Jenna M. Traynor, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Division of Women’s Mental Health
- Instructor in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry
Biography
Jenna M. Traynor, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and clinician-scientist. She conducts research within McLean’s Division of Women’s Mental Health. Her research and clinical practice focus on treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD), trauma-related disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder), and other conditions associated with high suicide risk.
Dr. Traynor has extensive clinical training in evidence-based interventions, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and prolonged exposure (PE). She is also certified in MDMA-assisted therapy by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Dr. Traynor’s awards include a 2023-2025 Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Young Investigator Award, and a 2019-2021 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award.
The ultimate aim of Dr. Traynor’s research is to improve the lives of people at high risk of suicide, with a focus on BPD and PTSD. She uses a multimodal research approach that includes analysis of brain imaging (e.g., fMRI), cognitive assessments, and symptom-level data.
One core branch of Dr. Traynor’s research is focused on innovating treatments for BPD and PTSD by combining advances in drug and device interventions with evidence-based psychotherapy. A second branch aims to identify profiles of neurobiological and cognitive functioning that predict suicide risk, treatment response, and functioning.
- Julia Nolan, Clinical Research Assistant
- Courtney Beard, PhD, McLean Hospital
- Joshua C. Brown, MD, PhD, McLean Hospital
- Lois Choi-Kain W. Kain, MEd, MD, McLean Hospital
- Marc L. Copersino, PhD, ABPP-CP, McLean Hospital
- Jeff Daskalakis, MD, PhD, University of California San Diego
- Skye Fitzpatrick, PhD, York University, Toronto Canada
- Chloe Hudson, PhD, Virgina Tech
- Shelley McMain, PhD, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
- Roger Pottanat, MD, McLean Hospital
- Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, McLean Hospital
- Anthony Ruocco, PhD, University of Toronto, Canada
- Anne Wagner, PhD, Remedy Institute, Toronto Canada
- Richard Zeifman, PhD, New York University Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine
Traynor JM, Roberts DE, Ross S, Zeifman R, Choi-Kain L. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing). 2022;20(4):358-367.
Traynor JM, Ruocco AC, McMain SF, et al. A feasibility trial of conjoint magnetic seizure therapy and dialectical behavior therapy for suicidal patients with borderline personality disorder and treatment-resistant depression. Nature Mental Health, 2023;45-54.
Traynor JM, McMain S, Chapman AL, Kuo J, Labrish C, Ruocco AC. Pretreatment cognitive performance is associated with differential self-harm outcomes in 6 v. 12-months of dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder. Psychological Medicine. 2024;54(7):1350-1360.
Education & Training
- 2010 BA Honors in Psychology, York University
- 2018 PhD in Clinical Psychology, McMaster University
- 2017-2018 Residency in Clinical Psychology, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
- 2018-2021 Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Psychology, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- 2019 Licensed Clinical Psychologist, College of Psychologists of Ontario
- 2022 Licensed Psychologist, Board of Registration of Psychologists, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
