Education

  • Ph.D. 2016 – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Clinical Psychology
  • M.A. 2011 – University of South Florida, Clinical Psychology
  • BA 2005 – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Psychology

Areas of Expertise

  • Interpersonal Stress
  • Stress Neurobiology
  • Depression and Suicide
  • Coping Behaviors
  • Peer Relations
  • Mental Health Technology

Background

Calhoun received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill, after completing an internship at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program. He completed a one-year NIMH T32-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the MUSC National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC), where he specialized in treating psychological trauma in children and adolescents. Following completion of his postdoctoral training, he served in faculty positions at MUSC and UNC. Calhoun also founded a private practice where he provided office- and school-based mental health services, while supervising psychology interns, externs, and postdoctoral clinicians. Calhoun has served as an investigator on numerous federally- and locally-funded research projects. He also has a longstanding dedication to research and clinical training, and greatly enjoys serving as a mentor, clinical supervisor, and contributor to professional development resources. He is highly committed to diversity training initiatives, having led diversity training committees, published manuscripts/articles on related topics, and taught a graduate-level multiculturalism course at UNC; he works to practice cultural humility, responsibility, and responsiveness in all aspects of his profession.

As a clinical psychologist who has worked in numerous clinics, and treated a wide range of presenting concerns, Calhoun has accumulated knowledge relating to a variety of empirically-supported mental health interventions for youth, including: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT), Habit Reversal Training (HRT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Behavior/Contingency Management, Interpersonal Therapy, and Family Therapy.

Research

Calhoun’s research uses a combination of experimental, school-based, and prevention-oriented studies to examine stress and coping during adolescence. His lab-based work examines the neurobiology and subjective experience of stress reactions, incorporating various methodologies (EEG, psychophysiology, neuroendocrine) to establish stress response profiles connected with increased risk of internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. His work is largely rooted in the interpersonal context, with a particular focus on understanding how teens’ interactions with close friends influence stress regulation. Calhoun is currently working to translate prior research findings into technology-driven prevention tools for teens. This line of work is informed by his years of experience providing therapy and assessment services for youth in different clinical settings, along with his experience in mobile app development. Calhoun is particularly passionate about developing prevention tools and service delivery models oriented toward underserved, high-risk youth, especially those who have experienced psychological trauma.

  • EDUC 994, Doctoral Research and Dissertation
  • EDUC 325, Introduction to Counseling and Coaching
  • EDUC 762, Diagnosis of Psychological Disorders and Treatment Planning
  • EDUC 719, Psychological Advanced Assessment and Intervention II
  • EDUC 796B
  • EDUC 994
  • EDUC 762, Development & Disability
  • EDUC 719, Psychological Assessment and Intervention II

“Neurobiological and Cognitive Responses during Social Comparison: Pilot Testing a Novel EEG Task”, Calhoun, C., Lead Principal Investigator; UNC School of Education. (August 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025).

“Digital Therapeutic Skills and Strategies: Co-designing a Social Media Campaign with Youth to Promote Mental Health”, Marraccini, M., Lead Principal Investigator; Calhoun, C., Co-Principal Investigator; C. Felix Harvey Award, $75,000. (July 1, 2023 – August 30, 2024)

  • American Psychological Association. (December 5, 2024 – Present).

Journal Article

Earixson, D. Q., Hall, K. C., Marraccini, M., & Calhoun, C. (2024). Adapting suicide safety plans for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities : JARID, 37(2), e13198. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13198

Sege, C. T., McTeague, L. M., Kegley, M., Shacklewood, C., Halliday, C. A., Calhoun, C., Joseph, J. E., Adams, Z. W., Hajcak, G., & Danielson, C. K. (2023). Neurophysiology of predictable unpleasant event processing in pre-adolescents and early adolescents, part II: Reflex and event-related potential markers of defensive reactivity and peripheral attention modulation. Developmental Psychobiology, 65(4), e22386. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22386

Sege, C. T., McTeague, L. M., Kegley, M., Shacklewood, C., Halliday, C. A., Calhoun, C., Joseph, J. E., Adams, Z. W., Hajcak, G., & Danielson, C. K. (2023). Neurophysiology of predictable unpleasant event processing in preadolescents and early adolescents, part I: Event-related potential markers of unpleasant image anticipation and processing. Developmental Psychobiology, 65(4), e22383. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22383

Calhoun, C., Stone, K. J., Cobb, A. R., Patterson, M. W., Danielson, C. K., & Bendezú, J. J. (2022). The Role of Social Support in Coping with Psychological Trauma: An Integrated Biopsychosocial Model for Posttraumatic Stress Recovery. The Psychiatric Quarterly, 93(4), 949–970. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-10003-w

Bendezú, J. J., Calhoun, C., Patterson, M. W., Findley, A., Rudolph, K. D., Hastings, P., Nock, M. K., & Prinstein, M. J. (2022). Adolescent girls’ stress responses as prospective predictors of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A person-centered, multilevel study. Development and Psychopathology, 34(4), 1447–1467. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420002229

Bendezú, J. J., Calhoun, C., & Wadsworth, M. E. (2022). Within-person patterns of psychobiological stress response correspondence: links to preadolescent internalizing problems and coping behaviors. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 35(5), 592–608. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2021.1982912

Calhoun, C. D., Nick, E., Gurtovenko, K., Vaughn, A. J., Simmons, S. W., Taylor, R. V., Twohy, E., Flannery, J., & Thompson, A. D. (2022). Child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient care: Contemporary practices and introduction of the 5S model. Evidence-based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 7(4), 477–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/23794925.2022.2034551

Bendezú, J. J., Calhoun, C., Vinograd, M., Patterson, M. W., Rudolph, K. D., Giletta, M., Hastings, P., Nock, M. K., Slavich, G. M., & Prinstein, M. J. (2022). Exploring joint HPA-inflammatory stress response profiles in adolescent girls: Implications for developmental models of neuroendocrine dysregulation. Developmental Psychobiology, 64(3), e22247. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22247

Hahn, C. K., Jarnecke, A. M., Calhoun, C., Melkonian, A., Flanagan, J. C., & Back, S. E. (2022). Sexual harassment and assault during deployment: Associations with treatment outcomes among Veterans with co-occurring PTSD and SUD. Military Psychology, 34(1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2021.1964901

Calhoun, C., Patterson, M. W., Bendezú, J. J., Helms, S. W., Owens, S. A., Rudolph, K. D., Hastings, P. D., & Prinstein, M. J. (2021). Linking post-stressor interpersonal processes in adolescent girls’ close friendships with acute HPA stress responses. Journal of Adolescence, 92, 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.08.001

Melkonian, A. J., Flanagan, J. C., Calhoun, C., Hogan, J. N., & Back, S. E. (2021). Craving Moderates the Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Anger in Response to Social Stress Among Veterans With Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 41(4), 465–469. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0000000000001434

Danielson, C. K., Hahn, A. M., Bountress, K. E., Adams, Z. W., Calhoun, C., Amstadter, A. B., & Thomas, S. (2021). Associations of subjective and objective stress responses with interpersonal trauma, PTSD, stress-induced drinking, and drinking to cope in young adults. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 35(1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000700

Taylor, D. J., Dietch, J. R., Pruiksma, K., Calhoun, C., Milanak, M. E., Wardle-Pinkston, S., Rheingold, A. A., Ruggiero, K. J., Bunnell, B. E., & Wilkerson, A. K. (2021). Developing and Testing a Web-Based Provider Training for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of Insomnia. Military Medicine, 186(Suppl 1), 230–238. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa359

Cortese, B. M., Uhde, T. W., Schumann, A. Y., McTeague, L. M., Sege, C. T., Calhoun, C., & Danielson, C. K. (2021). Anxiety-related shifts in smell function in children and adolescents. Chemical Senses, 46. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjab051

Bernard, D. L., Calhoun, C., Banks, D. E., Halliday, C. A., Hughes-Halbert, C., & Danielson, C. K. (2020). Making the “C-ACE” for a Culturally-Informed Adverse Childhood Experiences Framework to Understand the Pervasive Mental Health Impact of Racism on Black Youth. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 14(2), 233–247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-020-00319-9

Bountress, K. E., Cohen, J. R., Ruggiero, K., Davidson, T., Calhoun, C., Nelson, F., Fields, C., Danielson, C. K., Russell, W. S., & Gilmore, A. K. (2020). Offspring Self-Disclosure Predicts Substance-Related Outcomes in an Emergency Department Sample of Young Adults with Traumatic Injury. Journal of Substance Use, 25(3), 313–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2019.1692925

Flanagan, J. C., Allan, N. P., Calhoun, C., Badour, C. L., Moran-Santa Maria, M., Brady, K. T., & Back, S. E. (2019). Effects of oxytocin on stress reactivity and craving in veterans with co-occurring PTSD and alcohol use disorder. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 27(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000232

Flanagan, J. C., Yonce, S., Calhoun, C., Back, S. E., Brady, K. T., & Joseph, J. E. (2019). Preliminary development of a neuroimaging paradigm to examine neural correlates of relationship conflict. Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging, 283, 125–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.12.009

Solomon, D. T., Nietert, P. J., Calhoun, C., Smith, D. W., Back, S. E., Barden, E., Brady, K. T., & Flanagan, J. C. (2018). Effects of oxytocin on emotional and physiological responses to conflict in couples with substance misuse. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 7(2), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000103

Walker, J., Bountress, K. E., Calhoun, C., Metzger, I. W., Adams, Z., Amstadter, A., Thomas, S., & Danielson, C. K. (2018). Impulsivity and Comorbid PTSD and Binge Drinking. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 14(2), 89–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/15504263.2018.1439212

Metzger, I. W., Blevins, C., Calhoun, C., Ritchwood, T. D., Gilmore, A. K., Stewart, R., & Bountress, K. E. (2017). An examination of the impact of maladaptive coping on the association between stressor type and alcohol use in college. Journal of American College Health : J of ACH, 65(8), 534–541. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2017.1351445

Calhoun, C., Helms, S. W., Heilbron, N., Rudolph, K. D., Hastings, P. D., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015). Relational victimization, friendship, and adolescents’ hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to an in vivo social stressor-ERRATUM. Development and Psychopathology, 27(3), 945–946. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579414001230

Giletta, M., Calhoun, C., Hastings, P. D., Rudolph, K. D., Nock, M. K., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015). Multi-Level Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation Among at-Risk Adolescent Females: The Role of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Responses to Stress. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(5), 807–820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9897-2

Helms, S. W., Gallagher, M., Calhoun, C., Choukas-Bradley, S., Dawson, G. C., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015). Intrinsic religiosity buffers the longitudinal effects of peer victimization on adolescent depressive symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology : The Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 44(3), 471–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2013.865195

Calhoun, C., Helms, S. W., Heilbron, N., Rudolph, K. D., Hastings, P. D., & Prinstein, M. J. (2014). Relational victimization, friendship, and adolescents’ hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to an in vivo social stressor. Development and Psychopathology, 26(3), 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579414000261

Lerner, M. D., Calhoun, C., Mikami, A. Y., & De Los Reyes, A. (2012). Understanding parent-child social informant discrepancy in youth with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(12), 2680–2692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1525-9

Smith-Schrandt, H. L., Ojanen, T., Gesten, E., Feldman, M. A., & Calhoun, C. (2011). Beyond situational ambiguity in peer conflict: unique and combined effects of cues from an antagonist and a best friend. Child Development, 82(6), 1921–1937. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01664.x

Jack, A., Mikami, A. Y., & Calhoun, C. (2011). The moderating role of verbal aggression on the relationship between parental feedback and peer status among children with ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 39(7), 1059–1071. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9521-7

Mikami, A. Y., Ransone, M. L., & Calhoun, C. (2011). Influence of anxiety on the social functioning of children with and without ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 15(6), 473–484. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054710369066

Mikami, A. Y., Lerner, M. D., Griggs, M. S., McGrath, A., & Calhoun, C. (2010). Parental influence on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: II. Results of a pilot intervention training parents as friendship coaches for children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38(6), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9403-4

Mikami, A. Y., Calhoun, C., & Abikoff, H. B. (2010). Positive illusory bias and response to behavioral treatment among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology : The Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 39(3), 373–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374411003691735

Professional

  • Editorial Review Board Member, Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (February 2026 – February 2028).
  • Board of Directors, Helping Give Away Psychological Science. (August 2024 – August 2026).
  • Board of Directors, Helping Give Away Psychological Science. (January 2025 – May 2026).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Journal of Anxiety Disorders. (January 2026 – March 2026).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. (January 2026 – March 2026).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Journal of School Health. (October 2025 – December 2025).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Child Neuropsychology. (August 2025 – November 2025).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Psychoneuroendocrinology. (November 2024 – February 2025).

University

  • Faculty Advisor, Helping Give Away Psychological Science (HGAPS). (January 2025 – May 2027).
  • Faculty Advisor, Helping Give Away Psychological Science (HGAPS). (August 2024 – August 2026).
  • Faculty Search Committee Member, School Counseling Faculty Search Committee. (January 2025 – May 2026).
  • Application Reviewer, SOE Scholarship Review Committee. (January 20, 2025 – May 30, 2026).
  • Presenter, UNC Research and Discovery Fair. (October 2025).
  • Faculty Search Committee Member, School Counseling Faculty Search Committee. (October 2024 – March 2025).
  • Application Reviewer, SOE Scholarship Review Committee. (February 20, 2024 – April 30, 2024).
  • Facilitator, Every Brilliant Thing. (January 22, 2024).