Rate My Professor Natalie Bennett

Dr. Natalie Bennett is an Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the clinical PsyD program at Alliant International University’s Sacramento campus. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno, where her dissertation focused on forensic concepts related to child sexual abuse, along with an MA in psychology from the same institution. Earlier, she received a BS in psychology with a minor in neuroscience and Honors Research Distinction from The Ohio State University. Following her doctorate, Dr. Bennett completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the CAARE Center at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, delivering assessment and intervention services to children and families affected by abuse, neglect, or child welfare involvement. She previously served as a pediatric psychologist in a primary care clinic in Oregon, offering integrated behavioral health care to children from birth to age 18. Dr. Bennett is a certified provider and trainer in Parent-Child Care, a program promoting socioemotional development through caregiver-child play.

In her current role within Clinical Psychology, Dr. Bennett supervises students conducting juvenile forensic evaluations, including sex offender risk assessments and competency to stand trial evaluations. She teaches courses such as Research Methods and Statistics, Cognitive and Behavioral Approaches to Intervention, Practicum Consultation, and Dissertation, and provides weekly dissertation office hours. Her research interests encompass child maltreatment, sexual abuse and assault, trauma therapy across the lifespan, child behavior problems, parent-child dyadic therapies, and health equity for underserved groups, particularly the Latine/Hispanic population. As a proud Latina, she directs the Sexual Trauma and Health Equity Research Lab, enabling students to engage in all research phases from development to publication and conference presentations. Key publications include “The Construct of Grooming in Child Sexual Abuse: Conceptual and Measurement Issues” (2014), “Examining the Scientific Validity of Rape Trauma Syndrome” (2014), “Minority Participation in Randomized Controlled Trials for Prolonged Exposure Therapy: A Systematic Review of the Literature” (2020), and “Sexual Education Experiences and Curriculum Recommendations from Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Mixed Method Study” (2022). Dr. Bennett serves on the Executive Board of CPA Division II (Education and Training) and APA Division 37 Section on Child Maltreatment.