Clinical Psychologist & Researcher
Dr. Brittain
Mahaffey
DBT Program Director and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University. Linehan Board Certified therapist (DBT-LBC) and researcher in emotion dysregulation, intervention development, and high-risk populations.
About
Developing interventions
for those who need them most
Dr. Mahaffey is a Linehan Board Certified therapist (DBT-LBC) and the founding director of the DBT Program at Stony Brook University. Her work sits at the intersection of intervention development, emotion dysregulation, and high-risk clinical populations — building and testing treatments for people navigating suicidality, trauma, and severe emotional distress.
With 49 peer-reviewed publications and 5 book chapters, her career reflects a sustained commitment to advancing clinical science. She serves on the executive board of the SBU-Consortium Psychology Training Program, where she helps train the next generation of clinical scientists.
Areas of focus
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Linehan Board Certified therapist (DBT-LBC) and DBT Program Director at Stony Brook. Research on DBT adaptation for high-risk populations including transgender and gender diverse youth, autistic individuals with emotion dysregulation, and people navigating suicidality and self-harm.
Intervention Development
A track record of building, testing, and validating clinical interventions — from the Disaster Worker Resiliency Training Program and the Stony Brook Health Enhancement Program to novel applications of DBT for underserved populations. NIH-funded research.
Perinatal Mental Health
Research on mental health during pregnancy and postpartum, including development of the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS) and international studies on maternal wellbeing. Work on perinatal OCD, anxiety trajectories, and emotion dysregulation in the perinatal period.
Emotion Dysregulation & High-Risk Populations
Research spanning the mechanisms connecting trauma, emotion dysregulation, and behavioral health outcomes — from PTSD and substance use in World Trade Center responders to suicidality risk in marginalized populations.
49
Peer-Reviewed Publications
15+
Years of Research
K23
NIH Career Award
DBT-LBC
Linehan Board Certified Therapist