Dr Lisa Saulsman

Qualifications:

Dr Lisa Saulsman graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts (1st Class Honours) in Psychology (1999) and a Masters of Psychology (Clinical) / Doctor of Philosophy (2005).

 

Experience:

Lisa worked in public mental health at the Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) in Perth Western Australia for 13 years, providing individual and group CBT to adults with complex and enduring depressive and anxiety disorders. At CCI Lisa did not just provide treatment as a therapist, but was also involved in developing new treatments for mood management, social anxiety disorder, and worry and rumination, with published research supporting the effectiveness of these treatments. In addition to her clinical work at CCI, she was also the Co-ordinator of Training, being responsible for developing and facilitating CBT-based training workshops for mental health practitioners across Western Australia.  Lisa has also authored self-help CBT resources covering numerous clinical areas, such as worry, self-esteem, distress intolerance, self-compassion, procrastination, health anxiety, and body dysmorphia.  These resources are freely available online, and well known locally, nationally and internationally among clinicians and consumers alike.  Lisa is co-author of a recent book Imagery-Enhanced CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder, released through Guilford Press in January 2018. Through her career, Lisa has been involved in the selection and supervision of people training to become clinical psychologists at the University of Western Australia and Curtin University.  Lisa is now Director of CBTs WA.  In addition, Lisa currently holds the academic position of Senior Lecturer/Deputy Clinic Director (Robin Winkler Clinic) in the postgraduate clinical psychology program within the School of Psychological Science at the University of Western Australia.

 

Professional Associations:

Dr Lisa Saulsman is a registered psychologist (with an area of practice endorsement in clinical psychology) and an approved supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).  Lisa is a member of the Australian Clinical Psychology Association (ACPA) and the Australia Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT).

 

 

Current Interests

Lisa’s areas of professional interest include the following:

  • The application of CBT to depression, anxiety disorders, and low self-esteem;
  • Transdiagnostic and transtherapeutic developments in CBT;
  • The use of imagery to enhance treatment outcomes in CBT (including imagery rescripting, positive imagery, and compassion-focused imagery);
  • Metacognitive approaches to dealing with repetitive negative thinking (such as worry and rumination); and
  • The integration of mindfulness and acceptance principles within CBT.

 

Publications:

(Click on each title to view publication details)

Saulsman, L.M., Ji, J.L., & McEvoy, P.M. (2019). The essential role of mental imagery in cognitive behaviour therapy: What is old is new again. Australian Psychologist, 54, 237-244.

McEvoy, P. M., Saulsman, L. M., & Rapee, R. (2018). Imagery-Enhanced CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder. New York: Guilford Press.

McEvoy, P.M., Moulds, M.L., Grisham, J.R., Holmes, E.A., Moscovitch, D.A., Hendrie, D., Saulsman, L.M., Lipp, O.V., Kane, R.T., Rapee, R.M., Hyett, M.P., & Erceg-Hurn, D. M. (2017). Assessing the efficacy of imagery-enhanced cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 60, 34-41.

Saulsman, L., Campbell, B., & Sng, A.  (2017).  Building Self-Compassion: From Self-Criticism to Self-Kindness.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

McEvoy, P. M., Erceg-Hurn, D. M., Anderson, R. A., Campbell, B. N. C., Swan, A., Saulsman, L. M., Summers, M., & Nathan, P. R. (2015). Group metacognitive therapy for repetitive negative thinking in primary and non-primary generalized anxiety disorder: an effectiveness trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 175, 124-132.

McEvoy, P. M., Erceg-Hurn, D. M., Saulsman, L. M., & Thibodeau, M. A. (2015). Imagery enhancements increase the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: a benchmarking study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 65, 42-51.

Saulsman, L., Nathan, P., Lim, L., Correia, H., Anderson, R., & Campbell, B.  (2015).  What? Me Worry!?!  Mastering Your Worries.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

McEvoy, P. M., & Saulsman, L. M. (2014). Imagery-enhanced cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: A pilot study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 55, 1-6.

Saulsman, L., & Nathan, P.  (2012).  Facing Your Feelings: Learning to Tolerate Distress.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Anderson, R., Saulsman, L., McEvoy, P., Fursland, A., Nathan, P., & Ridley, S. (2012).  Building Body Acceptance: Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Saulsman, L. (2011). Depression, anxiety and the MCMI-III: Construct validity and diagnostic efficiencyJournal of Personality Assessment, 93, 76-83.

Anderson, R., Saulsman, L., & Nathan, P. (2011).  Helping Health Anxiety.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Watson, H., McEvoy, P., Smith, L., Nathan, P., Saulsman, L., & Campbell, B.  (2010).  Affective disorders: Bridging the gap between efficacy and practice. In R. Carlstedt (Ed.) Handbook of integrative clinical psychology, psychiatry and behavioral medicine: Perspectives, practices, and research (pp. 281-308). New York: Springer Publishing.

Saulsman, L., & Nathan, P.  (2008).  Put Off Procrastinating.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Craigie, M.A., Saulsman, L.M., & Lampard, A.M.  (2007).  MCMI-III personality complexity and depression treatment outcome following group-based cognitive-behavioral therapyJournal of Clinical Psychology, 63 (12), 1153-1170.

Saulsman, L.M., Coall, D.A., & Nathan, P.R.  (2006). The association between depressive personality and treatment outcome for depression following a group cognitive-behavioural interventionJournal of Clinical Psychology, 62 (9), 1181-1196.

Lim, L., Saulsman, L., & Nathan, P. (2005).  Improving Self-Esteem.  Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Saulsman, L.M., & Page, A.C. (2004).  The five-factor model and personality disorder empirical literature: A meta-analytic reviewClinical Psychology Review, 23, 1055-1085.

Saulsman, L.M., & Page, A.C. (2003).  Can trait measures diagnose personality disordersCurrent Opinion in Psychiatry, 16, 83-88.