Faculty Profile

Thane Erickson

Thane​ Erickson

Professor of Clinical Psychology; Director of CPY Internship

Email: erickt@5675n.com
Phone: 206-281-2273
Office: Marston 115


Education: BA, Point Loma Nazarene University, 1999; MS, Pennsylvania State University, 2003; PhD, Pennsylvania State University, 2006. At SPU since 2008.

Dr. Thane Erickson’s teaching, clinical, and research interests center on interpersonal processes as a point of intersection for understanding personality, emotional disorders (anxiety disorders and depression), well-being, and spirituality. His research team investigates topics such as social aspects of worry, moral emotions (e.g., “elevation,” gratitude), integrative cognitive-behavioral interventions, and the influence of character strengths on stress hormones.

At SPU, Dr. Erickson teaches undergraduate “Abnormal Psychology” and graduate courses in statistics, personality theory and research, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Dr. Erickson maintains a small private practice, providing evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression. Outside of SPU, he enjoys spending time with his family, getting outside, and making music.


​Selected publications

Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., Peterson, J., & Scarsella, G. (2015). Ambivalent interpersonal circumplex responding predicts cross-situational variability of social behavior. Journal of Personality, 83, 429–440.

Abelson, J. L., Erickson, T. M., Mayer, S., Crocker, J., Briggs, H., Lopez-Duran, N. L., & Liberzon, I. (2014). Brief cognitive intervention can modulate neuroendocrine stress responses to the Trier Social Stress Test: Buffering effects of a compassionate goal orientation. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 44, 60–70.

King, A. P., Erickson, T. M., Giardino, N. D., Rauch, S. A. M., Favorite, T., Robinson, E., Kulkarni, M., & Liberzon, I. (2013). A pilot study of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depression and Anxiety, 30, 638–645.

Newman, M. G., Llera, S. L., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Worry and generalized anxiety disorder: A review and theoretical synthesis of evidence on nature, etiology, mechanisms, and treatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 275–297.

Erickson, T. M., & Abelson, J. L. (2012). Even the downhearted may be uplifted: Moral elevation in the daily life of clinically depressed and anxious adults. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31, 707-728.

Please view Dr. Erickson’s CV (PDF) for additional publications.

Thane Erickson interacting with one of the students in his classroom

Why I Teach at SPU

Thane Erickson, Professor of Clinical Psychology

“I teach at SPU because it is a place that uniquely celebrates intellectual rigor, compassionate service, and integrative whole-person understanding, all core ingredient features for helping students to become flourishing clinical psychologists.”