Education
Doctorate, & M.A., University of Maryland
B.A., University of Michigan
Bethany Brand
(she/her/hers)
Professor, Clinical Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Brand has a wealth of clinical experience stemming from a psychological assessment
externship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a clinical internship George Washington University
Hospital, followed by two years of trauma focused-work as a postdoctoral fellow at
Sheppard Pratt Health System’s Trauma Disorders program.
Biography
Bethany Brand, Ph.D. has over 25 years of clinical experience, with expertise in treating and assessing trauma. She has been honored with the Martha E. Mitten Endowed Professorship as well as teaching, research and clinical awards including the Cornelia B. Wilbur Award, the Presidential Award, the Pierre Janet Award, the Morton Prince Award, and Psychology Teacher of the Year in Maryland. She is sought after for media interviews including National Public Radio’s show, Science Friday. Dr. Brand has served on three national task forces that developed guidelines for the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders. Dr. Brand conducts research on the assessment and treatment of trauma related disorders, including the assessment of feigned dissociative disorders.
Dr. Brand is the Principal Investigator on the largest prospective treatment outcome study to date of dissociative disorders (the TOP DD studies). She has delivered clinical and research presentations around the world. In addition to assessing and treating patients in her private practice in Towson, Maryland, Dr. Brand serves as a forensic expert in trauma-related cases including federal and capital (i.e., death penalty) cases.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Brand teaches clinical topics to graduate and undergraduate students. These classes include: undergraduate courses in diagnostic interviewing, basic counseling skills, abnormal psychology, and internship practicums, and graduate courses on assessing and treating trauma, and a course on cognitive behavioral treatment. Dr. Brand is the Director of the competitive undergraduate Clinical Focus program. The Clinical Focus is a cohort program consisting of a series of four courses over students' junior and senior years.
Research Interests
Dr. Brand's current research focuses on the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders including complex trauma and dissociative disorders, distinguishing feigned from genuine trauma disorders, and evaluating the accuracy and adequacy of trauma-related content in psychology textbooks. Dr. Brand is the Principal Investigator of an international, prospective study of the impact of an online educational program for DD patients and their therapists. This program, called the TOP DD Network study, aims to assist DD patients and their therapists in reducing patient self-harm and suicide attempts, as well as improving their management of dissociation and emotion. Learn more about Dr. Brand's TOP DD studies here: TU TOP DD. Click here: TOP DD Study to view the general website.
Selected Publications
Wilgus, S.J., Packer, M.M., Lile-King, R., Miller-Perrin, C.L. & Brand, B.L. (in press). Coverage of Child Maltreatment in Abnormal Psychology Textbooks: Reviewing the Adequacy of the Content. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, & Policy.
Brand, B.L., Loewenstein, R.J., & Spiegel, D. (2014).Dispelling myths about dissociative identity disorder treatment: An empirically based approach. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 77(2), 169-189.
Dorahy, M.J., Brand, B.L., Krüger, C., Lewis-Fernández, R., Martínez-Taboas, A., & Sar, V., Middleton, M., Stavropoulos, P. (2014). Dissociative identity disorder: An empirical review. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(5), 402–417.
Dalenberg, C. J., Brand, B.L., Loewenstein, R. J., Gleaves, D. H., Dorahy, M. J., Cardeña, E. B., Frewen, P. A., Carlson, E. B., Spiegel, D. (2014). Reality versus fantasy: Reply to Lynn et al. (2014). Psychological Bulletin, 140, 911-920.
Cronin, E., Brand, B.L.,& Mattanah, J.F. (2014). The impact of the therapeutic alliance on treatment outcome in patients with dissociative disorders. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 5:22676. Link to Article.
Brand, B.L., & Chasson, G.S. (2014). Distinguishing Simulated from Genuine Dissociative Identity Disorder on the MMPI-2. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, & Policy. Link to Article.
Brand, B.L., McNary, S.W., Myrick, A.C. , Loewenstein, R.J., Classen, C.C., Lanius, R.A., Pain, C. & Putnam, F.W. (2013). A Longitudinal, Naturalistic Study of Dissociative Disorder Patients Treated by Community Clinicians. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, & Policy, 5(4), 301-308. doi: 10.1037/a0027654. PDF.
Lanius, R., Brand, B.L., Vermetten, E., Frewen, P. & Spiegel, D. (2012). The Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Rationale, Clinical and Neurobiological Evidence and Implications. Depression and Anxiety, 29:701-708. doi: 10.1002/da.21889.
Dalenberg, C. J., Brand, B.L., Gleaves, D. H., Dorahy, M. J., Loewenstein, R. J., Cardeña, E., & ... Spiegel, D. (2012). Evaluation of the evidence for the trauma and fantasy models of dissociation. Psychological Bulletin, 138(3), 550-588. doi:10.1037/a0027447. PDF.
Courses Taught
- Dr. Brand teaches clinical topics to graduate and undergraduate students. These classes have included a diagnostic interviewing course and internship practicums for undergraduates, and graduate courses on assessing and treating trauma as well as a CBT course.
Dr. Brand teaches clinical topics to graduate and undergraduate students. These classes have included a diagnostic interviewing course and internship practicums for undergraduates, and graduate courses on assessing and treating trauma as well as a CBT course.