Victoria M. Atzl, Ph.D.

About Me

Victoria Atzl, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in providing evidence-based treatment to individuals who have experienced interpersonal trauma, including intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment. Dr. Atzl received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Unive...

Victoria Atzl, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in providing evidence-based treatment to individuals who have experienced interpersonal trauma, including intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment. Dr. Atzl received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver in 2022 and completed her postdoctoral training at the TRANSFORM Research Center within Mt. Hope Family Center.

Dr. Atzl provides trauma treatment to individuals who have experienced IPV and other traumatic experiences as a clinician with the HEAL Collaborative (Healing through Health, Education, Advocacy and Law). She additionally serves as the Assistant Director of HEAL, supporting HEAL’s multidisciplinary team which provides mental health treatment, advocacy and legal consultation to those who have experienced trauma. Passionate about perinatal mental health and reproductive justice, Dr. Atzl also provides mental health services through the Mental Health and Gender Wellness program in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Central to Dr. Atzl’s work is a commitment to culturally responsive, antiracist, equitable and accessible care.

Faculty Appointments

Senior Instructor - Department of Psychiatry, Psychology (SMD)

Senior Instructor - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SMD) - Joint

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

Postdoctoral Associate, Developmental Psychopathology
TRANSFORM P50 Capstone Center on Child Abuse & Neglect
Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester 2022 - 2024

Education

PhD | University of Denver. Clinical Psychology. 2022

MA | University of Denver. Clinical Psychology. 2018

BS | Cornell University. Human Development. 2014

Awards

Harry Gollob Award: best first-author publication by a graduate student. 2022

Outstanding Service Award. 2019 - 2020

Publications

Journal Articles

Maternal Pregnancy Wantedness and Perceptions of Paternal Pregnancy Wantedness: Associations with Perinatal Mental Health and Relationship Dynamics.

Atzl VM, Narayan AJ, Ballinger A, Harris WW, Lieberman AF

Maternal and child health journal.. 2021 March 25 (3):450-459. Epub 11/15/2020.

Developmental origins of ghosts and angels in the nursery: Adverse and benevolent childhood experiences

Narayan, A. J.; Atzl, V. M.; Merrick, J. M.; Harris, W. W.; & Lieberman, A. F.

Adversity and Resilience Science. 2020; 1: 121-134.

Type versus timing of adverse and benevolent childhood experiences for pregnant women's psychological and reproductive health.

Merrick, J.S., Narayan, A.J., Atzl, V.M., Harris, W.H., & Lieberman A.F.

Children and Youth Services Review. 2020; 114.

Perinatal promotive and protective factors for women with histories of childhood abuse and neglect.

Atzl VM, Grande LA, Davis EP, Narayan AJ

Child abuse & neglect.. 2019 May 91 :63-77. Epub 03/02/2019.

Adverse childhood experiences and prenatal mental health: Type of ACEs and age of maltreatment onset.

Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43).. 2019 April 33 (3):304-314. Epub 02/25/2019.

Romantic partner support during pregnancy: The discrepancy between self-reported and coder-rated support as a risk factor for prenatal psychopathology and stress.

River, L. M., Narayan, A. J., Atzl, V. M., Rivera, L. M., & Lieberman, A. F.

Social and Personal Relationships. 2019; .

Past made present: The legacy of childhood maltreatment for prenatal romantic relationship quality and psychopathology.

River, L. M., Narayan, A. J., Atzl, V. M., Rivera, L. M., & Lieberman, A. F.

Psychology of Violence. 2019; 10: 324-333.

Leveraging benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) and fathers' perspectives to promote resilience in therapeutic perinatal research with low-income families.

Narayan, A.J., Atzl, V.M., Merrick, J.S., River, L.M., Holm, R. (2019).

Zero to Three. 2019; .

Schmidt, M. R., Narayan, A. J., Atzl, V. M., Rivera, L. M., & Lieberman, A. F.

Childhood maltreatment on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) scale versus the