, P. & Hope, D. A. (2014). Differentiating disclosure and concealment in measurement of outness for sexual minorities The Nebraska Outness Scale.  Journal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 4, 489-497. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000080
• Weiss, B. J., Hope, D. A. & Capozzoli, M. (2013). Heterocentric language in commonly used measures of social anxiety:  Recommended alternate wording.  Behavior Therapy. 44, 1-11. doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2012.07.006.
• Stoyanova, M. & Hope, D. A. (2012). Gender, gender roles, and anxiety: Perceived confirmability of self report, behavioral avoidance, and physiological reactivity.  Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26, 206-214. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.11.006
• Tetreault, P. A., Fette, R., Meidlinger, P. & Hope, D. A. (2013) Perceptions of campus climate by sexual minorities.  Journal of Homosexuality. 60, 947-964.  doi:10.1080/00918369.2013.774874.
• Morales Knight, L., & Hope, D. A. (2012). Correlates of same-sex attractions and behaviors among identified heterosexuals.  Archives of Sexual Behavior. 41. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9927-5