B.A. in Psychology from Emory University
Dr. Erika Lawrence is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been working with couples and individuals for 30 years. She is also the Director of Translational Science at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, and a Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at NU. She received her BA in Psychology at Emory University and her PhD in clinical psychology at UCLA. Dr. Lawrence also completed her clinical psychology internship at The Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA. Her past academic positions include tenure-track and tenured professorships at the University of Iowa and the University of Arizona, prior to joining The Family Institute. Her intervention research has been funded by the DOJ, NIMH, NICHD and the CDC.
Dr. Lawrence has three areas of specialty in her clinical work. First, she has been a couple therapist for 30 years. Although she chooses the approach to couple therapy that is best for each couple, she often uses Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), an empirically supported approach that includes elements of Emotional Focused Therapy and of Behavioral Couple Therapy while tailoring the therapy to the specific needs of each couple. She was fortunate enough to be trained by one of the developers of IBCT, Dr. Andrew Christensen.
Second, Dr. Lawrence specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders including Specific and Social Phobias, OCD, and GAD. She was trained by one of the developers of CBT for Anxiety Disorders, Dr. Michele Craske. She has decades of experience treating adolescents and adults with anxiety disorders in outpatient, inpatient, and partial hospitalization settings.
Third, Dr. Lawrence specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for anger and aggression, as well as other presenting concerns. ACT incorporates mindfulness, an attention to one’s values, and increasing tolerance for feelings and thoughts in service of having a more rewarding life and making more workable choices in our life. Dr. Lawrence is well known for co-developing an ACTD-based intervention for anger and aggression that has a wealth of evidence supporting its effectiveness.
Special Appointments
- National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence (NPEIV) : Steering Committee for the NPEIV 2010 Conference , Co-Chair, Research Task Force, 2008-2010
- APA Board of Scientific Affairs, representative for the Society for Family Psychology, 2007- 2011
- Think Tank on Violence and Abuse in Relationships: Connecting Agendas and Forging New Directions, Presidential Initiative by Alan Kazdin, American Psychological Association, 2008
- Co-Chair Incorporating Couple and Family Processes into the DSM Committee; co-sponsored by ABCT Couples Research & Therapy Group and APA Society for Family Psychology; multi-disciplinary organization
National Offices Held
- American Psychological Association Division 43 (Society for Couple and Family Psychology): President-Elect, President, Past-President (2013-2015); Executive Committee: Vice President for Science, 2007-2011)
- Society for the Science of Clinical Psychology (SSCP; APA Division 12, Section 3): Newsletter Editor, 2009-2012
- ABCT Couples Research and Therapy Special Interest Group: Co- President, 2003-2005; Treasurer, 2000-2002; Chair, Student Research Award Committee, 2002-2003, 2007–2009
Past and Present Editorial Board Appointments
- Journal of Family Psychology
- Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
- Partner Abuse
- Family Process
O’Hara, K.L., Duschschere, J.E., Shanholtz, C.E., Reznik, S.J., Beck, C.J., & Lawrence, E. (2019). Multidisciplinary Partnership: Targeting aggression and mental health problems of adolescents in detention. American Psychologist, 74, 329-342. doi:10.1037/amp0000439
Lawrence, E., Mazurek, C., & Reardon, K. (2021). Comparing recidivism rates among domestically violent men enrolled in ACTV versus Duluth/CBT. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(5), 469-475. doi:10.1037/ccp0000649
Duchschere, J.E., O’Hara, K.L., Reznik, S.J., Shanholtz, C.E., Gerson, N., Beck, C.J., & Lawrence, E. (2022). Addressing a mental health intervention gap in juvenile detention: A pilot study. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 8(2), 236-251. doi:10.1080/23794925.2022.2042873
Fivecoat, H. C., Mazurek, C., Cunningham, C. N., Gandhi, K., Driscoll, M. W., Reischer, H. N., Hendershot, Q. E., Kritzik, R., & Lawrence, E. (2022). It’s not us, it’s COVID: Individual and relational stress among Latine couples early in the pandemic. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 13(1), 50-66. doi:0.1037/cfp0000222
Manvelian, A., Fivecoat, H., Milek, A., & Lawrence, E. (2021). Ending the silo effect: A test of the relational spillover model. Family Process, 61(3), 1229-1247. doi:10.1111/famp.12728