School of Psychology

Contact Us School of Psychology
Aras an Phiarsaigh
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2
Ireland

+353 1 896 1886

View the contact page for more contact and location information

psychology@tcd.ie
Dr. Michael Dolezal

Dr. Michael Dolezal

Assistant Professor in Psychology, Psychology

Biography

Michael is a clinical psychologist with research and clinical expertise in the domains of trauma psychology, rehabilitation psychology, global mental health, and nonlinear dynamical systems. He received his PhD from Seattle Pacific University in 2022 and completed his predoctoral clinical internship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in trauma psychology at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

His research aims to prevent PTSD. He is currently relying on nonlinear dynamical systems theory and methods to advance our understanding o the psychological processes that unfold following a traumatic event and how differences in these processes lead to different outcomes. He is especially interested in using these methods to advance the science surrounding how PTSD is defined and assessed, who is most at risk for developing PTSD, and how we can intervene in the pre- and post-traumatic environment to help facilitate effective adaptation processes.

Michael is also interested in using participatory-based research approaches to develop, implement, and scale culturally and contextually informed interventions that target posttraumatic sequalae in global mental health contexts, as well as among frontline healthcare workers serving in humanitarian settings and other high-trauma occupations (e.g., emergency responders). With his interest in psychological adaptation processes, he also has a growing interest in understanding psychological adaptation in sport and performance contexts, whether among athletes or others working in highly stressful and physically and psychologically demanding professions.

Clinically, Michael has provided trauma-focused and trauma-informed care to individuals, groups, and organizations across an array of contexts. Prior to joining Trinity College Dublin he held an Assistant Professorship in Rehabilitation Psychology & Neuropsychology through the University of Washington School of Medicine where he worked as a rehabilitation psychologist providing care for individuals with new and chronic injury or illness. He has also worked with military service members and veterans, served as an embedded clinician for emergency medical responders, and supported the co-development and co-implementation of trauma-focused interventions for forcibly displaced communities.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

  • Michael L. Dolezal, Bernard P. Ricca, Yannick Hill, Heather L. Littleton, Ashley B. Allen, Charles C. Benight, Investigating the dynamic coevolution of coping self-efficacy and posttraumatic stress symptoms after Hurricane Florence: An empirical test of self-regulation shift theory, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2026Journal Article, 2026
  • Heather Littleton, Michael L. Dolezal, Ashley Batts Allen, Charles C. Benight, Random intercept cross-lagged relations among trauma coping self-Efficacy, trauma coping, and PTSD symptoms among rural hurricane survivors, Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 2023, p1--15Journal Article, 2023, DOI
  • Alexandra B. Klein, Mumin H. Egeh, Alexandra R. Bowling, Ash Holloway, Ayaan Abdillahi Ali, Zeinab Adam Abdillahi, Mohamed Ahmed Abdi, Salma Hassan Ibrahim, Khadar Hindi Bootan, Hibaaq Isse Ibrahim, Aden Mohamed Ali, Abdirahman Muse Tubeec, Michael L. Dolezal, Dega A. Angula, Jacob A. Bentley, Norah C. Feeny, Lori A. Zoellner, WhatsApp supervision for a lay"led Islamic trauma"focused intervention in Somaliland: Qualitative content analysis, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 36, (1), 2023, p59--70Journal Article, 2023, DOI
  • Ifrah S. Sheikh, Mohammed K. Alsubaie, Michael L. Dolezal, Rosemary S. Walker, Peter L. Rosencrans, Emma Peconga, Ash Holloway, Jacob A. Bentley, Lori A. Zoellner, The role of social connectedness in buffering the effects of discrimination on post-trauma cognitions in forcibly displaced Muslims., Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2022Journal Article, 2022, DOI
  • Mohammed K. Alsubaie, Michael Dolezal, Ifrah S. Sheikh, Peter Rosencrans, Rosemary S. Walker, Lori A. Zoellner, Jacob Bentley, Religious coping, perceived discrimination, and posttraumatic growth in an international sample of forcibly displaced Muslims, Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 24, (9), 2021, p976--992Journal Article, 2021, DOI
  • Lori A. Zoellner, Jacob A. Bentley, Norah C. Feeny, Alexandra B. Klein, Michael L. Dolezal, Dega A. Angula, Momin H. Egeh, Reaching the Unreached: Bridging Islam and Science to Treat the Mental Wounds of War, Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 2021Journal Article, 2021, DOI
  • Jacob A. Bentley, Norah C. Feeny, Michael L. Dolezal, Alexandra Klein, Libby H. Marks, Belinda Graham, Lori A. Zoellner, Islamic Trauma Healing: Integrating Faith and Empirically Supported Principles in a Community-Based Program, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 28, (2), 2021, p167--192Journal Article, 2021, DOI
  • Michael L. Dolezal, Mohammed K. Alsubaie, Ifrah Sheikh, Peter Rosencrans, Rosemary S. Walker, Lori A. Zoellner, Jacob A. Bentley, Differences in Posttraumatic and Psychosocial Outcomes Among Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Internally Displaced Persons, Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 209, (1), 2021, p28--34Journal Article, 2021, DOI
  • Jacob A. Bentley, Michael L. Dolezal, Does Time in Migration Exacerbate Posttraumatic Symptoms Among Internationally Displaced East African Refugees?, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 17, (3), 2019, p371--388Journal Article, 2019, DOI
  • Jacob A. Bentley, Michael L. Dolezal, Mohammed K. Alsubaie, Does Duration of Residency in the United States Influence Psychological Symptoms and Postmigration Stressors Among Refugees? Potential Implications of Populism for Refugee Mental Health, International Perspectives in Psychology, 8, (3), 2019, p161--176Journal Article, 2019, DOI
  • Shibli, Haneen, Ali, Eesha, Rosencrans, Peter L., Holloway, Ash, Alsubaie, Mohammed K., Dolezal, Michael L., Klein, Alexandra B., PeConga, Emma K., Walker, Rosemary S. W., Bowling, Alexandra R., Feeny, Norah C., Bentley, Jacob A., Zoellner, Lori A., Religion and spirituality as pathways to resilience: The role of positive coping and postmigration stress in displaced populations, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 39, (3), 2026, p439-452Journal Article, 2026, DOI
  • Vu, Stephanie H., Dolezal, Michael L., Katt, Sonja, Uh, JulieAnn, Grannan, Benjamin L., Smith, Sarah M., Crowe, Christopher S., Liu, Yusha Katie, Friedrich, Jeffrey B., Exploration of rehabilitation psychology in multidisciplinary care of upper extremity peripheral nerve injuries: patient and provider perspectives, Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 7, 2026Journal Article, 2026, DOI
  • Hill, Yannick, Dolezal, Michael L., Nordbeck, Patric C., Den Hartigh, Ruud J. R., Pincus, David, Kiefer, Adam W., Ricca, Bernard P., Moving from Traits to the Dynamic Process: The Next Steps in Research on Human Resilience, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 34, (7), 2025, p971-989Journal Article, 2025, DOI
  • Littleton, Heather, Ricca, Bernard, Higgins, Molly, Zamundu, Aja, Dolezal, Michael, Allen, Ashley Batts, Benight, Charles C., Evaluating the Dynamic Interrelations Among Coping Self-Efficacy, Coping Behaviors, and PTSD Symptoms: Analysis Using Mixed Methods EMA Data, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 34, (7), 2025, p990-1010Journal Article, 2025, DOI
  • Dolezal, Michael L., Bradshaw, Julia, Littleton, Heather L., Standing Together: An Investigation of the Social Support Deterioration Deterrence Model 1"Year After the Club Q Shooting, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 41, (3-4), 2026, p945-956Journal Article, 2026, DOI
  • Baker, Lucas D., Dolezal, Michael L., Goodson, Jason T., Smith, Andrew J., Screening for PTSD in police officers: Preliminary psychometric properties of the adapted primary care PTSD screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5 [0"20]) screener., Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 17, (4), 2025, p840-847Journal Article, 2025, DOI
  • Dolezal, Michael L., Wielgosz, Joseph, Miller, Katherine E., Taylor, Katherine, Owen, Jason, Kuhn, Eric, Investigating the Effectiveness of CBT-i Coach, a Free, Publicly Available mHealth App for Insomnia, Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 10, (3), 2024, p540-552Journal Article, 2024, DOI
  • Zoellner, Lori A., Bentley, Jacob A., Musa, Kawther, Mohamed, Farhiya, Ahmed, Luul B., King, Kevin M., Feeny, Norah C., , , Ali, Hana, Ibrahim, Yasmin, Ismail, Abdi, Omar, Safiya, Roble, Mohamed, Roble, Warsame, Samatar, Nafiso, Alsubaie, Mohammed, Dolezal, Michael, Klein, Alexandra, PeConga, Emma, Rosencrans, Peter, Walker, Rosemary, Bowling, Alexandra, Holloway, Ashleigh, Sheikh, Ifrah, Ali, Eesha, Lay-Led Intervention for War and Refugee Trauma, JAMA Network Open, 7, (8), 2024, pe2429661Journal Article, 2024, DOI
  • Higgins, Molly, Littleton, Heather, Zamundu, Aja, Dolezal, Michael, "It Literally Makes Me Feel Harder to Kill": A Qualitative Study of the Perceived Benefits of Recreational Martial Arts Practice Among Women Sexual Assault Survivors, Sex Roles, 90, (9), 2024, p1285-1299Journal Article, 2024, DOI
  • Littleton, Heather, Dolezal, Michael, Higgins, Molly, Choe, Shine, Zamundu, Aja, Assault Typologies of College Rape Victims: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Sex Roles, 90, (2), 2024, p305-317Journal Article, 2024, DOI
  • Bowling, Alexandra R., Klein, Alexandra B., Sheikh, Ifrah S., Dolezal, Michael L., Alsubaie, Mohammed K., Rosencrans, Peter L., Walker, Rosemary S., Bentley, Jacob A., Zoellner, Lori A., Feeny, Norah C., Perceived need for a faith-based trauma-focused treatment in a sample of forcibly displaced Muslims, Cogent Mental Health, 3, (1), 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI
  • Dolezal, Michael L., Decker, Melissa, Littleton, Heather L., The Sexual Scripts of Transgender and Gender Diverse Emerging Adults: A Thematic Analysis, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 48, (2), 2024, p271-289Journal Article, 2024, DOI
  • Dolezal, Michael L., Decker, Melissa, Littleton, Heather, Examining the Second-Order Factor Structure of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Scale, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38, (23-24), 2023, p12233-12244Journal Article, 2023, DOI
  • Rennebohm, Samuel B., Dolezal, Michael L., Bentley, Jacob A., Edwards-Stewart, Amanda, Thoburn, John W., Holguin, Jeff, The moderating effect of coping behaviors on posttraumatic stress and first responder romantic relationships., Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 12, (1), 2023, p1-10Journal Article, 2023, DOI
  • Acts of bias-related violence against LGBTQ+ persons and the LGBTQ+ community: prevalence, psychosocial consequences, interventions, and recommendations in, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024, pp83-100 , [Dolezal, Michael L., Littleton, Heather, Lim, Stephanie, Edwards, Katie]Book Chapter, 2024, DOI

Research Expertise

Artificial life and complex adaptive systems, Other psychology, Ordinary differential equations, difference equations and dynamical systems, Clinical psychology, Health psychology, Psychological methodology, design and analysis, Complex systems, Sport and exercise psychology,

Recognition

  • Micheal Dean Roe Scholarship, Seattle Pacific University 2018
  • Outstanding Major Award, Whitworth University Department of Psychology 2015
  • John W. Thoburn Outstanding Graduate Award, Seattle Pacific University 2022
  • Weyerhaeuser Young Scholars Research Award, Whitworth University 2014
  • Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology & Life Sciences
  • International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies 2022
  • Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues 2024
  • American Psychological Association 2025
  • Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 2022
  • Co-Editor, Special Issue on Canceled Interpersonal Violence Science, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma 2025 - Present