Suzanne Decker, PhD
Associate Professor of PsychiatryDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Psychiatry
Primary
Additional Titles
Director of Fellowship, Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at MIRECC
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Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Additional Titles
Director of Fellowship, Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at MIRECC
Contact Info
Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Additional Titles
Director of Fellowship, Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at MIRECC
Contact Info
About
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Titles
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director of Fellowship, Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at MIRECC
Biography
I am a psychologist and investigator at VA Connecticut Health Care System (VACHS) and New England Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), and Associate Professor at Yale School of Medicine. My work focuses on adapting and implementing behavioral treatments for suicide prevention and substance use, and I am particularly interested in treatments that target emotion dysregulation, like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Groups. A developing line of work focuses on suicide and substance use risk among perinatal Veterans (those who are pregnant or in the 12months postpartum), in partnership with VA Office of Suicide Prevention. I am director of the Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research, Education, and Treatment at New England Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC)'s West Haven campus.
Last Updated on September 16, 2025.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Associate Professor on TermPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- All Institutions
- Psychiatry
- Psychology Section
- Yale Instruction/Investigation/Intervention in Emotional Lability and Dysregulation (YIELD)
Education & Training
- PhD
- Western Michigan Univ (2011)
- MA
- Western Michigan Univ (2007)
Research
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Overview
My work focuses on adapting and implementing behavioral treatments for suicide prevention and substance use. I am particularly interested in treatments that target emotion dysregulation as a mechanism, like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Groups. I have conducted research at various stages of the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, evaluating treatment needs and risk factors for substance use and suicide, piloting tailored interventions, and evaluating an adapted treatment (a transdiagnostic, adjunctive DBT Skills Group with therapist consultation team) in a randomized hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial. With VA Office of Mental Health, Women’s Mental Health division, I developed and implemented a multi-session training on DBT Skills Groups with therapist consultation team and have trained teams at 30 sites. As a scientist and clinician educator, I am especially interested in the role of out-of-session practice (“homework”) to maximize the effectiveness of behavioral treatments, and in supporting therapist fidelity to behavioral treatments.
A developing line of work focuses on suicide and substance use risk among perinatal Veterans (those who are pregnant or in the 12months postpartum), in partnership with VA Office of Suicide Prevention. Women Veterans are at greater risk for substance misuse than their civilian counterparts, and face more barriers to care than men Veterans.
Medical Research Interests
Emotions; Mental Disorders; Psychotherapy; Substance-Related Disorders; Suicide
Public Health Interests
Implementation Science
ORCID
0000-0002-8653-0509
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Suzanne Decker's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Suzanne Decker's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Suzanne Decker is interested in exploring.
Steve Martino, PhD
Charla Nich
Joseph Lucien Goulet, PhD, MS
Sally Haskell, MD
Brian D. Kiluk, PhD
Erica A. Abel, PhD
33Publications
433Citations
Emotions
Psychotherapy
Suicide
Mental Disorders
Substance-Related Disorders
Publications
Featured Publications
Staff Perspectives on Implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration
Decker S, Mattocks K, Kroll-Desrosiers A, Aunon F, Walker L, Galliford E, Doran N, Baird S, Rielage J, Sadek J, Ridley J, Bannister J, Giovannelli T, Landes S, Goodman M, DeRycke E, Shriver C, Spana E, Honsberger M, Demirelli S, Shest E, Martino S. Staff Perspectives on Implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration. Psychological Services 2025 PMID: 40522853, PMCID: PMC12550782, DOI: 10.1037/ser0000960.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsVeterans Health AdministrationDialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills GroupHealth AdministrationVeterans Health Administration staffHybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trialSkill groupsReduce suicide attemptsReducing veteran suicideSemistructured qualitative interviewsHealth care systemImplementation challengesSuicide attemptsUrban veteransStressed health care systemsStaff shortagesStaff perspectivesVeteran suicideCare systemIdentified themesSuicide preventionVeteran populationQualitative interviewsVeteransStaffSuicidePreliminary Feasibility, Acceptability and Referral Efficacy of a Drop-In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Group to Promote Enrollment in Standard DBT Skills Group
Aunon F, Carretta R, Lovell J, Wolkowicz N, Decker S. Preliminary Feasibility, Acceptability and Referral Efficacy of a Drop-In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Group to Promote Enrollment in Standard DBT Skills Group. Cognitive And Behavioral Practice 2025, 32: 244-257. PMID: 41835302, PMCID: PMC12981240, DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2024.01.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsDBT skills groupSkill groupsDialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills GroupDialectical behavior therapyEvidence-based treatmentsDBT skillsBehavioral therapyMindfulness practiceTreatment readinessAmbivalent clientsPretreatment interventionClientsPreliminary feasibilitySkillsMindfulnessAcceptanceSessionsEfficacyParticipantsPretreatmentReferralGroupInterventionMixed-methods formative evaluation of implementing an adapted suicide prevention treatment: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration
Decker S, Kroll-Desrosiers A, Mattocks K, Aunon F, Galliford E, Doran N, Baird S, Rielage J, Ridley J, Bannister J, Giovannelli T, Landes S, Goodman M, Walker L, DeRycke E, Shriver C, Spana E, Honsberger M, Brown H, Demirelli S, Shest E, Martino S. Mixed-methods formative evaluation of implementing an adapted suicide prevention treatment: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration. Frontiers In Psychiatry 2024, 15: 1495102. PMID: 39655211, PMCID: PMC11626407, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1495102.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsDialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills GroupEmotion dysregulationSuicide attemptsVeterans Health AdministrationSkill groupsReducing emotion dysregulationSuicide prevention treatmentsReduce suicide attemptsImproving coping skillsSuicidal behaviorCoping skillsSuicide preventionLimited staffingHealth AdministrationSuicideVeterans Health Administration medical centersHybrid effectiveness-implementation trialVeteran suicideMixed-methods formative evaluationVeteransIntegrated Promoting ActionEffectiveness-implementation trialPrevent veteran suicideQualitative dataRandomized Controlled Trials
2025
Applying Motivational Interviewing Strategies to Facilitate Secure Firearm Storage During Clinical Encounters—Part 2: Technical Strategies
Aunon F, Martino S, Khazanov G, Decker S, Dobscha S, Simonetti J. Applying Motivational Interviewing Strategies to Facilitate Secure Firearm Storage During Clinical Encounters—Part 2: Technical Strategies. Journal Of Psychiatric Practice 2025, 31: 333-336. PMID: 41325178, DOI: 10.1097/pra.0000000000000890.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsApplying Motivational Interviewing Strategies to Facilitate Secure Firearm Storage During Clinical Encounters—Part 1: Relational Foundation
Aunon F, Martino S, Khazanov G, Decker S, Dobscha S, Simonetti J. Applying Motivational Interviewing Strategies to Facilitate Secure Firearm Storage During Clinical Encounters—Part 1: Relational Foundation. Journal Of Psychiatric Practice 2025, 31: 275-277. PMID: 40952847, DOI: 10.1097/pra.0000000000000875.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricApplying motivational interviewing strategies to facilitate secure firearm storage during clinical encounters – Part 1: Relational foundation
Aunon, F.M., Martino, S., Khazanov, G., Decker, S.E., Dobscha, S., & Simonetti, J.A. (2025). Applying motivational interviewing strategies to facilitate secure firearm storage during clinical encounters – Part 1: Relational foundation. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 31, 275-277. doi: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000875Peer-Reviewed Original Research In PressNeeds of Veterans With Personality Disorder Diagnoses in Community-Based Mental Health Care.
Edwards E, Greene A, Decker S, Leonard H, Goodman M. Needs of Veterans With Personality Disorder Diagnoses in Community-Based Mental Health Care. Federal Practitioner 2025, 42: s12-s21. PMID: 40832463, PMCID: PMC12360808, DOI: 10.12788/fp.0572.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental health careCommunity-BasedPersonality disorderHealth careCommunity-based mental health careCommunity mental health facilitiesNational sample of veteransNational sampleMental health servicesMental health facilitiesState-funded mental health servicesSample of veteransState psychiatric hospitalsPersonality disorder diagnosisCare coordinationPsychosocial needsHealth facilitiesHealth servicesPsychiatric hospitalGeneral populationVeteransDisorder diagnosisTrauma-relatedOutcome patternsPD diagnosisTo Adopt or Adapt: A Scoping Review of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy With Patients With Minoritised Identity Constructs
Aunon F, Ingram P, Wolkowicz N, Martino S, Kacos H, Spana E, Honsberger M, Rielage J, Doran N, Carretta R, Ridley J, Giovannelli T, Bannister J, Merians A, Howell B, Demirelli S, Smith J, Decker S. To Adopt or Adapt: A Scoping Review of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy With Patients With Minoritised Identity Constructs. Counselling And Psychotherapy Research 2025, 25 PMID: 41424771, PMCID: PMC12716352, DOI: 10.1002/capr.70000.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsDialectical behavior therapyEvidence-based psychological interventionsBehavioral therapyReducing suicidal behaviourSuicidal behaviorPsychological interventionsWhite samplesImplementation science frameworkPatient populationModifications-EnhancedArticles of studiesImplementation outcomesScoping ReviewAdult patient populationScience FrameworkWestern contextsPsycINFOClinical administrationDocument adaptationPRINCIPLE FINDINGSContextStudy protocol of a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation multisite trial: Dialectical behavior therapy skills group for Veterans at high-risk for suicide attempt
Decker S, Kroll-Desrosiers A, Mattocks K, Aunon F, Galliford E, DeRycke E, Doran N, Baird S, Rielage J, Ridley J, Bannister J, Giovannelli T, Fuehrlein B, Shriver C, Spana E, Honsberger M, Demirelli S, Shest E, Landes S, Goodman M, Martino S. Study protocol of a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation multisite trial: Dialectical behavior therapy skills group for Veterans at high-risk for suicide attempt. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2025, 151: 107828. PMID: 39923893, PMCID: PMC12344970, DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107828.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDialectical behavior therapyTreatment-as-usualDialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills GroupSuicide attemptsEmotion dysregulationComponents of dialectical behavior therapyComprehensive DBTVeterans Health AdministrationTherapist consultation teamSkill groupsNon-veteran samplesReduce suicide attemptsAdjunctive treatmentSelf-directed violenceBehavioral therapySuicidal behaviorSuicideMultisite trialEffectiveness trialHigh-risk veteransVeteransPost-randomizationSuicide deathsEmotionsRandomized Controlled TrialsThe Promise of a Retreat: Perspectives of U.S. Women Veterans and Interdisciplinary Experts on the Development of a Retreat-Based Suicide Prevention Program for Violence-Exposed Women Veterans
Presseau C, Walls S, Murray-Swank N, Portnoy G, Decker S, Kroll-Desrosiers A, Martino S. The Promise of a Retreat: Perspectives of U.S. Women Veterans and Interdisciplinary Experts on the Development of a Retreat-Based Suicide Prevention Program for Violence-Exposed Women Veterans. Violence Against Women 2025, 32: 24-46. PMID: 39763454, DOI: 10.1177/10778012241303471.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSuicide prevention programsWomen veteransPrevention programsMental health programsVeterans Health AdministrationPrevention program componentsSemi-structured interviewsHealth programsHolistic healthHealth AdministrationProgram facilitatorsFocus groupsEmergent themesViolence-exposedProgram preferencesSuicide riskProgram componentsPrevention strategiesVeteransInterdisciplinary expertsSubject matter expertsSocial connectionsWomenMatter expertsProgram
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Activities
activity Barriers and facilitators to group-delivered coping skills groups in Veterans Health Administration: Mixed-methods progress-focused formative evaluation during implementation of adjunctive Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups for Veterans at high risk for suicide attempt
11/21/2025 - 11/21/2025Poster PresentationAssociation for Behavioral and Cognitive TherapiesDetailsNew Orleans, LA, United StatesCollaborators- Suzanne Decker, PhD
- Steve Martino, PhD
- Frances Aunon, PhD
- Kristin Mattocks, PhD
activity Complementarity and extension: Using mixed-methods and process data to identify I-PARIHS-related implementation determinants of a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Group in a hybrid type 1 trial within the Veterans Health Administration
12/01/2024 - 12/01/2024Poster Presentation17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and ImplementationDetailsArlington, VA, United StatesCollaborators- Decker, S.E.
- Baird, S.
- Doran, N.
- Rielage, J.
- Ridley, J.
- Bannister, J.
- Giovannelli, T.S.
- Aunon, F.M.
- Kroll-Desrosiers, A.
- Mattocks, K.
- Galliford, E.
- DeRycke, E.
- Walker, L.
- Shriver, C.
- Spana, E.
- Brown, H.
- Shest, E.
- Martino, S.
activity Adaptations to comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy when implemented with a patient population defined by cultural identities
11/01/2024 - 11/01/2024Oral PresentationAssociation for Behavioral and Cognitive TherapiesDetailsPhiladelphia, PA, United StatesCollaborators- Frances Aunon, PhD
- Spana, E.New Mexico VA Healthcare System
- Doran, N.VA San Diego Healthcare System
- Rielage, J.VA New Mexico Healthcare System
- Honsberger, M.VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System
- Ridley, J.VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System
- Carretta, R.
- Steve Martino, PhD
- Giovannelli, T.James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
- Bannister, J.James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
- Noah Wolkowicz
- Addie Merians, PhD
- Howell, B.James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
- Smith, J.VA Boston Healthcare System
activity Clinical impact of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Group training within the Veterans Health Administration
11/01/2024 - 11/01/2024Oral PresentationAssociation for Behavioral and Cognitive TherapiesDetailsPhiladelphia, PA, United StatesCollaborators- Frances Aunon, PhD
- Rowlands, S.Office of Women's Mental Health, VA
- White, C.VA
- Strauss, J.Office of Women's Mental Health, VA
- Kacos, H.VA Orlando Healthcare System
activity Innovation and recipients: An I-PARIHS framework tracking tool in an ongoing randomized suicide prevention clinical trial of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Group in VHA
11/01/2024 - 11/01/2024Poster PresentationAssociation for Behavioral and Cognitive TherapiesDetailsPhiladelphia, PA, United StatesCollaborators- Decker, S.E.
- Baird, S.
- Rielage, J.
- Ridley, J.
- Bannister, J.
- Giovannelli, T.S.
- Aunon, F.M.
- Galliford, E.
- Kroll-Desrosiers, A.
- DeRycke, E.
- Shriver, C.
- Spana, E.
- Honsberger, M.
- Shest, E.
- Martino, S.
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