Grace Marie Seymour | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

Grace Marie Seymour

Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology

I am a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program, mentored by Dr. Christal Badour. As a NIDA T32 predoctoral research fellow, my current research focuses on using mixed methods to understand trauma (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder) and sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia, nightmares) in substance-use populations. I am especially interested in understanding the intersections of trauma, sleep, and substance use in Appalachian Kentucky communities.

I am currently a student therapist at the Jesse G. Harris Psychological Services Center and co-lead a weekly Dialectical Behavioral Therapy group. Aside from providing full-model Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, I have strong clinical interests in treating posttraumatic stress disorder and insomnia.

In my free time, I enjoy sending postcards, playing records from my collection, and watching movies at the Kentucky Theater. On weekends I love spending time around Downtown Lexington (usually wandering around the farmers market) or traveling to visit family and friends!

Contact Information

grace.seymour@uky.edu

111-J Kastle Hall

Education

B.S., Psychology, University of Michigan, 2021
B.S., Neuroscience, University of Michigan, 2021
M.S., Clinical Psychology, University of Kentucky, 2025

Research Interests

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Sleep Health
Substance Use Disorders
Individual and community-level socioeconomic risk factors
Mental Health Disparities

Affiliations

Psychology
Clinical Psychology

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Follow me on Twitter

Graduate Training

Mentor: Dr. Christal Badour

Selected Publications

Selected Publications:

Kalmbach DA, Ong JC, Cheng P, Reffi AN, Swanson LM, Hirata M, Seymour GM, Cuamatzi-Castelan A, Jennings M, Pitts DS, Roth A, Roth T, & Drake CL. (under review). A randomized controlled trial of telemedicine CBTI and PUMAS for prenatal insomnia: Reducing nocturnal cognitive arousal is a treatment mechanism for alleviating insomnia and depression during pregnancy.

Tipsword JM, Isaacs MR, Seymour GM, & Badour CL. (under review). Targets of trauma-related disgust and emotion regulation difficulties as predictors of PTSD symptoms and mental contamination following sexual violence.

Tipsword JM, Jones AC, Quinkert E, Seymour GM, & Badour CL. (in press). Disgust, trauma, & PTSD. In D. McKay & B. Olatunji (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of disgust: Assessment, clinical manifestations, and treatment.

Reffi AN, Cheng P, Kalmbach DA, Moore DA, Mahr GC, Seymour GM, Solway M, & Drake CL. (2024). Understanding nightmares after traumatic events in Detroit (UNiTED): Prospective associations with interpersonal violence and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

Kalmbach DA, Reffi AN, Ong JC, Cheng P, Walch O, Pitts DS, Seymour GM, Hirata M, Roth A, Roth T, & Drake CL. (2024). Preliminary evidence of psychological improvements and increased maternal-fetal attachment associated with a mindfulness sleep program: secondary analysis of uncontrolled data in 11 pregnant women with DSM-5 insomnia disorder. Journal of Sleep Research.

Kalmbach DA, Cheng P, Reffi AN, Ong JC, Swanson LM, Espie CA, Seymour GM, Hirata M, Walch O, Pitts DS, Roth T, & Drake CL. (2023). Reducing cognitive arousal and sleep effort alleviates insomnia and depression in pregnant women with DSM-5 insomnia disorder treated with a mindfulness sleep program. Sleep Advances.

Kalmbach DA, Cheng P, Reffi AN, Ong JC, Swanson LM, Fresco DM, Walch O, Seymour GM, Fellman-Couture C, Bayoneto AD, Roth T & Drake CL (2023). Perinatal Understanding of Mindful Awareness for Sleep (PUMAS): A single-arm proof-of-concept clinical trial of a mindfulness-based intervention for DSM-5 insomnia disorder during pregnancy. Sleep Medicine.

Kalmbach DA, Cheng P, Reffi AN, Seymour GM, Ruprich MK, Bazan LF, Pitts DS, Walch O & Drake CL. (2022). Racial disparities in treatment engagement and outcomes in digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia among pregnant women. Sleep Health, S2352-7218(22)00206-6. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2022.10.010

Kalmbach DA, Cheng P, Ahmedani B, Reffi AN, Peterson EL, Sagong C, Seymour GM, Ruprich MK, & Drake CL. (2022). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia prevents and alleviates suicidal ideation: Insomnia remission is a suicidolytic mechanism. SLEEP, zsac251. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsac251

Reffi AN, Kalmbach DA, Cheng P, Jovanovic T, Norrholm SD, Sexton MB, Mahr G, Arnett L, Seymour GM & Drake CL. (2022). Sleep Reactivity as a potential pathway from childhood abuse to adult insomnia. Sleep Medicine, 94, 70-75. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2022.03.026