Natalie Bennett

Dr. Natalie Bennett is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Training of the clinical PsyD program on the Sacramento campus. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Nevada- Reno, where her research focused on forensic concepts related to child sexual abuse. She completed internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the CAARE Center at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, providing assessment and intervention for children and families with histories of abuse, neglect, or involvement in the child welfare system. She is a certified provider and trainer in Parent-Child Care, a program designed to promote children’s socioemotional development through play with caregivers.

Dr. Bennett’s professional interests remain centered around child maltreatment and trauma therapy. As a supervisor in the program’s clinic, she trains students to conduct juvenile forensic evaluations including sex offender risk assessments and competency to stand trial evaluations. A proud Latina, Dr. Bennett has additional interest in supporting health equity for underserved populations. She leads the Sexual Trauma and Health Equity research lab where students can participate in all aspects of the research process from project development to publication. Dr. Bennett also teaches the Research Methods & Statistics sequence and holds weekly dissertation office hours available to all students in the program.

In addition to her experience in academia, Dr. Bennett has worked as a pediatric psychologist within a primary care clinic in Oregon, providing integrated behavioral health care to children from birth to 18. Although her passion lies in working with youth and families, she also has extensive clinical and teaching experience in adult assessment and intervention, particularly in exposure therapies for trauma.

In her free time, Dr. Bennett is usually outside in the Sierras— hiking, trail running, backpacking, rock climbing— with her partner and pittie.