Chelsea Brass

Dr. Chelsea Brass is an Assistant in Research Faculty member with the College of Social Work and the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Her work sits at the intersection of research, policy, and practice, with a focus on domestic violence, coercive control, child welfare, and workforce development. Prior to entering academia, she served as a policy and planning professional in public health and public safety, leading community health assessments, strategic planning initiatives, and policy development efforts through participatory research approaches and data analytics. She returned to academia for advanced training in communication science, examining the social and relational dynamics underlying interpersonal aggression while studying how research and scientific evidence can be effectively communicated to policymakers, practitioners, and public audiences. Following the completion of her PhD in Communication Studies, she served as a subject-matter expert on coercive control and led the development of Florida's first statewide domestic violence curriculum for child welfare professionals through the Florida Department of Children and Families. At the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, her work includes applied research, workforce studies, technical assistance, and program evaluation to strengthen child welfare systems and support the well-being of children, families, and the professionals who serve them.

Areas of Focus

• Intimate Partner Violence and Coercive Control
• Child Welfare Systems and Policy
• Workforce Well-Being and Professional Development
• Risk Assessment and Violence Prevention
• Program Evaluation and Applied Research

Education

• PhD, 2022, University of Texas at Austin, Communication Studies
• MPAff, 2013, University of Texas at Austin, Public Affairs
• BA, 2007, University of California, Santa Barbara, Global Studies

Selected Publications

Dailey, R. M., Hazlett, A. D., & Brass-Rosenfield, C. (2025). Exploring the Link Between Relationship Cycling and Aggression in Challenging Romantic Relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 1-19.

Pett, R. C., Hazlett, A. D., & Brass-Rosenfield, C. (2023). A Phronetic Iterative Analysis of Decisions to Disclose Negative Feelings About Others’(Non) compliance with Recommended COVID Precaution Behaviors. Communication Studies, 74(5), 462-480.

Dailey, R. M., Hazlett, A. D., & Brass-Rosenfield, C. (2022). The role of psychological and physical aggression in relationship reconciliation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(23-24).

Brass-Rosenfield, C. (2022). A Milieu of Taboo: Threat, Avoidance, Power and Control. In Handbook of Research on Communication Strategies for Taboo Topics (pp. 26-50). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. 

Funded Projects/Grants

Austin Public Health, Restore Rundberg Community Health Improvement Plan (2016)

Austin Public Health, Restore Rundberg Community Health Assessment (2015)

Huston-Tillotson University, Sandra Day Anderson Community Health and Wellness Center Needs Assessment (2015)

Northwest Texas Healthcare System, Amarillo Community Health Assessment (2013)                   

Northeast Texas Public Health District, Community Health Assessment (2013)

National Network of Public Health Institutes, Texas Health-in-All-Policies Project (2013)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / National Network of Public Health Institutes, Local Policy Database Environmental Scan (2013)