About Deborah Friedman, PhD

Dr. Deborah Friedman is a staff psychologist in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Assistant Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School. She co-directs the Pediatric Behavioral Medicine Program, dedicated to promoting specialized evidence-based psychological care integrated within pediatric medical specialist programs to improve adjustment and quality of life for youth and families coping with chronic illness.  Dr. Friedman is also the consulting psychologist for the MGH Pediatric and Adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Programs.  She provides psychotherapy to youth and adults as a member of the interdisciplinary CF care team. She also treats youth with a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems in the the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic, specializing in working with children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, and those coping with chronic pain and medical illness.

Dr. Friedman graduated with a BA from Brown University. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago and then completed a two-year NIMH-funded clinical research fellowship in pediatric health psychology at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. 

Dr. Friedman's grant-funded research has centered on adjustment to chronic illness, and specifically developing mental health and palliative care interventions that can be integrated into existing systems of care in CF.  Dr. Friedman has authored a CF-specific CBT-based intervention for the prevention of depression and anxiety in adults coping with CF (CF-CBT). This intervention is currently being investigated in a multi-site randomized controlled trial, and adapted into versions that can be internet-delivered and developmentally tailored for adolescents coping with CF. Dr. Friedman also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Departments, Centers, & Programs:

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Locations

Mass General Psychiatry: Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program
151 Merrimac St.
3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-643-9898

Mass General Psychiatry
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-724-5600

Medical Education

  • Fellowship, Rhode Island Hospital/Lifespan

Accepted Insurance Plans

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Publications

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    Friedman D, Linnemann RW, Altstein LL, Georgiopoulos AM, Islam S, Bach KT, St. John A, Fracchia MS, Neuringer I, Lapey A, Sicilian L, Moskowitz SM, Yonker LM. Effects of a primary palliative care intervention on quality of life and mental health in cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2019 July;54(7):984-992. Epub 2019 Mar 10. 

    Linnemann RW, Friedman D, Altstein LL, Islam S, Bach K, Georgiopoulos A, Moskowitz SM, Yonker LM. Advance care planning experiences and preferences among people with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2018 Oct 18 [Epub ahead of print] http://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2018.0262

    Friedman D, Linneman RW, Altstein LL, Islam S, Bach, K-T, Lamb C, Volpe J, Doolittle C, St. John A, O’Malley PJ, Sawicki GS, Georgiopoulos AM, Yonker L, Moskowitz SM. The CF-Cares Primary Palliative Care Model: A CF-specific structured assessment of symptoms, distress, and coping J Cyst Fibros 2017 Mar 14. pii: S1569-1993(17)30077-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2017.02.011. [Epub ahead of print]

    Friedman D, Masek B, Barreto E, Baer L, Lapey A, Budge E, McQuaid EL. Fathers and asthma care: Paternal involvement, beliefs, and management skills. J pediatr psychol 2015 April. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsv035.

     

     

     

     

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