Kristen Abraham

Kristen Abraham

Professor of Psychology
Department Chair, Psychology

Kristen Abraham
Contact Info:
Campus: McNichols Campus
Building: Health Professions Facility
Room: 432
Phone: 248-798-6013
Kristen Abraham

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
  • M.A., Bowling Green State University
  • B.A., Albion College

Biography

Kristen M. Abraham earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Bowling Green State University where she received specialized training in community psychology. Abraham joined University of Detroit Mercy in 2013 after completing three years of postdoctoral clinical psychology and health services research training in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In 2017 she received the Detroit Mercy Faculty Achievement Award. She was promoted to professor in fall 2023. Abraham currently serves as chairperon of the Department of Psychology.

Abraham teaches graduate and undergraduate courses and is a licensed psychologist with clinical interests in psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery for serious mental illness (schizophrenia and bipolar disorders), substance use disorders and cognitive-behavior therapies. Her research is focused on using socioecological approaches to understand how social, interpersonal and healthcare systems influence and can be modified to improve the lives of people with serious mental illness and their family members.

Abraham's research projects include studies of public mental health systems, health and healthcare for people with serious mental illness, and the employment experiences of peer support specialists. She mentors student researchers who conduct studies related to people with serious mental illness. She maintains active research collaborations with investigators at other universities and in the VHA.

Within the Department of Psychology at Detroit Mercy, Abraham is a member of the Policies and Procedures Committee for the Master of Arts Program in Clinical Psychology and a member of the Clinical Training Committee and clinical supervisor for the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. Previously, she served the broader University as the social science liaison to the ReBUILDetroit Program in the College of Engineering and Science and contributed to the Master of Community Development Program in the School of Architecture.

Outside of the University, Abraham maintains an appointment at the VHA Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center (SMITREC) where she directs the national evaluation for a program entitled Re-Engaging Veterans with Serious Mental Illness in Treatment (SMI Re-Engage). She is currently Editor of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.

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    Internships / Training

    Clinical Psychology, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
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    Post Doctoral Fellowships

    • VA Advanced Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship; VA Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center and University of Michigan, Department of Psychiatry
    • VA Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in Addictions, John D. Dingell Detroit VA
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    Courses Taught at University of Detroit Mercy

    Undergraduate

    • Introduction to Psychology

    Graduate

    • Cognitive Behavior Therapies
    • Psychopathology
    • Theories of Therapy
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    Selected Publications

    *Student authors.

    • Abraham, K. M., Lapidos, A., & Thomas, E. C. (2026). Past, present, and future of psychiatric rehabilitation. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 49(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000685
    • Abraham K. M. (2025). A shared commitment to recovery for persons with psychiatric disabilities. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 48(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000641
    • France, C.* & Abraham, K. M. (2025). Emerging adults in the military and college: An examination of group differences in identity development, transdiagnostic processes, and attitudes toward risk and suicide. Emerging Adulthood, 13(1), 18-31. DOI: 10.1177/21676968241282785
    • Pfeiffer, P. N., Abraham, K. M., Lapidos, A., Vega, E., Jagusch, J., Garlick, J., Pasiak, S., Ganoczy, D., Kim, H. M., Ahmedani, B., Ilgen, M., & King, C. (2025). Peer Support Intervention for Suicide Prevention Among High-Risk Adults in Michigan: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e2510808. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.10808
    • Abraham, K. M., Dent, K. R., Resnick, S. G., McCarthy, J. F., & Zivin, K. (2024). Associations of Mortality Outcomes with Employment Status at Discharge From VA Vocational Rehabilitation Service Programs. Psychiatric Services, 75(11), 1101-1108. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20230489
    • Abraham, K. M., Vu, T.*, Chavis, C. D.*, Dykhuis, K. E.*, & Sata, M. J.* (2023). An examination of predisposing and enabling factors that predict dental utilization among individuals with serious mental illness in Detroit, Michigan.  Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 51(3), 399–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12762. 
    • Weber, R. L.*, & Abraham, K. M. (2022). An assessment of the 10-Item Mental Health Recovery Measure in a predominantly African American sample of adults with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Quarterly, 93, 849-860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-09995-2
    • Abraham, K. M., Merrill, S. L., Quasarano, J. G., Mach, J., Harrod, M., & Takamine, L. (2022):  Outreach to facilitate return to VA care for veterans with serious mental illness: A mixed methods evaluation of best practices.  Psychological Services, 19, 573-584. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000441
    • Abraham, K. M., Erickson, P. E.*, Sata, M. J.*, & Lewis, S. B.* (2022). Job Satisfaction and Burnout among Peer Support Specialists: The contributions of supervisory mentorship, recovery-oriented workplaces, and role clarity. Advances in Mental Health, 20, 38-50.  doi: 10.1080/18387357.2021.1977667
    • Mitchell, J. M.*, & Abraham, K. M. (2018). Parental Mental Illness and the Transition to College: Coping, Psychological Adjustment, and Parent-Child Relationships. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27, 2966-2977.
    • Abraham, K. M., & Stein, C. H. (2010). Staying connected: Young adults’ felt obligation toward parents with and without mental illness. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 125-134.
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    Conference Presentations

    *Student authors.

    • Christopher, E. A.*, Abraham, K. M., & France, C.* (2025, August). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Emotional Regulation, and Fearlessness of Death in Military Personnel. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Denver, CO.
    • Abraham, K. M., Sata, M. J.*, Dykhuis, K. E.*, Dominguez, R.*, Brown, J.*, Munday, C., Groh, C., Dillaway, H. (2024, August). Perspectives on Primary Care of African Americans with Serious Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Seattle, WA.
    • Young, M.*, & Abraham, K. M. (2024, August). Stigma and Exposure to Mental Illness as Predictors of Attitudes Toward the NGRI Defense. Poster to be presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Seattle, WA.
    • France, C.*, & Abraham, K. M. (2023, August). Foreclosure, attitude toward suicide and risk in emerging adult college and military samples. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC.  Poster selected for Div 19 (Military Psychology) Social Hour.
    • Dominguez, R.* & Abraham, K. M. (2023, August). Primary care use and serious mental illness: The roles of gender and social support. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
    • Rosario-Perez, S.*, & Abraham, K. M. (2022, August). The relationship between ‘Code of the Street’ and help-seeking. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Minneapolis, MN.  Poster won the Div 56 (Trauma Psychology) Oustanding Poster Award.
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    Grants and Contracts

    Michigan Workforce Survey of Certified Peer Support Specialists and Certified Peer Recovery Coaches. Contract from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Health Services, Bureau of Specialty Behavioral Health, Community Practices and Innovation Section, Peer Services Area through the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC). (2023-2027). This contract included the design, implementation, analysis and report and presentation of a survey of the State of Michigan’s certified peer support specialist and certified peer recovery coaches.

    Social Determinants of Primary Care Utilization among Urban Community Mental Health Center Patients with Serious Mental Illness; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD); (2015-2020); This mixed methods study funded by an R15 Academic Research Enhancement Award examined whether the following factors contribute to primary care utilization among people with serious mental illness in Detroit: health insurance literacy, health literacy, experiences of racism, and experiences of stigma related to mental illness.

    Peer Support Specialists in the Workplace: Empowerment, Mentorship, and Job Satisfaction; University of Detroit Mercy Professors Union; (2013-2015); This mixed methods study funded by two Internal Faculty Research Awards assessed peer support specialists’ experiences of empowerment in the workplace and whether a mentoring supervisory study contributed to job satisfaction and less burnout directly or through empowerment and role clarity.

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    Organizations / Affiliations

    • Editor, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal (2025- present)
    • Editorial Board Member, Psychological Services (2017 - 2022)
    • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Family Theory and Review (2017 - 2020)
    • Consulting Editor, Teaching of Psychology (2015 - 2017)