Education
Psy.D. (Doctor of Clinical Psychology), La Salle University
Certificate, Oregon Health and Science University
B.A., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
I am presently associate professor of psychology in the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Baltimore. My research interests broadly relate to the role of psychological flexibility as a transdiagnostic process of change in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies, as well as dimensional models of personality and psychopathology. I received a doctorate in clinical psychology from La Salle University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the NW Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the Portland VA Medical Center, where I specialized in posttraumatic stress disorder treatment and research. I am a licensed psychologist in the State of Maryland and my clinical work largely focuses on the treatment of anxiety disorders.
My research interests broadly center on what can be termed "transdiagnostic processes of change." More specifically, I am particularly interested in the exploration of psychological flexibility as a transdiagnostic process – one that cuts across the traditional diagnostic categories found in the DSM - as it is a variable that has demonstrated to account for significant variance in diagnostic overlap and comorbidity. My research in this domain has resulted in publications examining emotion dysregulation and psychological flexibility across multiple problem areas, including anger, aggression, non-suicidal self-injury, trauma, maladapative personality traits, and psychopathy. Currently, my students and I are examining the DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD) through a psychological flexibility lens, with an interest in bridging structural and functional models of psychopathology.
As a clinical psychologist, I have a passion for the application of evidence-based practice in the treatment of psychological disorders. For that reason, I view the teaching of advanced courses in psychotherapy, assessment, and psychopathology as an important aspect of my professional identity. It excites me to sit down with students and work through the difficult questions such as: What exactly is a mental disorder? How do we evaluate psychopathology from both a diagnostic and a functional stance? How do we demonstrate treatment efficacy in psychotherapy and what are the mechanisms that underlie change? For students enrolled in the UBalt Counseling Psychology Program, I believe working through these questions (and many more) are critical elements in training to become a competent mental health clinician.
Book Chapters
Donahue, J. (2020). Personality and anxiety. Springer International Publishing.
Donahue, J. (2020). The Fight-Flight-Freeze System. Springer International Publishing. 2020. 6.
Refereed Journal Articles
Donahue, J., Buck, B., & Chauhan, K. (2024). A multi-sample investigation of psychological flexibility processes and reactive and proactive functions of aggression. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. 31.
Onyeukwu, U., & Donahue, J. (2023). Mental health treatment stigma, maladaptive personality trait domains, and treatment‐seeking attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 80(2), 421-436.
Chauhan, K., Donahue, J., & Thompson, R. (2023). The predictive validity of the DSM-5 alternative model for borderline personality disorder: Associations with coping strategies, general distress, rumination, and suicidal ideation across one year.. Personality & Mental Health. 17(3), 272-281.
Gunn, C., & Donahue, J. (2022). Intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation strategies and schizotypal personality characteristics. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. (44), 960-961.
Donahue, J., & Khan, H. (2021). Clarifying Associations between Psychopathic Traits, Distress Tolerance, and Functions of Aggression. Current Psychology.
Callahan, K., Stori, S., & Donahue, J. (2020). Psychological inflexibility processes and nonsuicidal self-injury: Concurrent and prospective associations.. Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Mejia, C., Donahue, J., & Farley, S. D. (2020). Mean, uncommitted, and aggressive: Divergent associations between triarchic psychopathy, elements of love, and caustic relationship behaviors.. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 37(4),
Nowack, V., & Donahue, J. (2020). Outcomes associated with employee and organizational LGBT value discrepancies.. Psychology and Sexuality. (1-2),
Magazine/Trade Publication
Donahue, J. (2020). Valued living: The benefits of striving for meaning rather than happiness.. Aeon.
Donahue, J., Chauhan, K., & Buck, B. 2025 Annual Convention of the Eastern Psychological Association, "Understanding the alternative model of personality disorders within a psychological flexibility framework," Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY. (2025).
Buck, B., & Donahue, J. 2024 Annual Convention of the Eastern Psychological Association, "Concurrent and longitudinal associations between counterproductive work behaviors and maladaptive personality traits.," Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA. (2024).
Buck, B., Chauhan, K., & Donahue, J. 2023 Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, "Psychometric characteristics of the personality inventory for DSM-5 in a sample of participants with heightened borderline personality disorder features.," Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Seattle, WA. (2023).
Chauhan, K., & Donahue, J. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, "Maladaptive personality traits and language use: Written language correlates of PID-5 dimensions.," Association for Psychological Science, Washington DC. (2023).
Donahue, J. J. Research Engagement Day: REDTalks, "Psychological flexibility in written language: Trauma-related correlates of an expressive writing exercise.," The University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD. (2023).
Donahue, J., & Onyeukwu, U. 2022 Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, "The distinctiveness of psychological flexibility measures apart from affect and distress in relation to posttraumatic stress symptomology," Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, San Francisco, CA. (2022).
Harper, D., Shaffer, K., & Donahue, J. 2022 Association for Psychological Science, "Lasting impacts of racism: An examination of the link between experiences of racism and trauma-related outcomes," Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL. (2022).
Onyeukwu, U., & Donahue, J. 2022 Midwestern Psychological Association, "Self-stigma, maladaptive personality traits, and attitudes towards treatment-seeking behavior in a sexual and gender minoritized sample," Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL. (2022).
Wolf, C., & Donahue, J. 2022 Eastern Psychological Association, "Therapist perceptions and use of mindfulness interventions," Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY. (2022).
Gunn, C., & Donahue, J. Association for Psychological Science Virtual Convention, "Intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation and schizotypal personality characteristics.," Association for Psychologicial Science, Virtual due to COVID-19 Pandemic. (2021).
Onyeukwu, U., & Donahue, J. Association for Psychological Science Virtual Convention, "Maladaptive personality trait domains, stigmatization of mental health services, and treatment-seeking attitudes and behavior.," Association for Psychologicial Science, Virtual due to COVID-19 Pandemic. (2021).
Birfer, N., & Donahue, J. Association for Psychological Science Virtual Convention, "The layperson’s awareness and use of depressogenic linguistic patterns with or without mood induction.," Association for Psychologicial Science, Virtual due to COVID-19 Pandemic. (2021).
Chauhan, K., Donahue, J., & Thompson, R. 2020 Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, "The predictive validity of the DSM-5 alternative model for borderline personality disorder: Associations with coping strategies, general distress, rumination, and suicidal ideation across one year," Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Virtual Conference due to COVID-19 Pandemic. (2020).
Donahue, J., King, C., Onyeukwu, U., Birfer, N., Ismailova, D., & Watson, J. 2020 annual world meeting of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, "A multi-sample investigation of psychological flexibility processes in relation to anger and aggression.," Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, Virtual Conference due to COVID-19 Pandemic. (2020).
Donahue, J., King, C., Onyeukwu, U., Birfer, N., Ismailova, D., & Watson, J. Eastern Psychological Association, "Risky sexual behaviors and psychological flexibility processes in a community sample.," Boston, MA (virtual conference due to COVID-19). (2020).
Donahue, John J, "). Psychological flexibility in written language: Trauma-related correlates of an expressive writing exercise" Sponsored by Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Baltimore, $1000. (2022).
Donahue, John (Principal), "Disseminating Techniques for Targeting Change Processes in a Community Clinic: Evaluating Therapist and Client Outcomes" Sponsored by Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, Private, $5000. (2020). (Not Funded)
Practical for your Practice (Center for Deployment Psychology): Interviewed on the Center for Deployment Psychology's podcast, Practical for your Practice.
Episode 3:5 - ACTing on your anger, but in a good way (2023).
"Psychological flexibility and Personality in written language: Trauma-related correlates of an expressive writing exercise" (Writing Results)
"Understanding the alternative model of personality disorders within a psychological flexibility framework" (Writing Results)
Phase 1 of a multiphase project examining the concurrent and longitudinal associations between DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders constructs and psychological flexibility processes.