Lance Swenson, PhD

Education

• PhD, University of Missouri, Columbia
• MA, University of Missouri, Columbia
• BS, University of Georgia
• Clinical Internship: Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
• Postdoctoral Fellowship: Brown University School of Medicine, Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies

Research Interests

• NSSI & Suicidality
• Adolescent Peer Relationships
• Climate Change

Teaching Philosophy

I maintain four goals for my students:

1. comprehension of the course content
2. increased appreciation for the science of psychology
3. growth in problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
4. improved oral and written communication skills

To accomplish these goals, I aspire to develop and maintain active-learning environments balancing student- and learner-centered teaching while fostering collaborations between myself and my students.

Grants, Awards, Honors, and Recognitions

• Suffolk University Faculty Award for Teaching (2018)
• F31 MH104011A (Sponsor of S Jarvi, 2014 – 2016)
• 32 Postdoctoral Fellow (2002 – 2003)
• 31 MH70079 (PI; 2003 – 2005)

Employment History

• Department Chair (2021 – 2023)
• Co-chair of PTR (2020/2021)
• EPC Speaker (2018 – 2020)
• Director of Clinical Training (2014 – 2018)

Publications

• Steele, S., Jaffe, N. M., Kelly, C. A., Björgvinsson, T., & Swenson, L. P.* (2025). Implicit associations with non-suicidal self-injury: Examination in a clinical sample by borderline personality symptomatology. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64, 330–343. 
• Jarvi Steele, S.*, Bjorgvinsson, T., & Swenson, L. (2024). Implicit assessment of non-suicidal self-injury: Group differences in temporal stability of the Self-Injury Implicit Association Test (SI-IAT). Archives of Suicide Research, 28, 892–904. 
• Kelly, L. M.*, Swenson, L. P., & Wolff, J. C. (2023). Application of the three-step ideation-to-action theory to passive and active suicidal ideation in college students. Minerva Psychiatry, 64, 1–12. 
• Shepherd, B. F., Kelly, L. M.*, Brochu, P. M., Wolff, J. C., & Swenson, L. P. (2023). An examination of theory-based suicidal ideation risk factors in college students with multiple marginalized identities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 93, 107–119. 
• Schwartz, S. E. O., Benoit, L., Clayton, S., Parnes, M. F., Swenson, L., & Lowe, S. R. (2023). Climate change anxiety and mental health: Environmental activism as buffer. Current Psychology, 42, 16708–16721. 

*Indicates student author