Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD

I am a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in helping patients with cancer and their families. My clinical work focuses on the psychological counseling of breast cancer patients at all stages of disease utilizing a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches, with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral and existential therapies. I also assist those who are coping with the loss of a loved one, and specialize in helping those whose grief persists over time.

My research goals involve the development of palliative care and bereavement psychosocial interventions for cancer patients and their families. I have a particularly strong interest in understanding how patients who have advanced cancer and their families make meaning of the psychosocial challenges that they face, from advanced cancer through bereavement. I am also interested in research on prolonged grief disorder, a syndrome characterized by persistent and impairing symptoms of grief. I am currently conducting research with bereaved parents to better understand their unique grief experience, meaning-making processes, and psychosocial needs.

I am a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Association of Death Education and Counseling.