Elizabeth Hembree, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an expert in the assessment and evidence-based treatment of individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and OCD. Her clinical work and research have been primarily focused in these areas and on the dissemination of cognitive behavioral treatment for PTSD.
Dr. Hembree was a faculty member for 20 years in the Center for the Treatment & Study of Anxiety at UPenn, where Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD was developed, and where she served as director of clinical training from 1999-2009. She provides trainings in cognitive behavioral treatment of PTSD both in the US and abroad. In her training and supervision of mental health professionals, she focuses on therapist behaviors that enhance the process of therapy including building alliance and tailoring therapy to the client, optimizing learning from direct experiences, and helping clients to shift beliefs about themselves and the world.
Her expertise in trauma and PTSD has benefited the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense in their efforts to train mental health workers. She has published numerous articles and book chapters and co-authored PTSD therapy manuals published by Oxford University Press.