Prior to coming into academia, Edmond practiced as a social worker for 15 years in both clinical and administrative roles in domestic violence and rape crisis centers. She is committed to strengthening services for survivors through her research and teaching to advance the development of trauma-informed systems of care and the implementation of evidence based trauma treatments.
A faculty affiliate with the Center for Violence and Injury Prevention, Edmond focuses her research on violence against women with a specific interest in testing trauma focused interventions for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. She is the co-investigator of a CDC funded study investigating the effectiveness of a trauma-focused cognitive behavioral group intervention with adolescent girls who have experienced maltreatment. She conducted a national survey of the theoretical and practice preferences of domestic violence and sexual assault service providers to assess the extent to which evidence-based trauma treatments appear to be in use in this service sector. She is currently conducting a state-wide study of rape crisis centers in Texas to assess practitioner receptivity to evidence-based treatments and to identify the clinician and organizational characteristics that could inhibit or facilitate their adoption. In addition, she is conducting a study to further our understanding of the trauma treatment needs of justice-involved women.
