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
Dr. Decker is a licensed clinical psychologist at VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New England Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Pain Research, Informatics, Multi-morbidities, and Education (PRIME) Center, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Decker's interests span three related areas: suicide and its correlates, emotion dysregulation as a potential mechanism for suicide and other high-risk behaviors such as substance use, and the development, adaptation, and implementation of skills-based behavioral treatments. Dr. Decker developed the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Group program at VA Connecticut, which has led to published research, a funded multi-site effectiveness-implementation grant, and a national training initiative with VA. Dr. Decker is the Director of the Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at MIRECC and enjoys mentoring trainees.
Last Updated on April 07, 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
Medical Research Interests
Emotions; Mental Disorders; Psychotherapy; Suicide
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
29Publications
405Citations
Emotions
Psychotherapy
Suicide
Mental Disorders
Publications
2025
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, 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. 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 feasibilitySkillsMindfulnessAcceptanceSessionsEfficacyParticipantsPretreatmentReferralGroupInterventionTo 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 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, 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, 10778012241303471. 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
2024
Mixed-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 TrialsClinical Documentation of Patient Identities in the Electronic Health Record: Ethical Principles to Consider
Decker S, Farook M, Meshberg-Cohen S, Matsuura T, Manning M, Abel E, Blakley L, Prelli F. Clinical Documentation of Patient Identities in the Electronic Health Record: Ethical Principles to Consider. Psychological Services 2024, 21: 589-600. PMID: 37917474, DOI: 10.1037/ser0000816.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsMulticultural guidelinesAmerican Psychological Association’s multicultural guidelinesFluid identitiesLanguageLived experienceIdentitySet of questionsIdentity variablesPurpose of documentationEthical dilemmasDocumentation approachAssociation CodePsychologistsPatient identityEthical principlesOrganizational mandatesDocumentationGeneral principlesArticleDilemmaQuestionsExperienceLittle guidance
2023
Barriers and Facilitators to Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration
Decker S, Matthieu M, Smith B, Landes S. Barriers and Facilitators to Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups in the Veterans Health Administration. Military Medicine 2023, 189: 1055-1063. PMID: 37104810, DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usad123.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsDBT skills groupVeterans Health AdministrationDialectical behavior therapyStand-alone interventionPromoting ActionHealth AdministrationVA health care systemHealth Services frameworkBehavior therapySuicide prevention interventionsStand-alone treatmentInstitutional review boardMixed-methods program evaluationSemi-structured telephone interviewsHealth care systemResearch implementationMore veteransPrevention interventionsLeadership supportConsultation teamHealth service domainsTelephone interviewsReview boardCare systemIntervention
2021
Military sexual trauma and suicidal ideation in VHA-care-seeking OEF/OIF/OND veterans without mental health diagnosis or treatment
Decker SE, Ramsey CM, Ronzitti S, Kerns RD, Driscoll MA, Dziura J, Skanderson M, Bathulapalli H, Brandt CA, Haskell SG, Goulet JL. Military sexual trauma and suicidal ideation in VHA-care-seeking OEF/OIF/OND veterans without mental health diagnosis or treatment. Psychiatry Research 2021, 303: 114089. PMID: 34247061, PMCID: PMC12150663, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114089.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsMental health diagnosesMilitary sexual traumaVeterans Healthcare AdministrationSuicidal ideationHealth diagnosisSexual traumaRelative risk estimatesOEF/OIF/OND veteransSample of veteransPost-9/11 veteransSuicide risk factorsMental health concernsClinical remindersRisk factorsRelative riskHigh riskMen veteransMental healthcareHealth concernRisk estimatesMST survivorsWomenDiagnosisTraumaVeteransCorrespondence Between Retrospective and Momentary Self‐Reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: Evidence for Peak and End Effects in Veterans
Decker SE, Rosen MI, Cooney NL, Schnurr PP, Black AC. Correspondence Between Retrospective and Momentary Self‐Reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: Evidence for Peak and End Effects in Veterans. Journal Of Traumatic Stress 2021, 34: 889-894. PMID: 33743184, DOI: 10.1002/jts.22669.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitations
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