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Carolyn Ponting

Assistant Professor
Counseling Psychology
cponting@uoregon.edu
Phone:
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Research Interests: perinatal mental health, culture, Latinx/e communities, psychological interventions

Biography

Dr. Ponting will be accepting new PhD students in Counseling Psychology for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Dr. Ponting is an Assistant Professor in Counseling Psychology and Human Services. She is a licensed bicultural and bilingual (Spanish-English) clinical psychologist specialized in evidence-based interventions for perinatal  anxiety and depression with a focus on marginalized communities. Dr. Ponting has received funding for her research from the National Institutes of Mental Health as well as several internal university grants. She is passionate about mentoring  students and  has served on several committees  to improve equitable practices in doctoral admissions. 

Education

PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

MA, Clinical Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

BA, Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco (Predoctoral Internship)

Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco  (Postdoctoral Fellow)

 

Publications

Selected Publications:

  1. Ponting, C., McClelland, B., Mah, R., Neuhaus, J., Manber, R., Krystal, A., Moran, P., Felder, J.N. (2025). Recruitment messaging and ethnic and racial minority enrollment in an RCT for prenatal insomnia: An experimental approach. Behavioral Sleep Medicine. 23(3), 319–328. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2025.2473346
  2. Ponting, C., Bond, M., Rogowski, B., Chu, A., Lieberman, A. (2023) Child and adult trauma exposure: Associations with perinatal mental health and psychotherapy response. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 37(1), 178–186. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22989
  3. Ponting, C., Ong, E., Dunkel Schetter, C., Chavira, D.A. (2023). Acceptability of exposure therapy among pregnant Latinas: A qualitative content analysis. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000589
  4. Ponting, C., Chavira, D.A., Dunkel Schetter, C. Urizar, G. (2021). Cognitive behavioral stress management for prenatal anxiety among low-income women: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 90(2), 148–160. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000699
  5. Ramos, G., Ponting, C., Labao, J., Sobowale, K. (2021). Considerations of diversity, equity, and inclusion in mental health applications: A scoping review of evaluation frameworks. Behavior Research & Therapy. 147: 103990https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2021.103990
  6. Ponting, C., Mahrer, N.E., Zelcer, H., Dunkel Schetter, C., Chavira, D.A. (2020). Psychological interventions for depression and anxiety in pregnant Latina and Black women in the United States: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 27(2), 249-265. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2424
  7. Ponting, C., Chavira, D.A., Ramos, I.F., Christensen, W., Guardino, C., Dunkel Schetter, C. (2020). Postpartum depressive symptoms in low-income Latinas: Cultural and contextual contributors. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 26(4), 544–556. https://doi.org/10.1037/CDP0000325 

For a complete list of publications, see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sK4mrRsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Research

Using qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Ponting's program of research aims to optimize treatments for Latine/x and other racially and ethnically minoritized pregnant people experiencing common mental health problems. Minoritized communities face elevated risk for mental health disorders due to a confluence of factors, including adverse social determinants of health and acculturative stressors. Despite this heightened risk, minoritized communities are less likely to access evidence-based treatments and often discontinue psychotherapy prematurely.

To address these disparities, her research focuses on enhancing the responsiveness of evidence-based treatments for pregnant people by:

  • Testing the efficacy and effectiveness of prenatal psychotherapy among ethnically/racially minoritized groups
  • Assessing the acceptability of psychotherapy within these communities
  • Identifying data-driven strategies and inclusive design techniques to improve recruitment and retention of diverse participants in randomized controlled trials