Kristen Lindgren, PhD, ABPP

Personal Statement

I am a Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and am Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology. I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the UW in 2006 and returned to UW as a faculty member in 2010.

My research interests include problematic substance use (including alcohol and marijuana), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identity and self-concept, and resilience. My work focuses on investigating  implicit (i.e., non-conscious or automatic) cognitive processes and  processes related to self-concept and identity that contribute to the development and maintenance of maladaptive behavior and psychopathology. A second line of my work focuses on developing and increasing access to briefer, effective interventions for individuals who are trauma-exposed. Support for my work has been provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the University of Washington’s Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions and the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute. I also serve as a consultant for dissemination projects aimed at training community-based mental health workers in Cognitive Processing Therapy and other evidence-based treatment for PTSD in locally, nationally, and internationally.

Department Affiliations

Teaching Philosophy

I strive to provide a challenging and engaging experience for my trainees and students. I am deeply committed to my trainees and students applying their knowledge, through course projects, internships, or research. I do not have extensive formal training in pedagogy, but I do seek to incorporate best practices from education and psychology research. Through independent reading, I draw from psychological theories and research to increase the effectiveness of my teaching. As a clinical scientist, I also draw from literature on behavior change and goal-setting to inform my teaching. My course on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and my clinical supervision (group and individual) make extensive use of goal setting (including setting individual goals that are specific, behavioral, observable, realistic, and time-sensitive) and their format mimics a cognitive behavioral session. I find that these strategies reinforce the concepts and style that I am trying to teach and help my students make the transition from learning about CBT to using it with clients.

Recent Publications

Evaluating distress as a moderator of the relationship between drinking identity and hazardous drinking during the post-college transition.
(2024 May)
Addict Behav 152(): 107955
Lindgren KP, Neighbors C, Teachman BA, Wiers RW

Writing about the future self to shift drinking identity: An experimental investigation.
(2024 May)
Alcohol 116(): 35-45
Lindgren KP, Baldwin SA, Kross E, Ramirez JJ, Peterson KP, Tristao T, Teachman BA, Wiers R, Neighbors C

Maturing Out: Between- and Within-Persons Changes in Social-Network Drinking, Drinking Identity, and Hazardous Drinking Following College Graduation.
(2023 Jan)
Clin Psychol Sci 11(1): 23-39
Lindgren KP, Baldwin SA, Peterson KP, Ramirez JJ, Teachman BA, Kross E, Wiers RW, Neighbors C

Implicit and explicit COVID-19 associations and mental health in the United States: a large-scale examination and replication.
(2023 Nov)
Anxiety Stress Coping 36(6): 690-709
Werntz A, O'Shea BA, Sjobeck G, Howell J, Lindgren KP, Teachman BA

The association between student loan debt and perceived socioeconomic status and problematic drinking and mental health symptoms: A preliminary investigation.
(2023 Apr)
Addict Behav 139(): 107576
Lindgren KP, Tristao T, Neighbors C

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