PsyTREATS Lab (Therapy Research, Eating, Affect Regulation, Trauma & Stress Lab) is a clinical psychology research laboratory at İzmir Bakırçay University, Department of Psychology. The lab investigates how stress and traumatic experiences shape emotional and behavioral processes, the central role of emotion regulation in these pathways, and the mechanisms of change in psychotherapy.
Our research agenda is organized around four interconnected lines of inquiry. The first examines the short- and long-term psychological consequences of stress and adverse childhood experiences. The second focuses on eating behaviors and disturbed eating attitudes — with particular emphasis on emotional eating — and their developmental and affective antecedents. The third line addresses emotion regulation skills and difficulties as the transdiagnostic mechanism linking these processes. The fourth line comprises psychotherapy process and outcome research, exploring how variables such as the therapeutic alliance, countertransference, therapist mindfulness, and therapist characteristics relate to treatment success.
Beyond its research mission, PsyTREATS Lab is a training environment. Undergraduate and graduate students take active roles in research teams, participate in regular journal club meetings, and gain hands-on experience across the full cycle of scientific production — from developing research questions to data collection, analysis, writing, and dissemination.
The lab also conducts scale adaptation and development studies, systematic reviews, and effectiveness research on intervention programs. Our overarching aim is to produce findings that contribute both to the scientific literature and to mental health practice.