In the Courage Brief we share new scientific research and analysis along with news about our educational work and events.
Most Recent Courage Brief
April 2026
At a time when so many institutions are being tested, we are heartened by signs of courage, growth, and deepening scholarship across our field. We are especially excited to announce an update to our Research Tracking Database – we now have catalogued 527 articles about institutional betrayal and/or institutional courage published through 2025. Before sharing the latest insights from our Research Tracking Database, we are delighted to share some growth within our own institution. In the Fall of 2025, we welcomed a new research associate, Olivia Tobias, to the Center for Institutional Courage. A master’s student in the Psychological Sciences program at Northern Arizona University, Olivia is passionate about research that is relevant to Courage. Her support has been integral as we continue to navigate an increasing influx of published works in institutional betrayal and institutional courage.
We are also proud to celebrate recent recognition of members of the Courage team at the annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD). Courage Education Advisor Robyn L. Gobin, PhD, served as a plenary speaker. Courage Board Director and Chair of the Research Advisors Jennifer M. Gómez, PhD, was elected to Fellow status, and she participated on a plenary panel discussing institutional courage. Courage Affiliated Educator Shin Shin Tang, PhD, received an award for her book addressing institutional betrayal and institutional courage relevant to the psychology and psychotherapy of Asian Americans. And I was honored to receive the inaugural Courage Award. These recognitions reflect the growing reach and relevance of the ideas at the heart of Courage.
The first article in this issue, “Mapping the Field: 527 Articles, New Frontiers, and a LitMap,” by Aubrie Patterson, MS, and Olivia Tobias, BS, updates our Research Tracking Database. The authors highlight the field’s rapid growth, note emerging areas of inquiry, and introduce a new LitMaps-powered tool for visualizing this expanding body of research.
Our second article, “Burnout prevention is institutional courage,” by Monika Neff Lind, PhD and Alexis Adams-Clark, PhD, shows that institutional courage includes proactively supporting people doing demanding justice-oriented work. Drawing on dialectical behavior therapy and their work with frontline activists, the authors offer a framework for helping prevent burnout in the face of chronic stress and trauma.
We hope these articles inform, encourage, and challenge you. As always, thank you for your continued commitment to advancing institutional courage and thank you for your engagement,
Prior Courage Briefs
October 2025: Courage Brief Rejects “Bad Apples” and “Time Will Fix It” Myths; Essay Calls for Bold, Practical “Quiet Rebellion” Against Harm-Enabling Structures; Featured Piece Connects Rape Culture, Institutional Betrayal, and Democratic Backsliding; Leaders and the Public Urged to Repair Harm, Increase Transparency, Protect Whistleblowers, and Reward Moral Courage
April 2025: Harvard’s Bold Stand Highlights Institutional Courage; 400+ Charities Sign Council on Foundations Public Statement; Becker-Blease—“Institutional Courage Depends on Intelligent Compliance and Non-Compliance”; Patterson—“Expanding Frontiers” Updates Research Tracking Database Across Sectors
October 2024: Reconsidering Religious Trauma: The Critical Need for Betrayal‑Related Research in Religious Communities; What Do Leaders Need to Do the Right Thing?; Zero Tolerance Code of Conduct (EU) Requires Institutional Courage; Fireside Chat Now Available
April 2024: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; What Do Leaders Need to Do the Right Thing?; Reconsidering Religious Trauma: The Critical Need for Betrayal-Related Research in Religious Communities
October 2023: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls: Dreamstorming from Sexual Abuse to Liberatio; Institutional Betrayal and Courage: Unearthing Trends, Gaps, and Opportunities in Research
July 2023: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; Institutional Courage Through Bilding Community: Steps Forward after Institutional Betrayal at the University of Michigan; DARVO and Systemic Oppression
April 2023: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; DARVO and the Dark Triad; Institutional Betrayal in the Most Innocent of Places
February 2023: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; New Research; Institutional Courage Before We Had the Term Sexual Harassment.
November 2022: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; Preventing Unwanted Sexual Attention at Work.
September 2022: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article on using institutional courage to fight obstetric gaslighting.
July 2022: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spolight article where Courage Board Member and Education Advisory Committee Chair Ross CHeit interview Sofia Boracci on archiving activism and its relevance to institutional courage.
May 2022: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article where Courage Senior Advisor Dr. Anne DePrince discusses how to move from unawareness to action regarding violence against women; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
March 2022: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article where Courage Board Director and Treasurer Dr. Caroline Simard considers "what if" institutions acted with courage; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
January 2022: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article where newly elected Courage Board Secretary Lisa Howe Verhovek is interviewed by Courage Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sarah Harsey; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
November 2021: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article by Courage Education Advisor Dr. Kathryn Becker-Blease about an institution's ongoing commitment to institutional courage; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
September 2021: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article by Courage Affiliated Educator Dr. Kathryn Quina about incarcerated women and the relevance of institutional betrayal and institutional courage; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
July 2021: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article by Courage Research Associate Melissa Barnes describing her theory on Collective Ongoing Betrayal Trauma; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
May 2021: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article where Courage Education Advisor Kim Scott is interviewed by Board Secretary Dr. Lisa Schievelbein about institutional courage in the workplace; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
March 2021: Opening letter by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article on community engagement and institutional courage by Courage Senior Advisor Dr. Anne DePrince; and recent works by and about members of the Courage Team.
January 2021: Opening letter and update on Courage by President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article on institutional courage, blocking bias, and issues of DEI by Courage Senior Advisor Lori Nishiura Mackenzie; and scientific and media articles by and about members of the Courage Team.
November 2020: Opening letter by Courage President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article on institutional betrayal and dignity by Courage Affiliated Educator Dr. Michael Salter; and articles and other works by members of the Courage Team.
September 2020: Discussion of our new website content by Courage President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article on institutional betrayal in high school by Courage Research Associates Monika Lind and Alexis Adams-Clark; scientific and media articles by and about members of the Courage Team.
July 2020: Commentary by Courage President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd on institutional courage and betrayal related to current events in the United States; a spotlight article on new DARVO research; scientific and media articles featuring members of the Courage Team.
June 2020: Introduction to The Courage Brief by Courage President and Founder Dr. Jennifer Freyd; a spotlight article on Board Director and Research Advisory Committee Chair Dr. Jennifer Gómez; scientific and media articles featuring members of the Courage Team.