Shane A Stori

Graduate Research Assistant

Clinical Psychology: psychosocial factors that impact psychopathology, power, connectedness, acceptance-based practice, resilience, and community-based learning

Shane joined the clinical psychology doctoral program at George Mason University in 2021, working with Dr. Lauren Cattaneo in the Lab for Community REACH. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Baltimore and earned her Master’s degree from The Catholic University of America. Prior to GMU, she served as a law enforcement officer for over 15 years, beginning her career as a city police officer before transitioning to federal law enforcement in Washington, DC. She has previously worked as a research assistant on projects focused on racial and sexual minority stress, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), PTSD, and psychological flexibility/inflexibility. As a strong proponent of social justice, she has worked with community outreach programs to promote civic engagement amongst emerging adults. Her background as a collegiate athlete guided her honors thesis, which examined the impact of race and gender on established sports rules and punishment.

Shane is currently working on research related to the impact of compounding stress and cumulative trauma on those who hold multiple socially minoritized identities. She is particularly interested in the role of identity-related stress in the development of maladaptive cognition and mental health comorbidities with the goal of adapting culturally competent acceptance-based interventions.