Rocio Chang, Psy.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Trinity College and her Master of Arts and Psy.D. degrees at the University of Hartford. Dr. Chang completed a postdoctoral fellowship at University of Connecticut in 2007 working with Drs. Julian Ford and Karen Steinberg. Their collaboration continues to this day and focuses on treatment of traumatized children and families, with an emphasis on those referred from the juvenile justice system. Dr. Chang has published in the area of childhood and adult trauma and presented at a wide variety of regional and national scientific meetings. She is sought after to provide specific training on assessment and treatment of complex trauma, and in particular she has been a resource to Latino organizations. Dr. Chang served as Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded Capitol Region Mental Health Center Women’s Diversion Program from 2003-2006, working with Dr. Julian Ford to adapt Trauma Affect Regulation Guidelines for Education and Therapy (TARGET) to complement the Relational-Cultural treatment and rehabilitation model she initiated. She has conducted TARGET with adolescents. She is a trainer of Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), Think Trauma Curriculum, Restorative Justice Practices, and Peer Support Services. She has been trained in Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for adolescent cannabis users (ACRA), Adoption Competency, Gestalt Pastoral Care, Spiritual Direction, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Focused CBT, Relational-Cultural Practices and Multicultural Wellness Education. She serves on the Clinical Advisory Board of several grassroots organizations such as: Focus on Recovery United, GOODWorks, the Mathew Jordan Porco Foundation, and Connecticut Public Broadcasting Television. 

She was a faculty member of the Complex Trauma Treatment Network in which she worked with a large Puerto Rico Learning Community that includes all Juvenile Detention Facilities in the island. Dr. Chang has adapted and translated educational materials about Developmental Trauma Disorder and trauma informed services for correctional officers, administrators, educators and clinicians. Currently, she is developing a Spanish curriculum on the intersection of domestic violence, mental health and trauma with the Connecticut Coalition against Domestic Violence and the National Alliance of Mental Illness. Dr. Chang serves on several committees of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and is a peer reviewer of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.  

Psychotherapy with children, adolescents, adults and biological, foster and adoptive families including treatment for mood and co-occurring disorders, PTSD, complex trauma

Teaching experiences focus on psychological trauma, trauma informed services, stress-and trauma related disorders, and medical Spanish. 

Traumatic stress and addictions

Journal Articles

Reviews