EAST BAY ANXIETY
AND OCD CENTER
Amanda Morrison, Ph.D.
Dr. Morrison is a licensed psychologist (PSY27781) with over 10 years of experience in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders. She has specific expertise in treating social anxiety, OCD, posttraumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder. She uses evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and mindfulness in an integrative manner that matches the unique needs of each individual. Dr. Morrison is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University, East Bay where she conducts research aimed at better understanding the causes of anxiety to inform the development of new treatments for anxiety.
Dr. Morrison's Training and Experience
Dr. Morrison has extensive experience implementing CBT and other evidence-based therapies for adults with anxiety and related disorders. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Temple University in 2014 under the direction of Dr. Richard Heimberg, a leader in the field of CBT for social anxiety. During her graduate education she completed training in a variety of settings, such as the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple University under the supervision of Dr. Heimberg and the Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Philadelphia under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Grayson (an expert in the treatment of OCD and compulsive hoarding). She completed her internship training at the Veteran’s Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, where she received training in cognitive behavioral treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder, including Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Dr. Morrison completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University and Pacific Anxiety Group.
Dr. Morrison’s ongoing program of research focuses on better understanding the causes of anxiety disorders. She has published her scientific work in various psychology journals and and regularly presents her work at professional conferences. She is specifically interested in translating the wealth of research on anxiety and emotions to improve existing treatments for those suffering with anxiety.
Select Publications
Morrison, A. S., Ustun, B., Horenstein, A., Kaplan, S. C., de Oliveira, I. R., Batmaz, S., Gross, J. J., Sadikova, E., Hemanny, C., Pires, P. P., Goldin, P. R., Kessler, R. C., & Heimberg, R. G. (2022). Optimized short-forms of the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 92, 102624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102624
O’Day, E. B., Butler, R. M., Morrison, A. S., Goldin, P. R., Gross, J. J., & Heimberg, R. G. (2021). Reductions in social anxiety during treatment predict lower levels of loneliness during follow-up among individuals with social anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 78, 102362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102362
Goldin, P. R., Morrison, A. S., Jazaieri, H., Heimberg, R. G., & Gross, J. J. (2017). Trajectories of social anxiety, cognitive reappraisal, and mindfulness during an RCT of CBGT versus MBSR for social anxiety disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 97, 1-13. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2017.06.001
Morrison, A. S., Mateen, M. A., Brozovich, F. A., Zaki, J., Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2016). Empathy for negative and positive emotions in social anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 87, 232-242. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.10.005
Jazaieri, H., Morrison, A. S., Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2015). The role of emotion and emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports, 7, 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s11920-014-0531-3
Morrison, A. S., & Heimberg, R. G. (2013). Social anxiety and social anxiety disorder. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 249-274.
Morrison, A. S., Gordon, D., & Heimberg, R. G. (2013). Anxiety Disorders. In M. Robinson, E. Watkins, & E. Harmon-Jones (Eds.), Guilford Handbook of Cognition and Emotion.
Amir, N., Najmi, S., & Morrison, A. S. (2009). Attenuation of attention bias in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 47, 153-157.