Dr. Chris Brownson, a licensed psychologist, is Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Director of the Counseling and Mental Health Center, and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Counseling Psychology Program at The University of Texas at Austin. His portfolio also includes University Health Services, the Longhorn Wellness Center, the Center for Students in Recovery, and SHIFT. Brownson was appointed as a Chancellor's Health Fellow at the University of Texas System in 2014, and he has led projects totaling more than $11 million implementing numerous mental health, student safety, well-being, and alcohol and drug-related prevention, education, and intervention programs at the 14 academic and health institutions in the UT System.
In 2019, Brownson was appointed by the National Academies of Sciences to the Committee on Supporting the Whole Student: Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Well-Being in Higher Education. He is the past president of the Texas University and College Counseling Center Director's Association and a past chair of the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance, the Section on College and University Counseling Centers of APA's division of Counseling Psychology, and the Mental Health Section of the American College Health Association (ACHA). He is a past member of the Board of Directors of ACHA. He co-developed the Integrated Health Program at UT, which provides mental health services in the university's primary care clinic, and during his tenure, with the hard work and ingenuity of his colleagues, oversaw the implementation of the Counselors in Academic Residence Program (CARE), the Diversity Counseling and Outreach Specialists (DCOS), Well-being in Learning Environments (WBLE), Thrive@UT Mobile App, and the Mental Health Assistance and Response Team (MHART). He has been a program evaluator for several SAMHSA/GLS suicide prevention grants, consults with colleges and universities on their counseling and health services, and was the National Mental Health Consultant to Teach For America from 2006-2016.
Brownson has been the director of the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education since 2004. The research team that guides Research Consortium projects is comprised of graduate students from UT, and together have conducted two large national studies on college student suicide, each involving 70 other institutions of higher education across the nation with over 26,000 research participants. Currently, Brownson and the Research Consortium team are leading a longitudinal study with 18 other institutions of higher education looking at the intersection of psychological well-being factors and academic success.
Note: Dr. Brownson will not be taking new students for the 2023 academic year.
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology & Quantitative Methods, University of Texas at Austin, 2001
M.A. in Program Evaluation, University of Texas at Austin, 1997
B.A. in Psychology & History, University of Texas at Austin, 1992
Research interests include college student mental health and suicide prevention, collaborative care models of behavioral health in primary care, and the intersection of mental health and academic success.
Note: Dr. Brownson will not be taking new students for the 2023 academic year.
Voting member, ex-officio, International Oversight Committee, University of Texas at Austin(2021)
Member, COVID-19 Health and Wellness Working Group, University of Texas at Austin(2020 - Present)
Member, COVID-19 Investigative Committee, University of Texas at Austin(2020 - Present)
Member, COVID-19 Vaccination Hub Committee, University of Texas at Austin(2020 - Present)
Member, COVID-19 PCT and Clinical Testing Committee, University of Texas at Austin(2020 - Present)
Member, Austin Public Health COVID-19 Committee, University of Texas at Austin(2020 - Present)
Higher Education Representative, Texas Suicide Prevention Council(2020 - Present)
Member, AVP-AVC Steering Committee, American College Health Association(2020 - Present)
Member, Lookout Mountain Group(2020 - Present)
Member, Committee on Supporting the Whole Student: Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Well-being in Higher Education, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine(2019 - 2021)
Co-Chair, Annual Conference, Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors(2019)
Co-founder, UT Campus Healthcare Entities Committee, University of Texas at Austin(2019 - Present)
TUCCDA Liaison, Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists(2019 - Present)
Member, Health Professions Pipeline Steering Committee, Community Integrated Health Initiative(2018 - Present)
Member, Task Force to Advance Mental Health Best Practices Strategies, NCAA(2017 - 2018)
President-elect, Texas University Counseling Center Directors Association(2017 - 2019)
Member, Written Examination Committee, Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists(2016 - Present)
Chair, SB 1624 State Task Force, (2015 - 2016)
Advisor, Leadership Committee, The Symposium on Quality Improvement in College Health (AHRQ & NYU)(2015)
Editorial Board Member, Editorial Board, Journal of College Student Psychotherapy(2015 - Present)
Member, Regional Advisory Board for Graduate Psychology Education Program, Integrated Behavioral Health Psychology Program in Primary Care for Underserved Populations(2013 - 2016)
Project Advisor, Publication Committee of Postvention: A Guide for Response to Suicide On College Campuses, Higher Education Mental Health Alliance(2013 - 2014)
Advisor, Board of Advisors, Jed Foundation(2012 - Present)
Member, Selection Committee, Leadership Texas(2012 - Present)
Ad hoc reviewer, Harvard Review of Psychiatry(2012)
Collaborator, Publication Committee for Blanacing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams, Higher Education Mental Health Alliance(2011 - 2012)
Chair, Higher Education Mental Health Alliance(2009 - 2011)
Representative, Synarachy of Specialists in Counseling Psychology(2009 - 2012)
Chair, Section of College and University Counseling Centers, Division 17, American Psychological Association(2009 - 2010)
Host, Higher Education Mental Health Alliance(2008 - 2009)
Member, Higher Education Mental Health Alliance(2008 - 2014)
Member, Board of Directors, American College Health Association(2007 - 2009)
Chair, Mental Health Section, American College Health Association(2006 - 2007)
Member, Association of University and College Counseling Center DIrectors(2006 - Present)
Member, Texas University Counseling Center Directors Association(2006 - Present)
Member, National Association of School Personnel Administrators(2006 - Present)
Chair, Mental Health Program Planning Committee, American College Health Associations Annual Conference(2005 - 2006)
Treasurer, Section of Counseling Health Psychology, Division 17, American Psychological Association(2004 - 2006)
Co-chair, Mental Health Program Planning Committee, American College Health Association Annual Conference(2004 - 2005)
Chair, Membership Committee, APAs Div 17 Section for Counseling Health Psychology(2003 - 2004)
Chair, Dorosin Lecture Search Committee, American College Health Association Annual Conference(2003 - 2004)
Consulting Editor, Journal of American College Health(2003 - 2007)
Member, American College Health Association(2002 - Present)
Ad hoc reviewer, Journal of American College Health(2002 - 2003)
Ad hoc reviewer, American Psychological Association Press(2001)
Ad hoc reviewer, Journal of Family Psychology(1999)
Volunteer Therapist, Capital Area Mental Health Center(1999 - 2002)
Ad hoc reviewer, Men and Masculinities(1998)
Ad hoc reviewer, Psychological Reports: Perceptual & Motor Skills(1998)
Wilson, T., Caporale-Berkowitz, N., Parent, M. & Brownson, C. (2021). Grit is associated with decreased mental health help-seeking among student veterans. Journal of American College Health, 70.
Blosnich, J. R., De Luca, S., Lytle, M. C. & Brownson, C. (2020). Questions of faith: Religious affiliations and suicidal ideation among sexual minority young adult. Suicide and Life- Threatening Behavior, 50, 1158–66.
De Luca, S., Lytle, M.C., Yueqi, Y. & Brownson, C. (2019). Help-seeking Behaviors and Attitudes of Emerging Adults: How College Students Utilize Internet and Traditional Resources During Times of Distress. Journal of American College Health.
Lytle, M.C., Blosnich, J.R., De Luca, S.M. & Brownson, C. (2018). Association of religiosity with sexual minority suicide ideation and attempt. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54, 644–51.
Becker, M.S., Dong, S., Kronholz, J. & Brownson, C. (2018). Relationships between stress and psychosocial factors with sources of help seeking among international students. Journal of International Students, 8, 1636–61.
Baams, L., De Luca, S.M. & Brownson, C. (2018). Use of health services among college students by sexual identity. LGBT Health, 5, 1–10.
Drum, D., Brownson, C., Hess, E., Burton Denmark, A. & Talley, A. (2017). College students sense of coherence and connectedness as predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Archives of Suicide Research, 21, 169–184.
DeLuca, S., Franklin, C., Yueqi, Y., Johnson, S. & Brownson, C. (2016). The relationship between suicide ideation, behavioral health, and college academic performance. Community Mental Health Journal, 52(5), 534–540.
Brownson, C., Drum, D., Becker, M., Saathoff, A. & Hentschel, E. (2016). Distress and Suicidality in Higher Education: Implications for Population-Oriented Prevention Paradigms. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 30, 98–113.
Drum, D., Brownson, C., Hess, E., Burton Denmark, A. & Talley, A. (2016). College Students' Sense of Coherence and Connectedness as Predictors of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors. Archives of Suicide Research. doi:10.1080/13811118.2016.1166088.
Hildebrand Foundation (2018-present)
Along with 3 other UT administrators, secured this gift of $3,600,000 to create SHIFT, an initiative that engages the UT community to change the culture of campus substance use from one of misuse to one of well-being.
UT System Board of Regents Well-Being initiatives (2018 - present)
Received allocation of $5,995,000 to lead the implementation and evaluation of 9 well-being initiatives to the academic and health institutions in the UT System, including after-hours crisis lines, bystander intervention initiatives, collegiate recovery programs, online sexual assault and high risk drinking prevention, early intervention for alcohol misuse, well-being app development, college health benchmarking, alcohol and consent initiative, and engaging men in sexual assault prevention.
UT System Board of Regents Alcohol Initiatives (2015-2018)
Oversee $2,398,800 allocation to lead implementation of on-line alcohol prevention, early intervention for high-risk drinking, and centers for students in recovery at all eight UT System academic institutions.
UT System Board of Regents Mental Health Initiatives (2014-2018)
Oversee $2,552,268 allocation to lead implementation of after-hours crisis lines and bystander intervention initiatives for all fourteen academic and health institutions in the UT System.
Teach For America/UT College of Education Collaboration (2013-2015)
PI on a 2 year, $50,000 project that provided training opportunities to graduate students in the Counseling Psychology program who worked as mental health consultant trainees to Teach For America.
UT System Board of Regents Collegiate Recovery Initiative (2012-2015)
Oversaw allocation for $942,000 to establish centers for students in recovery at all nine UT System academic institutions.
Hogg Foundation Grant (2017-2020)
Co-PI for $398,000 30-year grant called Well-being in Learning Environments, a program designed to develop and study how to increase well-being in the college classroom in collaboration with faculty at UT.
Longhorn Innovation Fund for Technology (2014-2015)
Co-PI on grant of $100,243 from the University of Texas at Austin Information Technology Services to develop an iPhone app to enhance wellness in UT students.
Texas Impact Award, Mental Health America of Texas (2016)
Award for Excellence in Counseling Center Scholarship, Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (2012)
The Eyes of Texas Award, University of Texas Students (2007)
Early Career Psychologist of the Year, American Psychological Association Division 17, Section on College Counseling Centers (2004)
Round Rock ISD Evaluation Fellowship, Round Rock ISD/UT Austin (1998 - 1999)
Livingston Fellowship, UT Austin (1997 - 1998)
University Continuing Fellowship, UT Austin (1996 - 1998)
Bascombe Royall and Frances Fallon Fuller Scholarship, UT Austin (1995 - 1996)
Samuel Pitasky (Supervisor)
Erin Morpeth (Supervisor)
Erin is broadly interested in research focused on young adults, including college student mental health/well-being, suicidality, psychiatric hospitalization, serious mental illness (SMI), and perfectionism.
Caroline Weppner (Supervisor)
| Year | Semester | Course |
|---|
| 2021 | Spring | EDP 385C: 12-Acad/Stdnt Aff In Higher Ed |
| 2019 | Spring | EDP 385C: 12-Acad/Stdnt Aff In Higher Ed |
| 2017 | Spring | EDP 385C: 12-Acad/Stdnt Aff In Higher Ed |
