Marie Karlsson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in clinical psychology at Murray State University and a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Hailing from Sweden, Karlsson first came to the United States as a nineteen-year-old set on working with horses professionally before entering the world of academia. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina and her doctoral studies at the University of Arkansas. Currently, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology at Murray State and also mentors graduate students the master’s program in clinical psychology.
Karlsson’s research generally centers around topics such as interpersonal trauma, abusive relationships, female victimization, trauma sequelae (pathological conditions resulting from a prior disease, injury, or attack) and their treatments, and at-risk populations. Additionally, she maintains a special interest in at-risk populations.
One area of her current research focuses on the at-risk population of incarcerated women. Karlsson defines incarcerated women as “ a vulnerable, marginalized group with high rates of interpersonal trauma, especially sexual victimization, and high rates of associated mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive disorders, and substance abuse,” and she believes that this group could benefit from receiving evidence-based trauma treatments.
With Dr. Ana Bridges from the University of Arkansas, Karlsson has designed an exposure-based treatment for these women entitled Healing from Abuse: Recovery through Exposure (SHARE). Consisting of eight 1.5-hour sessions, the treatment was developed to be used in a prison setting in an attempt to overcome many of the issues presented by this setting. First successfully implemented in a women’s prison in northwest Arkansas in January of 2012, the treatments have since been implemented at the Ross-Cash Center, a minimum-security prison for women in western Kentucky, starting in 2016. Karlsson and Bridges have completed 10 separate groups with over 50 women. The groups are co-led by Karlsson and two graduate students in Murray State’s clinical psychology program.
“I find it very meaningful to work with incarcerated women,” Karlsson says about the program. “When I sit down in the circle of women to facilitate the trauma-focused treatment, I feel fortunate to be able to do this work. It is one of the most impactful and powerful experiences I have had and continue to have. The main challenges are probably the context of being in a correctional setting, as those settings are typically designed from a safety perspective – keeping people in that have committed crimes. That context sometimes seems contradictory to what I am trying to do, which is facilitating healing and recovery from trauma and interpersonal violence. In order to do that work, the women in the group need to trust each other and the group leaders, and everyone need to feel safe enough to open up about some very personal, traumatic experiences. It can be challenging to create that space in a context that is oftentimes used for punishment.”
Drs. Karlsson and Bridges have published one review paper, two outcome studies, and one descriptive study related to the SHARE project, and they have two manuscripts currently under review. They have received three grants related to the project and have presented their research at multiple national and international conferences.
The second area of Karlsson’s current research is interpersonal violence, specifically sexual victimization and abusive relationships. Previously, she has been involved in other topics such as exposure to sexual trauma, the sexual trauma sequelae, treatment for sexual trauma, and social issues related to sexual assault. She has also directed undergraduate and graduate research on the topics. Recently, her focus on abusive relationships has centered around domestic violence (which focuses on female adult victims) and dating violence (which focuses on younger couples in high school or college).
Karlsson believes the study of interpersonal violence is important “(b)ecause it affects so many people – most of us either have or will experience some form of interpersonal violence or we know someone who has or will experience it,” she says. “Interpersonal violence oftentimes occur in a family context so it tends to effect generation after generation of family members. I think it is important to break these cycles, to talk about these issues, and to help those who have been affected by the violence.”
Karlsson plans to continue incorporating her research into her courses at Murray State where applicable. As a member of the Graduate Admission Committee and the Academic Appeals and Grievances Committee among others, Karlsson is giving Murray State University her best.
As a teacher, Karlsson hopes that her students become “intrigued and interested in human behavior and issues around mental health,” she says. “I hope they get excited about science and learn a healthy level of skepticism, especially in today’s world, when we are constantly exposed to information. I also hope students develop an ability to see how their own culture and upbringing have affected them and their way of seeing the world. I hope this will translate to an ability and openness to listen to other people’s perspectives, especially when they might differ from their own. Psychology is everywhere so I hope students gain an ability to translate what they are learning into their everyday lives.”
Publications on Incarcerated Women
Karlsson, M. E. & Zielinski, M. (2018). Sexual victimization and mental illness prevalence rates among incarcerated women: A literature review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/1524838018767933
Zielinski, M., Karlsson, M. E. & Bridges, A., J. (2016). Adapting evidence-based trauma treatment for incarcerated women: A model for implementing exposure-based group therapy and considerations for practitioners. The Behavior Therapist, 39, 205-210.
Karlsson, M. E., Zielinski, M., & Bridges, A., J. (2015). Expanding research on a brief exposure-based group treatment with incarcerated women. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 54, 599-617. doi: 10.1080/10509674.2015.1088918
Karlsson, M. E., Bridges, A. J., Bell, J., & Petretic, P. (2014). Sexual violence therapy group in a women’s correctional facility: A preliminary evaluation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 27, 361-364. doi: 10.1002/jts.21911
Bridges, A. J., Baker, D. E., Hurd, L. E., Spero, K. D., Hill, M.A., Karlsson, M. E., & Zielinski, M. (under review). How does timing affect trauma treatment for incarcerated women? An empirical analysis. Submitted for publication.
Karlsson, M. E., Zielinski, M., & Bridges, A., J. (under review). The generalizability of SHARE: A brief exposure-based group treatment for incarcerated survivors of sexual violence. Submitted for publication.
A Longitudinal Follow-Up of Women Who Did or Did Not Complete Trauma Treatment While Incarcerated. [Zielinski, M. (PI), Bridges, A. J. & Karlsson, M. E. (Co-Is)]. One year; Lifespan/Brown Criminal Justice Research Training Pilot Grant; direct costs = $15,000. Funded February 2018.
Providing a Trauma-Focused Group Treatment to Incarcerated Women. [Karlsson, M. E. (PI)]. One year; Committee for Institutional Studies and Research (CISR) Competitive Research Grant (Regional Impact Grant); Murray State University; direct costs = $3,387.25. Funded May 2017.
Group Treatment with Incarcerated Female Sexual Assault Victims: Is Exposure Critical to Successful Outcomes? [Bridges, A. J. (PI), & Karlsson, M. E. (Co-I)]. One year; American Psychological Foundation: Visionary Grant; direct costs = $18, 124. Funded September 2016.
Publications on Domestic Violence
Karlsson, M. E., Reid-Quiñones, K., Lopez, C., Andrews, A. R., Wallace, M., & Rheingold, A. (2018). Sociodemographic and incident variables as predictors of victim injury from intimate partner violence: Findings from police reports. Violence Against Women, 24, 1413-1432. doi: 10.1177/1077801217733558
Karlsson, M. E. (2019, January). Predicting intimate partner violence injuries based on police reports. Invited Webinar presenter for the Battered Women’s Justice Project. https://www.bwjp.org/resource-center/resource-results/predicting-intimate-partner-violence-injuries-based-on-police-reports.html
Bridges, A. J., Karlsson, M. E., Jackson, J., Andrews, A. R., & Villalobos, B. T. (2018). Barriers to and methods of help seeking for domestic violence victimization: A comparison of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White women residing in the United States. Violence Against Women, 24, 1810-1829. doi: 10.1177/1077801218754409
Publications on Dating Violence
Karlsson, M. E., Calvert, M., Hernandez Rodriguez, J., Weston, R., & Temple, J. R., (2018). Changes in acceptance of dating violence and physical dating violence victimization in a longitudinal study with teens. Child Abuse & Neglect, 86, 123-135. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.09.010
Karlsson, M. E., Temple, J. R., Weston, R., & Le, V. D. (2016). Witnessing interparental violence and acceptance of dating violence as predictors for teen dating violence victimization. Violence Against Women, 22, 625-646. doi: 10.1177/1077801215605920
College of humanities and fine arts 