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Tracy Witte

Tracy Witte

Professor

Director of Clinical Training

Psychological Sciences

Tracy Witte

Contact Me

334-844-6465

tkw0005@auburn.edu

225 Cary Hall

Personal Website

Office Hours

By Appointment

Education

PhD, Florida State University

MS, Florida State University

BS, The Ohio State University

About Me

Tracy Witte received her BS in psychology from The Ohio State University in 2004 and her MS and PhD in clinical psychology from Florida State University in 2006 and 2010, respectively. She completed a clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Brown University Training Consortium, Brown Medical School in 2010. Currently, she is a professor of psychology and is the director of the clinical psychology PhD program. Witte’s research is broadly concerned with understanding and preventing suicidal behavior. She has a secondary interest in psychopathology (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, alcohol use disorders) insofar as it overlaps with suicidal behavior.

DEI Activities

  • Member of the Auburn Psychological Sciences Engagement, Accountability, Growth, Leadership, & Empowerment (EAGLES) Committee 2024-present
  • Member of the Auburn Psychological Sciences DEI Committee from 2020-2024 (Chair from 2021-2023)
  • Since August 2024, Dr. Witte has been leading a team of Auburn psychology students, who are engaged in overseeing the children’s programming at Circles Opelika. Circles is a community-based organization aimed at poverty reduction. 
  • As a member of the American Association of University Professors executive committee, Dr. Witte spearheaded an investigation of the local childcare infrastructure and its disparate impact on female faculty and staff.

Lab(s)

Suicidal Behavior and Psychopathology Lab

Research Interests

Understanding and preventing suicidal behavior; using qualitative and quantitative methods to develop and adapt brief interventions

Publications

*Denotes graduate student co-author

  • *Crosby, E. S., Troop-Gordon, W., & Witte, T. K. (in press). A Pilot Randomized-Controlled Trial of Sleep Scholar: A Single-Session, Internet-Based Insomnia Intervention for College Students. Behavior Therapy.
  • *Brydon, C., *Waitz-Kudla, S. N., *Fox, H., Smith, A., & Witte, T. K. (2024). Examining the effects of response monitoring instructions on endorsements of suicidal ideation in an online study. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 54, 382-389.
  • Kramper, S., *Brydon, C., Carmichael, K. P., Chaddock, M., Gorczyca, K., & Witte, T. K.(2023). “The damage happens…you just try not to dwell on it:” Experiences of discrimination by gender and sexual minority veterinary professionals and students in the United States and United Kingdom. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 50, 482-496. 
  • *Waitz-Kudla, S. N., *Kramper, S., Roark, A., Mani, I., & Witte, T. K. (2023). Securing lethal means for suicide: A focus group study exploring perceptions and barriers among practicing veterinarians. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 261, 1683-1693.
  • *Spitzer, E. G., *Benfer, N., Zuromski, K. L., Marx, B. P., & Witte, T. K. (2022). Examining unique and prospective relationships among self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and posttraumatic stress disorder: A network analysis in two trauma-exposed samples. Psychological Medicine, 52, 664-674.
  • Alvarez, J., *Waitz-Kudla, S., *Brydon, C., *Crosby, E., & Witte, T. K.(2022). Culturally responsive scalable mental health interventions: A call to action.Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 8, 406-415.
  • *Cero, I., & Witte, T. K. (2020). Assortativity of suicide-related posting on social media. American Psychologist, 75, 365-379. 
  • Witte, T. K., *Spitzer, E. G., Edwards, N., Fowler, K. A., & Nett, R. J. (2019). Suicides and deaths of undetermined intent among veterinary professionals, National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2014. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 255, 595-697.
  • Witte, T. K., *Gauthier, J. M., Huang, X., Ribeiro, J. D., & Franklin, J. C. (2018). Is externalizing psychopathology a robust risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74, 1607-1625. 
  • †Witte, T. K., †Holm-Denoma, J. M., *Zuromski, K. L., *Gauthier, J. M., & Ruscio, J. (2017). Individuals at high risk for suicide are categorically distinct from those at low risk. Psychological Assessment, 29, 382-393. †Joint first authorship.
  • *Zuromski, K. L., *Cero, I., & Witte, T. K. (2017). Insomnia symptoms drive changes in suicide ideation: A latent difference score model of community adults over a brief interval. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 126, 739-749.  
  • Witte, T. K., *Zuromski, K. L., *Gauthier, J. M., Smith, A. R., Bartlett, M., Siegfried, N., Bodell, L., & Goodwin, N. (2016). Restrictive eating: Associated with suicide attempts, but not acquired capability in residential patients with eating disorders. Psychiatry Research, 235, 90-96.
  • Nett, R. J., Witte, T. K., Holzbauer, S. M., Elchos, B. L., Campagnolo, E. R., Musgrave, K. J., Carter, K. K., Kurkjian, K. M., Vanicek, C., O’Leary, D. R., Pride, K. R., Funk, R. H. (2015). Risk factors for suicide, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among U.S. veterinarians. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 247, 945-955.
  • Ribeiro, J. D., Witte, T. K., Van Orden, K. A., Selby, E. A., Gordon, K., Bender, T. W., & Joiner, T. E.  (2014).  Fearlessness about death: The psychometric properties and construct validity of the revision to the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale. Psychological Assessment, 26, 115-126.
  • Van Orden, K. A., Cukrowicz, K. C., Witte, T.K., & Joiner, T. E.  (2012).  Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness: Construct validity and psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire.  Psychological Assessment, 24, 197-215. 
  • Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., Cukrowicz, K. C., Braithwaite, S., Selby, E. A., & Joiner, T. E.  (2010).  The interpersonal theory of suicide.  Psychological Review, 117, 575-600. Pub Med Central Identification Number: PMC3130348.

Courses Taught

  • PSYC 2510: Psychology of Sexual Behavior
  • PSYC 3560: Introduction to Psychopathology
  • PSYC 7100: History of Ideas in Psychology
  • PSYC 7110: Ethics and Problems of Scientific and Professional Psychology
  • PSYC 7250: Clinical Research Methods and Ethics
  • PSYC 8910: Clinical Practicum
  • PSYC 8970: Structural Equation Modeling for Applied Researchers
  • PSYC 8970: Diversity in Clinical Psychology