Brent T. Mausbach, PhD

Brent T. Mausbach, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist. As part of Patient & Family Support Services at Moores Cancer Center, he provides psychological assessment, diagnosis or ongoing therapy for patient and families who are experiencing issues that are either related to the cancer experience or are interfering with cancer treatment.

In individual or group psychotherapy, he can focus on issues including depression, anxiety, communication, stress reduction, insomnia, grief or other psychological or emotional issues. He is especially interested in helping patients and caregivers develop positive coping strategies to protect them from the harmful effects of stress.

Dr. Mausbach's broad clinical and research interests are in the area of health psychology, which seeks to understand how psychological and behavioral factors contribute to, or modify, physical health and illness. Consistent with these interests, Dr. Mausbach has a wealth of experience in understanding the links between improved coping and better mental and physical health. He has published several scientific manuscripts highlighting: a) the links between stressful life circumstances and biological markers of health, and b) how individuals who cope well with stress have improved physical health. He has also received grants from the National Institutes of Health for his research into behavioral treatments for caregivers of people with dementia and improving function in patients with schizophrenia.

His work has been published in journals including Behavior Therapy, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Clinical Psychology Review.

Dr. Mausbach received his PhD in clinical psychology from the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto, CA, and completed his clinical psychology internship at the VA Black Hills Healthcare System. He received post-doctoral training at both Stanford University and UC San Diego with a specialization in geriatric psychiatry.

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For more information, see Patient & Family Support Services.