Beyond Medications and Television: What Positive Behavioral Supports Can Add To Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment

Erika R. Carr, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Yale School of Medicine and is also the Director of the Inpatient Psychology Service and Director of the Behavioral Intervention Service at Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven, Connecticut. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and completed her internship at Emory School of Medicine/Grady Hospital. Dr. Carr’s primary research and clinical interests are positive behavioral support interventions, the sexual objectification of women, unique concerns of women with serious mental illness and gender-responsive care, recovery-oriented care, trauma, and psychology training. Dr. Carr has co-authored a recent book, Women with Serious Mental Illness: Gender Responsive and Recovery-Oriented Care and recently led the charge in August 2022 to publish the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Practice Guidelines on Women with Serious Mental Illness. Dr. Carr is also interested in leadership and how to engage as a social justice advocate. To effect change, which holds major impact on the individual level as well as every other level of society, Dr. Carr seeks to engage as a social justice change agent in the systems in which she works and broader society. Dr. Carr also enjoys traveling to see new places, growing her 4 littles (Daisy, Indigo, Memphis, and Tennessee James), learning to play guitar, and growing flowers

Dr. Snyder received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and has been working with people with severe mental illness, many of whom are forensically involved, since that time. Currently she is an Associate Chief of Psychology at Oregon State Hospital (OSH). Between 2013 and 2022 she was part of Behavioral Psychology Services at OSH, where she consulted with treatment teams around incorporating positive behavioral interventions into treatment.