Tami Sullivan, PhD

Dr. Sullivan’s program of research is centered on individual- and system-level factors that affect the wellbeing of victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), with specific attention to daily processes and micro-longitudinal designs. Community-partnered research is foundational to her work, including centering women with lived/living experience of IPV, as well as the staff and practitioners that support them. At the individual level, Dr. Sullivan's work advances understanding of factors that promote resilience, as well as those that increase risk for negative outcomes such as posttraumatic stress, substance use, and sexual risk. At the systems-level, she conducts IPV research and evaluation within the substance use, criminal justice, HIV and other service systems. She studies the impact of the system’s response on victims’ wellbeing including the ways in which it promotes or impedes victims’ safety, recovery and resilience. She develops community-based and service-system interventions such as a peer-led support group, a single-session intervention that aims to promote hope, and a stepped-care counseling intervention to reduce trauma symptoms to promote retention in care for substance use problems. She disseminates findings broadly to researchers, practitioners and the general public to accelerate their translation to changes in practice and policy by sharing findings in various formats such as practitioner briefs, blogs, infographics, webinars and the popular press.

Dr. Sullivan is a licensed psychologist who has extensive clinical experience with victims and offenders of IPV, providing services in a range of settings from community programs, dual diagnosis programs, inpatient settings, and outpatient clinics to domestic violence shelters, transitional living programs, and community programs.