Dr. Amber D. Chapman-Gray

08/16/2026

New in Gray's Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp's e-Journal, PARAGON

An Article for Doctors of Behavioral Health in Management.

"From Credential to Consultancy: How DBH Graduates Can Build an Independent Practice," by Dr. Amber D. Chapman-Gray, PhD, DBH

A Doctor of Behavioral Health degree can prepare graduates to evaluate complex systems, improve service delivery, lead interdisciplinary teams, and develop evidence-informed solutions. Yet many graduates leave their programs without a clear plan for converting those competencies into independent professional services.

This new PARAGON article examines how DBH graduates can move from academic preparation to consulting practice. It addresses professional identity, marketable competencies, niche development, service design, pricing, client acquisition, credibility, business infrastructure, and the responsibilities associated with becoming professionally independent.

The article is written for DBH graduates who are considering consulting, speaking, training, program development, project management, policy analysis, organizational assessment, or other forms of independent practice. It may also benefit current students who want to begin planning their professional direction before graduation.

The central message is straightforward: the degree provides the foundation, but the graduate must determine how that foundation will be used.

Early Reader Responses

“This article inspired me to consider creating my own practice. Before reading it, independent practice was not something I had seriously thought about. It helped me recognize that my existing education and professional experience could become the foundation for services of my own.”
— J. Tapp

“The article gave me an idea for developing an independent project management group. It helped me think beyond traditional employment and consider how a team could provide structured project and systems-improvement services to organizations.”
— R. Sanchez

These responses demonstrate an important feature of the article. It does not prescribe a single business model. Instead, it helps readers identify possibilities that fit their education, experience, industry, and professional goals.

Why Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp Published This Article

Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp established PARAGON to advance provider education, organizational improvement, professional development, and victim and survivor-centered service delivery. Supporting providers also means helping qualified professionals understand how to use their education responsibly and effectively.

Independent consultants can help organizations identify service gaps, evaluate programs, strengthen policies, improve workforce practices, manage complex projects, and develop more integrated systems of care. When these professionals understand their scope, value, and ethical responsibilities, their work can benefit healthcare organizations, behavioral health programs, victim services agencies, public institutions, and the communities those systems serve.

Publishing this article is therefore consistent with the mission of Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp: empowering providers while promoting quality, accountable, and informed practice.

For DBH students, graduates, consultants, educators, and organizational leaders, this article offers more than encouragement. It provides a starting framework for turning specialized knowledge into a credible and sustainable professional direction.

Read “From Credential to Consultancy” in PARAGON:

https://gettraumainformed.com/2026/08/15/paragon-from-credential-to-consultancy/

NOTE:

Reader testimonials describe individual reactions to the article. They do not guarantee particular business, employment, or financial outcomes.

08/16/2026

It was difficult to say nothing about this for so long... It has been months of work behind the scenes, while working through publication deadlines for a different publishing houses, working on our businesses, raising two rambunctious gremlins, struggling through family crisis, and multiple challenges... but we did it... we have accomplished another milestone together.

WE SIGNED WITH ROUTLEDGE/TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP!!! WE HAVE A BOOK DEAL!!!

My wife, Dr. Tabitha M. Chapman-Gray, and I have officially signed a contract with Routledge to author a professional book exploring how we can prevent child abuse in practice.
Our book will bring together child abuse prevention, violence prevention, victim advocacy, clinical psychology, parenting, trauma-informed care, and the responsibilities of professionals across health and social care.

This work is grounded in a distinctly multidisciplinary perspective encompassing forensic research psychology, Doctors of Behavioral Health in Management, victim advocacy, social work, clinical psychology, violence prevention, law enforcement administration, health sciences, integrative wellness, criminal behavior, forensic linguistics, behavioral health consultation, and child psychology. Through the integration of these disciplines, we aim to improve the quality of care, expand trauma-informed practices, strengthen service delivery, and empower providers with practical knowledge they can carry into their work.

This will not be a book that merely examines the problem from a comfortable distance. We are writing for the people entrusted with recognizing risk, responding effectively, strengthening families, protecting children, and transforming professional practice.
To be entrusted with this project is an extraordinary honor.
To write it alongside my brilliant wife is a profound joy.
To contribute something capable of improving how professionals understand and prevent child abuse is a responsibility we accept with humility, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to the children and families at the center of this work.

Our commitment to violence prevention and victim advocacy remains steadfast. We will continue pursuing work, scholarship, and meaningful ventures that advance this mission, strengthen professional practice, and improve the systems responsible for protecting and supporting victims.

The ink is dry.

The work begins.

And yes, we are absolutely celebrating. 🥂

Our first book together. Hoping to have many more.

I love you so much, Tabitha Chapman... let's keep making life.... magical.

Dr. Amber D. Chapman-Gray
Dr. Tabitha M. Chapman-Gray

Routledge | Book announcement | Child abuse prevention | Trauma-informed care | Violence prevention | Victim advocacy | Health and social care | Women who write | Power couples | Doctors of Behavioral Health | Doctors of Behavioral Health in Management | Doctors of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law | Clinical Psychologists | Marriage and family Therapists | Forensic Research Psychologists | Relationship goals | Perseverance | Victimologists |

08/05/2026

08/03/2026

NEW PUBLICATION:

Female S*x Offenders: Prevalence, Victim Factors, Criminal Behavior, Psychological Traits, and Interventions

What happens when an offender does not fit the picture society has been taught to recognize?

Female sexual offending remains one of the most misunderstood and uncomfortable subjects in violence research. Public conversations often minimize, sensationalize, or completely overlook women who commit sexual offenses. These misconceptions can leave victims unrecognized, professionals underprepared, and prevention efforts built around an incomplete understanding of sexual violence.

In her new publication, “Female S*x Offenders: Prevalence, Victim Factors, Criminal Behavior, Psychological Traits, and Interventions,” Dr. Amber Deneén Chapman-Gray examines the realities behind the assumptions. Published in Springer Nature’s Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence, the chapter explores prevalence, victim characteristics, offending behavior, psychological traits, and intervention approaches.

This work asks readers to move beyond stereotypes without minimizing harm. Effective prevention and intervention require an honest examination of who commits sexual offenses, how victims are affected, and what professionals need to recognize.

About Dr. Gray's Organization:
Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp is a SAM-registered federal contract vendor serving healthcare, behavioral health, public safety, government, victim-services, and community organizations. Its work supports professionals serving domestic violence victims and survivors, polyvictims, and other high-risk populations through trauma-informed education, workforce development, consultation, policy guidance, lean six sigma practices, and systems-level improvement.
Effective education should be delivered by qualified professionals who understand the field, teach through an unbiased lens, use sound theory and evidence-informed methods, and adapt instruction to the audience’s level of knowledge. When these standards are met, education can reduce bias, improve recognition, and help ensure that no victim becomes invisible simply because their experience challenges public expectations.

Read the chapter: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_590-1

Citation: Gray, A.D. (2026). Female S*x Offenders: Prevalence, Victim Factors, Criminal Behavior, Psychological Traits, and Interventions. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_590-1

08/03/2026

In their new publication, “Male Victims of Domestic Violence: Intimate Partner Coercive Control,” Dr. Tabitha M. Chapman-Gray and co-author Dr. Amber D. Chapman-Gray examine how coercive control affects male victims and why their experiences are often overlooked. Published in Springer Nature’s Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence, the chapter challenges readers and professionals to recognize abuse based on behavior and harm, rather than stereotypes about who a victim should be.

Men deserve to be believed. They deserve informed services, meaningful protection, and spaces where seeking help is treated as courage rather than weakness.

The Freedom Train Project, Inc. assists people affected by coercive control, cultic abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other forms of interpersonal harm through advocacy, education, resources, and referrals.

Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp is a SAM-registered federal contract vendor serving healthcare, behavioral health, public safety, government, victim services, and community organizations. Its work supports professionals serving domestic violence victims and survivors, polyvictims, and other high-risk populations through trauma-informed education, workforce development, consultation, policy guidance, lean six sigma practices, and systems-level improvement.

Effective education should be delivered by qualified professionals who understand the field, teach through an unbiased lens, use sound theory and evidence-informed methods, and adapt instruction to the audience’s level of knowledge. When these standards are met, education can reduce bias, improve recognition, and help ensure that no victim becomes invisible simply because their experience challenges public expectations.

Read the chapter: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_1078-1

07/05/2026

NEW ARTICLE | America at 250: Still Becoming

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, I found myself asking a simple question:

How do we honor a nation we love while acknowledging the work it still has left to do?

My newest article, America at 250: Still Becoming, is not about choosing between patriotism and criticism. It is about recognizing that the strongest democracies are built by citizens who are willing to embrace both.

In this reflection, I explore America's remarkable progress alongside the persistent challenges that remain. We have abolished slavery, expanded civil rights, advanced disability rights, and broadened opportunities for millions. Yet racism, sexism, ableism, and structural inequities continue to shape people's everyday experiences (Bixby, 2024; Dorsey Holliman et al., 2023; UN Women, 2025). Progress is real—but so is our responsibility to keep moving forward.

Drawing on the political philosophy of Locke, Aristotle, and Kant, I argue that liberty is more than freedom from government. It is a commitment to truth, moral responsibility, and the dignity of every person. Patriotism is not pretending our country has no flaws. Patriotism is loving it enough to help it become what it has always promised to be.

Perhaps we have taken 1,000 steps forward and 700 steps back. Even so, we are still ahead of where we began.

That gives me hope.

Happy 250th Birthday, America. May our next chapter bring us closer to becoming a nation where liberty, equality, and justice are not simply ideals.... but lived realities.

Click the link: https://drchapmangray.com/america-at-250-still-becoming/

07/05/2026

📖 NEW IN PARAGON

Children Don't Witness Domestic Violence: They Live It

For decades, the phrase "children who witness domestic violence" has shaped our understanding of family violence. But what if that language minimizes the reality of what children actually experience?

Children do not merely observe abuse from the sidelines. They hear it. They anticipate it. They adapt to it. They carry it into their development, relationships, education, physical health, and sense of safety. Domestic violence becomes part of the environment in which they grow, making them victims in their own right.

In our latest article for Paragon, we examine why our language matters, how exposure to domestic violence influences child development, and why trauma-informed, family-centered interventions are essential to breaking intergenerational cycles of violence. Drawing upon current research and clinical practice, this article challenges us to rethink how we recognize, respond to, and support children living in violent homes.

📚 Now available in PARAGON

"Children Don't Witness Domestic Violence: They Live It."

By Dr. Amber D. Chapman-Gray, PhD, DBH & Dr. Tabitha Chapman-Gray, PhD

Read the full article at gettraumainformed.com by selecting → Paragon.

or

Click the link: https://gettraumainformed.com/2026/07/04/children-dont-witness-domestic-violence-they-live-it/

06/15/2026

Check out my latest article, published by the MSI Business Leadership Council and linked through *The Praxis Journal*: “The Misbranding of the Doctor of Behavioral Health: Reframing DBH Clinical and Management Practice for Integrated Healthcare, Quality Improvement, and Public Health Leadership.”

This piece offers a candid look at the Doctor of Behavioral Health degree, including both the Clinical and Management pathways, and explores why the DBH remains underused, misunderstood, and underrecognized across healthcare, public health, and human services systems.

Rather than viewing the DBH as a therapy-adjacent degree, this article reframes it as a systems-facing, solutions-focused doctorate with strong application in integrated care, quality improvement, population health, behavioral health leadership, and service delivery reform.

For employers, educators, healthcare leaders, and DBHs themselves, this article invites a needed conversation: How do we better name, classify, hire, and deploy Doctors of Behavioral Health in the spaces where they are already prepared to lead?

Read the full article at the MSI Business Leadership Council:
https://fellow.msicertified.com/articles/the-misbranding-of-the-doctor-of-behavioral-health-reframing-dbh-clinical-and-management-practice-for-integrated-healthcare-quality-improvement-and-public-health-leadership

06/13/2026

New article announcement.

My latest article, **“DBHs in Management: Integrated Healthcare Solutions for Public Health Domestic Violence Prevention Campaigns,”** is now featured through the **MSI Business Leadership Council** and highlighted in **The Praxis Journal**.

This article examines how Doctors of Behavioral Health in Management can help strengthen domestic violence prevention efforts through integrated healthcare, public health strategy, trauma-informed systems, Lean Six Sigma, process improvement, and my 4E model: Efficiency, Efficacy, Empathy, and Equity.

Domestic violence prevention requires more than awareness. It requires organized systems that educate, connect, measure, respond, and improve.

Read the article summary through **The Praxis Journal**, with a direct link to the full article hosted at MSI Business Leadership Council.

https://drchapmangray.com/category/the-praxis-journal/

or directly at:

https://fellow.msicertified.com/articles/dbhs-in-management-integrated-healthcare-solutions-for-public-health-domestic-violence-prevention-campaigns

06/12/2026

Did you know that local and county government entities in California have no standard protections for data collection and storage in the state of California? In an age of breakneck data collection and surveillance, this is unacceptable. Tell the CA Senate to pass AB 1337 now.

Did you know that local and county government entities in California have no standard protections for data collection and storage in the state of California? Today, the amount of sensitive data being collected and stored on citizens is massive, and will only continue to grow exponentially with the i...