Steffany J. Fredman

Steffany J. Fredman is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University's College of Health and Human Development. She holds the Edna P. Bennett Faculty Fellowship in Prevention Research and directs the Couple and Family Adaptation to Stress (CFAS) Lab.

Dr. Fredman's research focuses on the interpersonal context of mental health, particularly PTSD and related conditions. Her work examines how individual psychological distress affects intimate relationships and how involving intimate others can improve mental health outcomes. She is the co-developer of Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD (CBCT for PTSD), a disorder-specific couple therapy that simultaneously treats PTSD symptoms and enhances relationship functioning. Her current research includes testing an abbreviated, intensive, multi-couple group version of CBCT for PTSD (AIM-CBCT for PTSD) with military and veteran couples through a $3,000,000 Department of Defense grant.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on PTSD symptom dynamics in couples, with particular attention to Black relationships, military contexts, and daily relationship processes. Her work demonstrates how partners' behaviors can inadvertently impede recovery from PTSD and how couple-based interventions can improve outcomes for both patients and partners.

• Edna P. Bennett Faculty Fellowship in Prevention Science (2023-2026)
• KL2 NIH Scholar, Clinical and Translational Science Institute (2018-2020)
• Karl R. Fink and Diane Wendle Fink Early Career Professorship (2017-2020)
• Teaching Excellence Award, College of Health and Human Development (2016)

Dr. Fredman has mentored several graduate students including Yunying (Annie) Le and August Jenkins. Her lab, the CFAS Lab, studies how couples and families adapt during high-stress contexts across the lifespan, with current projects examining parental depressive symptoms, early parenting adjustment, and the effects of AIM-CBCT for PTSD in minoritized couples.