Elizabeth Goetter, Ph.D.

Dr. Goetter received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in sociology from Regis University. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Drexel University. She completed an APA-accredited clinical internship at the University of California, San Diego/San Diego VA Medical Center and a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders within the Massachusetts General Hospital. Following her fellowship, Dr. Goetter held multiple senior clinical leadership positions at MGH, where she also served as co-director of outpatient psychology.

Dr. Goetter’s clinical interests focus on the evidence-based assessment and treatment of anxiety and traumatic stress disorders, including complicated grief (prolonged grief disorder). Dr. Goetter also has specialized training and expertise in the mental health treatment of military and veteran populations. Her research has centered on enhancing the delivery and accessibility of cognitive and behavioral treatments for anxiety and traumatic stress disorders. In particular, she has studied the use of technology to deliver CBT, barriers to mental health treatment, premature dropout from psychotherapy, and novel/accelerated models of psychotherapy.

In her spare time, Dr. Goetter enjoys running, cooking, music, and solving the NYT crossword puzzle.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Anxiety and traumatic stress disorders
Complicated grief
Veteran and military service member’s mental health
Stigma and barriers to mental health treatment
Technology as a mechanism for delivering mental health interventions

EDUCATION
Licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania, Massachusetts)
Postdoctoral fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital
APA-accredited internship, UCSD/San Diego VA Medical Center
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Drexel University
M.S., Clinical Psychology, Drexel University
B.S., Psychology, Regis University

TEACHING
Psychotherapy courses, Psychopathology
Past Teaching: Clinical Assessment (graduate), Statistics (graduate), Developmental Psychology (undergraduate)
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

Goetter, E. M., Iaccarino, M. A., Tanev, K. S., Furbish, K. E., Xu, B., & Faust, K. A. (2022). Telemental health uptake in an outpatient clinic for veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 53, 151-159.

Goetter, E. M., Tanev K. S., Lynch E., Lento R., Blackburn A. M., Mamon D., Pique T., & Spencer T. J. (2021). An accelerated, weekend-based, prolonged exposure therapy program for veterans and service members with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 31, 285-289.

Goetter, E. M., Blackburn, A. M., Stasko, C., Han, Y., Brenner, L. H., LeJeune, S., Tanev, K., & Spencer, T. J., & Wright, E. C. (2021). Comparative effectiveness of prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy for military service members in an intensive treatment program. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 13, 632-640.

Goetter, E. M., Blackburn, A., Laifer, L., Bui, E., & Simon, N. M. (2019). Veterans’ prospective attitudes about mental health treatment using telehealth. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57, 38-43.

Goetter, E. M., Frumkin, M., Swee, M. B., Palitz, S., Baker, A. W., Bui, E., & Simon, N. M. (2018). Barriers to treatment among individuals with social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Psychological Services, 17, 5-12.

Goetter, E. M., Bui, E., Ojserkis, R. A., Zakarian, R., Brendel, R. W., & Simon, N. M. (2015). A systematic review of dropout from psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder treatment among Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28, 1-9.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Hofmann, S. G., Baker, A., Carpenter, J. K., Curtiss, J. E., Goetter, E. M. (2020) The anxiety skills workbook: Simple CBT and mindfulness strategies for overcoming anxiety, fear, and worry. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

Blackburn, A. & Goetter, E. M. (2019). Treatment of anxiety disorders in the digital age. In E. Bui, M. E. Charney, & A. W. Baker (Eds.) Clinical handbook of anxiety disorders: From theory to practice. (pp. 297-313). Cham, Switzerland: Humana.

Goetter, E. M. & Blackburn, A. (2019). Mental health treatment disparities in racial and ethnic minority military service members and veterans. In M. Williams, D. Rosen, & J. Kanter (Eds.) Eliminating race-based mental health disparities (pp. 307-326). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

Goetter, E. M. & Marques, L. (2015). Cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. In T.J. Petersen, S. Sprich, & S. Wilhelm (Eds) The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. New York: Springer.

REPRESENTATIVE PRESENTATIONS

Goetter, E. M., Lynch, E., Nadel, M., Harward, L., & Wright, E. C. (2022). Examining group cohesion and patient satisfaction in a posttraumatic stress disorder treatment program: A comparison between in-person and virtual formats. In S. Wells (Chair), Understanding individuals’ preferences for and experiences in PTSD treatment and delivery. Paper to be presented at the 56th annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY.

Goetter, E. M., Tanev K. S., Lynch E., Lento R., Blackburn A. M., Mamon D., Pique T., & Spencer T. J. (2020). A 4-day, prolonged exposure therapy, weekend-based intensive treatment program for veterans and service members. Paper presented at the 36th Annual International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

Goetter, E. M., Sanders, W., Bui, E., & Simon, N. M. (2019). A brief, peer intervention and its relationship with veteran mental health treatment utilization. In S. K. Williston (Chair), Novel barriers and facilitators of treatment engagement among U.S. veterans with PTSD and other mental health conditions. Paper presented at the 35th Annual International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, Boston, MA.

Goetter, E. M. Hoeppner, S., Hellberg, S., Acierno, R., Rauch, S. A., & Simon N. M. (2018). Understanding the impact of complicated grief on posttraumatic stress disorder outcomes in post-9/11 service members and veterans. In Assessment and diagnosis understanding the interplay of loss and traumatic death with grief and PTSD across clinical and community samples. Paper presented at the 34th Annual International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, Washington, DC.

Goetter, E. M. (2017). Pharmacotherapy treatment expectancy and working alliance predict outcomes in the treatment of complicated grief. In E. M. Goetter (Chair), Complicated grief treatment: Understanding correlates and predictors of outcome. Paper presented at the 37th annual convention of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, San Francisco, CA.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies