Courtney E. Ahrens, PhD is awarded a presidential citation for her leadership and scholarship in the areas of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
Ahrens has served as faculty at the California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) for the past 20 years where she currently holds the rank of professor in the department of psychology. Ahrens has published more than 35 academic journal articles and book chapters, delivered more than 140 professional presentations, and has served as an invited speaker or panelist for organizations such as the National Institute of Justice, the U.S. State Department, and numerous local universities and organizations. Over the past 30 years, in concert with her faculty research interests, Ahrens has volunteered as an advocate, trainer, and program evaluator for community-based agencies responding to sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
Ahrens has also served as faculty with Not Alone @ the Beach, a confidential crisis intervention, counseling, and advocacy center for the CSULB community to address sexual assault, interpersonal violence, stalking, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and exploitation, since its inception. She has continuously worked with advocacy centers and conducted research on disclosure and help-seeking among survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence since her baccalaureate degree. Ahrens received her doctoral degree in community psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. At CSULB, she regularly teaches classes on interpersonal violence, psychology of women, and internships in psychology. She is passionate about social change and shares APA’s vision of looking forward to a future free from violence.