In the Courage Brief we share new scientific research and analysis along with news about our educational work and events.
Most Recent Courage Brief
October 2026
Dear Friends of Courage,
Institutional betrayal is at the center of the recent, intensely discussed case of the alleged gang rape at Cornell University. How can law enforcement and university administrators demonstrate institutional courage now? Our suggested steps for nurturing institutional courage offer a starting place. Apologies are warranted and would go a long way toward healing. Education, authentic, meaningful, and deep, is at the heart of the higher education mission and should be provided. And institutions must cherish whistleblowers and resist defensive reactions such as DARVO.
DARVO stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim & Offender. I introduced the term in a 1997 publication, and this year Merriam-Webster added the word DARVO to its dictionary. That recognition shows how widely the pattern is now understood, and how much remains to be learned about it.
Both themes, institutions acknowledging harm and the growing scholarship on DARVO, run through this issue of The Courage Brief. We are pleased to share a powerful example of an institution publicly acknowledging past harm, and a new resource for understanding research on DARVO.
Our first article, “Institutional Courage in Action – The position statement of the UK’s Royal College of Psychiatrists,” by Ashley Conway, PhD, and Valerie Sinason, PhD, examines a new position statement from the Royal College of Psychiatrists addressing the lasting impact of childhood sexual abuse. The authors describe the statement—and particularly its acknowledgment of institutional failures and apology to survivors—as a meaningful example of institutional courage in action.
Our second article, “New DARVO Research Tracking Database: With 74 articles,” by Olivia Tobias, BS, and Aubrie Patterson, MS, introduces the Center for Institutional Courage’s new database of published DARVO research. The authors highlight patterns across interpersonal, institutional, and collective forms of harm, while also identifying important gaps and opportunities for future research.
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
April 2026: Research Tracking Database Reaches 527 Articles, Adds Social Services and Sports Categories and a LitMaps "State of the Field" View; Courage Team Honored at ISSTD, Including Inaugural Courage Award; Lind and Adams-Clark: "Burnout Prevention Is Institutional Courage," a DBT-Based Program for Frontline Activists
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.