Norja Elizabeth Cunningham

Faculty Profile

Dr. Norja Cunningham is Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of the West. Her research interests include compassion fatigue in therapists and the relationship between trauma and mental health. Dr. Cunningham’s doctoral dissertation was a phenomenological study exploring how compassion fatigue can affect therapists’ marriages and family
relationships. She has presented her collaborative research at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and International Family Therapy Association (IFTA) conferences.

With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Cunningham has provided clinical treatment to couples and families in various settings, including sub-acute units, group homes, and outpatient facilities. Her specialties include systemic therapy, grief/traumatic grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder/secondary traumatic stress treatment. She is also trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an eye movement technique that can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Licenses & Certificates

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Connecticut

Selected Publications

• Lyness, K., Lowe, W., Akyil, Y., Cunningham, N., Pham, B. (in progress). “Promoters and Barriers for Considering a PhD in MFT.”
• Cunningham, N. (May 2023). The Nature of Relationships: Principles for a Prosperous Relationship with Yourself, Family, Friends and Community. Amazon.
• Holmes, M. K., Cunningham, N., et al. (May 2021). Outlive the Labels: From Trauma to Triumph, Volume 2. Joan Tomlinson Publishing: USA.