About Christina Psaros, PhD
Dr. Christina Psaros is a clinical psychologist in the Behavioral Medicine Program, where she is also the Associate Director. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a faculty member of the Qualitative Research Unit in the Division of Clinical Research at MGH. Dr. Psaros received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology (with a health psychology concentration) in 2008 and did her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at MGH/HMS.
Dr. Psaros’ clinical practices focuses on women’s health, and optimizing the health of individuals who are living with chronic illness. She is the Director of the Behavioral Medicine elective of the internship in clinical psychology at MGH and provides mentorship to junior investigators, post-doctoral fellows, and other mentees/students around qualitative methods, intervention development, and behavioral science.
Clinical Interests:
- Anxiety and depression
- Behavioral medicine
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- HIV disease in pregnancy
- Infertility - female
- Postpartum Depression
- Women's mental health
Treats:
- Adult
Locations
Mass General Psychiatry: Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Services
55 Fruit St.
Wang Ambulatory Care Center
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-724-7792
Medical Education
- PHD, Drexel University
- Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Coventry
- Evernorth Behavioral Health
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Humana
- MassHealth
- Medicaid ME
- Medicaid NH
- Medicaid VT
- Medicare
- Medicare ACO
- Multiplan
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- United Behavioral Health
- Wellpoint
- WellSense
- WellSense NH
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
Dr. Psaros' research has focused primarily on psychosocial aspects of HIV care and prevention for cisgender women both domestically and abroad, and men who have sex with men, with an emphasis on intervention development. She has led NIH funded studies in the United States (e.g., R34MH118044, R34AT009170) and South Africa (e.g., K23MH096651, R01MH112385), and developed the adherence support protocols for several major pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) trials, including HPTN083 and Partners PrEP. She has over 80 publications and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for over 20 journals. She is a member of the Editorial Board for AIDS and Behavior, and is the first author on the ?Lifesteps for PrEP? intervention manual, which is part of the CDC compendium of evidence-based interventions and best practices for HIV prevention.
Publications
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Psaros C, Stanton AM, Raggio GA, Mosery N, Goodman GR, Briggs ES, Williams M, Bangsberg D, Smit J, Safren SA. Optimizing PMTCT adherence by treating depression in perinatal women living with HIV in South Africa: A pilot randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Forthcoming 2022.
Stanton AM, Goodman GR, Robbins GK, Looby SE, Williams J, Psaros C, Raggio G. Preventing cardiovascular disease in midlife women living with HIV: An examination of facilitators and barriers to heart health behaviors. Journal of Women & Aging. Forthcoming 2022.
Bassett IV, Govere S, Millham L, Frank SC, Dladla N, Thulare H, Psaros C. Contraception, HIV Services, and PrEP in South African Hair Salons: A Qualitative Study of Owner, Stylist, and Client Perspectives. J Community Health. 2019 Dec;44(6):1150-1159. doi: 10.1007/s10900-019-00698-7. PMID: 31280429; PMCID: PMC6800398.
Psaros C, Freeman M, Safren SA, Barsky M, Cohen LS. Discontinuation of antidepressants during attempts to conceive: A pilot trial of CBT for prevention of recurrent depression. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2014; 34:455-460, PMID 24911438.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Psaros%2C+Christina%5BAuthor%5D