Rate My Professor Caroline Easton

Caroline Easton, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry and Academic Division Chief of Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Her research specializations focus on behavioral therapies for substance use disorders co-occurring with intimate partner violence and criminal justice involvement. Easton develops cognitive behavioral therapy interventions for substance-abusing individuals, including men, women, and juveniles. She created the Substance Abuse-Domestic Violence Behavioral Therapy model, tested in a 2006 randomized controlled trial that showed greater reductions in cocaine and alcohol use, aggressive behavior, and fewer violent episodes compared to standard addiction treatments. Collaborating with Rochester Institute of Technology, she has advanced digital therapeutics, including an AI-driven avatar coach and iOS app for personalized CBT delivery, coping skills training, and therapist support to mitigate compassion fatigue.

Easton's career includes directing Yale University’s Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic for court-referred patients and serving as Full Professor of Addiction and Forensic Psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she directed forensic services, the Psychology Internship Training Program, and labs such as FAV-Tech and CBTech. She received major awards including COVID-19 Health Care Hero recognition from the Rochester Business Journal, a $1.4 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant in 2019 for graduate psychology education, and a $100,000 Lee Foundation award for her clinical psychology program. Key publications include “Violence and Substance Use Among Female Partners of Men in Treatment for Intimate-Partner Violence” (2009, Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law) and “Motivation to Change Substance Use Among Offenders of Domestic Violence” (2000). Her work influences clinical practices, with models adopted by substance abuse clinics in London and policy impact via a 2014-2015 report for the Connecticut General Assembly on family violence strategies. Easton supervises Rochester Psychology Internship Consortium interns and postdoctoral fellows in digital therapeutics, wearable technology, and biomarkers.