Elizabeth Cleary, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Responsibilities
My role includes supporting patients and loved ones through workshops, training, information and education, advocacy within the healthcare system, and resources and referrals. I supervise and teach advanced graduate students in clinical psychology and social work and lead consultation groups for the clinical staff.
Simms / Mann Center Programming
The Art and Science of Grief Workshop, Managing Cancer-Related Worry Workshop, Communication Workshop, Sleep Workshop, Managing Pain Workshop, Sexual Health Workshop.
Training and Professional Experience
After receiving my B.A. from Harvard College in 2005, I worked for two years as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Anxiety and Traumatic-Stress Related Disorders, where I managed pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy studies for anxiety disorders.
In 2007, I started my doctorate in clinical psychology at UCLA. My master’s thesis was a longitudinal study that examined the relationships between goal adjustment processes and clinically significant indicators of depression and anxiety in women with metastatic breast cancer. The project provided insight into how metastatic cancer impacts women’s life goals and how goal regulation processes account for significant variability in psychological adjustment to cancer. My doctoral dissertation examined the specific processes through which a web-based, psychosocial intervention for women with breast cancer helped enhance communication with their social support network and facilitated psychological well-being.
I completed several clinical internships during my graduate training, including two years providing patient care at Simms/Mann. Other clinical placements included leading groups for chronic pain and insomnia at Harbor-UCLA and providing couples therapy through the UCLA Psychology Clinic. I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from UCLA in 2013 after completing a full-time pre-doctoral internship at UCLA’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), where I provided individual and group therapy for undergraduate and graduate students. I then completed a year-long post-doctoral fellowship at CAPS, during which I provided care to many UCLA student-athletes.
Before coming to Simms/Mann, I worked as a staff psychologist at UCLA’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). At CAPS, I provided individual counseling for undergraduate and graduate students, ran various therapy and support groups, co-ran the Student-Athlete Mentor program, provided clinical supervision for practicum students and pre-doctoral interns, conducted outreach and prevention programming with campus partners, and delivered crisis intervention.
I have co-authored over a dozen research papers, many focusing on psychological adjustment to cancer.
Selected Professional Publications
Cleary, E.H., Anderson, J., Buchanan, M., Eselun, M., Villaflores, C. & Ahmed, K. A
transdisciplinary, whole-person response to the spiritual and cultural challenges of COVID-19 (October, 2021). Symposium presented at the International Cancer Education Conference, held virtually.
Cleary, E.H., Ahmed, K., Bonet, L., & Villaflores, C. (2020, March). Medical Aid-In-Dying: Challenges and rewards for physicians and mental health professionals. Poster presentation at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.
Bauer M. R., Bright E. E., MacDonald J. J., Cleary E. H., Hines O.J., Stanton A.L. (2018). Quality of Life in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer and Their Caregivers: A Systematic Review. Pancreas, 47, 368-375.
Wiley, J. F., Cleary, E. H., Karan, A., & Stanton, A. L. (2016). Disease controllability moderates the effect of coping efficacy on positive affect. Psychology & Health, 31, 498-508.
Cleary, E. H. & Stanton, A. L.(2015). Project Connect Online: Mediators of an Internet-based Psychosocial Intervention for Women with Breast Cancer. Health Psychology, 35, 477-485.
Harris, L.N., Cleary, E.H. & Stanton, A. L.(2015). Project Connect Online: user and visitor experiences of an Internet-based intervention for women with breast cancer. Psychooncology, 24, 1145-1151.
Thompson, E. H., Stanton, A.L. & Bower, J. E. (2013) Situational and dispositional goal adjustment in the context of metastatic cancer. Journal of Personality, 81, 441-451.
Stanton, A. L., Thompson, E. H., Crespi, C. M., Link, J.S., & Waisman, J. R. (2013). Project connect online: a randomized trial of an internet-based program to chronicle the cancer experience and facilitate communication. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27, 3411-3417.
Stanton, A. L., Lueken, L. J., MacKinnon, D. P., & Thompson, E. H. (2013). Psychological mechanisms in interventions for individuals living with cancer: Opportunity for integration of theory, research, and practice. Journal of Clinical and Counseling Psychology, 81, 318-335.
Thompson, E. H., Woodward, J. T., & Stanton, A. L. (2011). Dyadic goal appraisal during treatment for infertility: How do different perspectives relate to partners’ adjustment International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
Thompson, E. H., Woodward, J. T., & Stanton, A. L. (2011). Moving forward during major goal blockage: Situational goal adjustment in women facing infertility. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 34, 275-287.
Yanez, B., Thompson, E. H., & Stanton, A. L. (2011). Quality of life among Latina breast cancer survivors: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 5, 191-207.
Personal Interests
I have an outstanding group of extended family members and friends who live all over the country, and my husband and I greatly enjoy traveling to visit these loved ones. I have been a lifelong athlete and at different times, have focused on rowing, running, or playing soccer. Currently, I most enjoy keeping up with my children on the playground and in the pool. I participate in multiple book clubs and have a long list of favorite podcasts that I listen to regularly while cooking or in transit. I am grateful to be part of the Simms/Mann team and to be working towards our shared mission of enhancing the physical, psychological and spiritual well-being of all of us touched by cancer.