Massachusetts General Hospital | Psychiatry

Biography

Dr. Hirshfeld-Becker is Co-Director of the Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, and Director of High Risk Studies and Anxiety Research in the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She did her undergraduate work at Harvard University and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Boston University. Her postdoctoral clinical and research training were completed at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Hirshfeld-Becker conducts cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and mood disorders with children, adolescents, and young adults. She has particular expertise with treating anxiety in young children. She does research on risk factors for anxiety disorders and for other psychiatric disorders. She has been funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health to conduct longitudinal studies of children at risk for ADHD, major depression and bipolar disorder, as well as to develop and test an early cognitive-behavioral intervention for young (4-7-year-old) children at risk for anxiety disorders.

Publications

Hirshfeld-Becker DR, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for 4-7-year-old children with anxiety disorders: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2010; 78(4):498-510.

Hirshfeld-Becker DR, et al. Applying cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety to the younger child. Psychiatric Clinics of North America (in press).