At Thrive Psychology, I specialize in supporting clients to heal from trauma and related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). LGBTQIA+ people are at higher risk for trauma exposure, which in turn puts them at higher risk for developing PTSD. I provide brief, evidence based, individually tailored, and culturally responsive therapy using the most effective treatment for processing emotions related to trauma: Prolonged Exposure (PE).

I have found, and research shows, that the best way to reduce PTSD symptoms is by approaching trauma memories and reminders in a safe and therapeutic manner through PE therapy. In spite of decades of research illustrating this important path to healing with PE, very few clients who could benefit from PE have access to it and very few therapists use PE. This is why I founded Thrive Psychology, I wanted to increase access to PE for clients by both providing PE in my clinical practice and by providing PE training and consultation to other therapists, so they too can provide it to their clients.

I am especially enthusiastic about increasing client access to accelerated PE. Accelerated PE provides the same proven PE treatment but at a faster pace with three or more sessions per week.

I am a white queer married woman and mother. I was raised mostly in the Pacific Northwest and some on the Big Island of Hawaii in a working-class family. I am now well-educated and middle class. I was shaped by people who valued social justice and political action, coming of age in the 1990s during the Clinton era, and seeing the impact of trauma on my own family. These influences prompted me to pursue psychology as a profession and a mechanism for change at the personal, political, and community level.

I began my professional journey in a non-profit setting focused on ending gender-based violence and supporting survivors of sexual violence. I went on to work with diverse Veterans for twenty years in my public service career with the Department of Veterans Affairs, first as a pre-licensed therapist and later as a licensed psychologist. There, I served in a variety of settings and roles, all focused on providing PTSD specialty care, addressing health disparities for underserved Veterans, and providing supervision, consultation, and training to colleagues (licensed and pre-licensed). My career has focused on making positive change both from within and outside of institutions, for example as a training director I secured a permanent postdoctoral fellowship position and implemented the related training and education for an LGBTQIA+ postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Pacific Islands. I have published in peer reviewed journals and presented routinely at national and international conferences, including on topics related to social justice and the intersection of intolerance and interpersonal violence.

Selected Publications:
Aosved, A. C., Brown, T. B., Bell, J. C., Palomo-Burns, G. (in press). Accelerated Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) System. Federal Practitioner.

Michael, S. T., Blakey, S. M., Sherrill, A. M., & Aosved, A. C. (2021). Exposure therapy training and supervision: Research-informed strategies for addressing barriers to adoption and dissemination. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 15(2), 997-105.

Scheiderer, E., Carlile, J. A., Aosved, A. C., & Barlow, A. (2017). Concurrent Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Prolonged Exposure reduces symptoms and improves overall quality of life for a veteran with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. Clinical Case Studies, 16(3), 216-233.

Aosved, A. C., Long, P. J., & Voller, E. M. (2011). Sexual revictimization and adjustment in college males. Men and Masculinity, 12, 285-296.

Aosved, A. C., & Long, P. J. (2009). The intolerant schema measure (ISM): A measure with subscales for multiple forms of intolerance including sexism, racism, sexual prejudice, ageism, classism, and religious intolerance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 39 (10), 2321-2354.

Aosved, A. C., & Long, P. J. (2006). Co-occurrence of rape myth acceptance, racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, classism, and religious intolerance. Sex Roles, 55 (7-8), 481-492.

Aosved, A. C., & Long, P. J. (2005). College women’s experiences of psychological maltreatment and sexual violence. Violence and Victims, 20 (5), 577-588.