ABOUT ME

I am a clinical psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario, and the Massachusetts Board of Registration. I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of Rochester focusing on developmental psychopathology. I completed my predoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in personality assessment and treatment of eating disorders, and my postdoctoral training at the Justice Resource Institute in Boston, Massachusetts where I specialized in assessment and treatment of trauma-related issues for clients of all ages. Throughout my career, I have worked in hospital, clinic, and private practice settings with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.

I also conduct treatment development research focused on developing effective and efficient treatments for individuals and couples struggling with multiple problems associated with trauma and difficulties with emotion management. For instance, I am a co-developer of Sage, a couple treatment for borderline personality disorder and self harm which aims to improve couples' mental health, conflict, and relationship satisfaction.

Rachel Liebman, PhD, C.Psych

EDUCATION

2007-2014

PhD
University of Rochester

Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology Track

Dissertation: Diagnostic utility of the Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified diagnosis among a community sample of women

Thesis: Stigma towards Borderline Personality Disorder: A multilevel assessment of attitudes across person and context

2006-2007

Columbia University

Psychology in Education

Thesis: Comorbidity of Substance Use Disorders and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Women: A Review of the Literature

2001-2005

BA
University of Washington

Psychology and Anthropology

ABOUT

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification in Trauma Studies, Justice Resource Institute, 2016
Quality Rated Provider in Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, 2019
Eye Movement and Desensitization Therapy, Level I and II Certification
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Level 1 Training
Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples, Level 1 Training

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS AND BOARD POSITIONS

Assistant Professor, University of Toronto (Status Only)
Adjunct Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University
Associate Member, Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Board of Directors, International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

A randomized controlled trial testing Sage: A brief intervention for people with borderline personality disorder, their intimate partners, and their relationships

A pilot effectiveness trial of Cognitive Processing Therapy augmented with suicide risk management for individuals with comorbid PTSD and BPD

How do communication behaviours contribute to and buffer against suicidal and self-injurious acts in couples wherein one member has borderline personality disorder?

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Trottier, K., MacDonald, D., & Liebman, R. E., (2025). Managing PTSD in eating disorder treatment: Summary of the research and clinical recommendations. Psychiatric Clinics of North America

Liebman, R. E., Whitfield, K., Ip, J., Burdo, J., Monson, C. M., & Trottier, K. (2025). Psychological treatment of co-occurring trauma history, posttraumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders: A systematic review of clinical outcomes, European Eating Disorder Review. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.3195

Fitzpatrick, S., Varma, S., Traynor, J., Earle, E. A., Vanstone, R., Fulham, L., Goenka, K., Blumberg, M. J., Wyatt, L., Siegel, A. N., Di Bartolomeo, A. A., Norouzian, N., Burdo, J., Ennis, N., Carney, A., Luxor, O., Sankar, R., Monson, C., & Liebman, R. (2025). Treating borderline personality disorder using couple therapy: An uncontrolled trial of Sage. Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2025.2491478

Fitzpatrick, S., Varma, S., Norouzian, N., Chafe, D., Traynor, J., Earle, E., Bartolomeo, A., Latham, M., Goss, S., & Monson, C. M., & Liebman, R. E., (2023). A case series of Sage: A novel conjoint intervention for suicidal and self-injuring people with borderline personality disorder and their significant others. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 11(1), 1, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-023-00244-x Impact Factor 4.1

Fitzpatrick, S., Liebman, R. E., & Monson, C. (2021). The BIAS Model: The Borderline Interpersonal-Affective Systems Model. Extending understanding of the interpersonal context of borderline personality disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 84, 101983, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101983.

Liebman, R. E., Van Buren B., Grasso D. (2020). Assessment and Clinical Decision-Making with Adult Survivors of Interpersonal Violence. In: Geffner R., White J., Hamberger L., Rosenbaum A., Vaughan-Eden V., Vieth V. (eds). Handbook of Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_175-1

Liebman, R. E., Becker, K. R., Smith, K., Cao, L., Keshishian, A., Crosby, R. Eddy K. E.*, & Thomas J. J.* (2020). Network analysis of PTSD and eating disorder symptoms in a community sample, Journal of Traumatic Stress, 0, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22644