2012 TC Academics
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College Columbia University

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Lisa Jane Miller

Professional Background

Educational Background

B.A., Yale College; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Scholarly Interests

Spirituality & Religion, basic science on spirituality, applied interventions using spirituality, depression and substance abuse, related risk factors and protective factors, wellness and mental health.

Selected Publications

Miller, L. (2008).   Spiritual Psychology and Parenthood.  In Rayburn, C. & Comas-Diaz, L. (Eds): Woman’s Soul: The Inner Life of Women’s Spirituality. (pp. 122-148) Westport, CT: Greenleaf  Press

Miller, L. (2008)  Spirituality and Resilience in Adolescent Girls,  In Kline, K. (Ed.): Authoritative Communities: The Scientific Case for Nurturing the Whole Child. (pp.295-302) New York: Springer. 

Desrosiers, A., Miller, L. (2009)  Substance Use versus Anxiety in Adolescents; Are Some Disorders More Spiritual than Others?, Journal for the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 19, 237-254.

Semple, R., Lee, J., Derosa, D., Miller, L. (2009)  A Randomized Trail of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children, Journal of Child and Family Studies, 240-254.

Jacobs, M., MIller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Weissman, M. (2011).  Family Religion and Depression in Offspring at High Risk, Journal of Affective Disorders, 136 (3), 320-327.

Desrosiers, A., Kelley, B, Miller, L. (2011).  Parent and Peer Relations and Relational Spirituality in Adolescents and Young Adults.  Psychology of Religion and Spiritualtiy, 3(1), 39-51.l

Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Tenke, C., Weissman, M.  (2012)  Spirituality and Major Depression: A Ten-Year Prospective Study, American Journal of Psychiatry, 169 (1), 89-94.

Miller, L.  (2012)  The Oxford University Press Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality.  Oxford University Press: New York, NY.

biographical information

Lisa Miller, Ph.D. is the Director of Clinical Psychology and Associate Professor in the Clinical Psychology Program.  Dr. Miller obtained her B.A. from Yale University and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied under Dr. Martin Seligman. Her research and scholarly interests are in spirituality and mind-body pathways to wellness, basic science at multiple levels of analysis on spirituality development, and prevention and treatment interventions for children and adolescents in poverty, increased access to treatment among low SES populations, intergenerational transmission of risk and resilience factors, and development of spirituality in children and adolescents.  Dr. Miller's lab over the past fifteen years has been funded by a William T. Grant Faculty Scholars Award, an NIMH K-Award and a number of corporate and family foundations.  Dr. Miller received the Virginia Sexton Mentoring Award from American psychological Association and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

publications

Miller, L.  (2012)  The Oxford University Press Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality.  Oxford University Press: New York, NY.

Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Tenke, C., Weissman, M.  (2012)  Spirituality and Major Depression: A Ten-Year Prospective Study, American Journal of Psychiatry, 169 (1), 89-94.

Jacobs, M., MIller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Weissman, M. (2011).  Family Religion and Depression in Offspring at High Risk, Journal of Affective Disorders, 136 (3), 320-327.

Desrosiers, A., Kelley, B, Miller, L. (2011).  Parent and Peer Relations and Relational Spirituality in Adolescents and Young Adults.  Psychology of Religion and Spiritualtiy, 3(1), 39-51.l

Miller, L. (2010).  Watching for Light: Spiritual Psychology Beyond Materialism, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Vol 2(1), 35-66.

Miller, L. (2009) The Classroom as a Spiritual Space. Teachers College Record, Vol 111 (12) 2705-2786.

Desrosiers, A., Miller, L. (2009)  Substance Use versus Anxiety in Adolescents; Are Some Disorders More Spiritual than Others?, Journal for the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 19, 237-254.

Semple, R., Lee, J., Derosa, D., Miller, L. (2009)  A Randomized Trail of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children, Journal of Child and Family Studies, 240-254.

Miller, L. (2008).   Spiritual Psychology and Parenthood.  In Comas-Diaz, L. & Rayburn, C. (Eds): Woman’s Soul: The Inner Life of Women’s Spirituality. (pp. 122-148) Westport, CT: Greenleaf  Press

Miller, L. (2008)  Spirituality and Resilience in Adolescent Girls,  In Kline, K. (Ed.): Authoritative Communities: The Scientific Case for Nurturing the Whole Child. (pp.295-302) New York: Springer.

Kelley, B., Miller, L. (2007)  Life Satisfaction and Spirituality in Adolescents, Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 18,  233-261. 

Miller, L. (2006)  Spirituality Health and Medical Care of Children and Adolescents,  Southern Medical Journal, 99(10),  1164-1165.  

 

Miller, L. (2005) “Spiritual Awareness Psychotherapy, American Psychological Association Psychotherapy Training Series.” American Psychological Association; Washington, DC.

Miller, L. & Gur, M., (2001) Physical Maturation, Depression and religiosity among adolescent girls. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Miller, L., & Weissman, M. (2001) Interpersonal psychotherapy delivered over the telephone, Depression. (In Press)
Miller, L., Weissman, M., Gur, M. & Greenwald, S. (2001). Adult religiosity and childhood depression: eleven-year follow-up on childhood depressives, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
Miller, L. Weissman, M., Gur, M., Adams, P., (2001). Religiosity and substance use among children of opiate addicts. Journal of Substance Abuse.
Miller, L. (2001) Spiritual orientation in psychotherapy. In L. Sperry (Ed.)., Incorporating the Spiritual Dimension in Psychotherapy and Counseling, Taylor & Francis.
Miller, L., Davies, M., & Greenwald, S. (2000) Religiosity and substance use and abuse among adolescents in the NCS. Journal of the American Academy of child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 1190-1197.
Miller, L. & Richards, P. S. (2000) Religion & optimism. In E. Chang (Ed.), Optimism & Pessimism; Implications for Theory, Research & Practice, APA Books.
Miller, L. (2000) Intergenerational transmission of religiosity. In J. Gillham (Ed.), The Psychology of Optimism & Hope, APA Books.
Miller, L. & Lovinger, R. (2000) Conservative and reform Judaism. In A. Bergin, & P. S. Richards (Eds.), Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity; A Guide for Mental Health Professionals (Invited Chapter), APA Books, pp. 259-286.
Lovinger, S., Miller, L., & Lovinger, R. (1999). Some clinical applications of religious development in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 269-277.
Miller, L., & Lovinger, R. (1999). Conservative and reform Judaism, in A. Bergin, & S. P. Richards (Eds.), Psychotherapy and religious diversity: A guide for mental health professionals, Washington, DC: APA Books.
Miller, L., & Seligman, M. (1999). Beliefs about responsibility and improvement associated with liberalism-conservatism. Psychological Reports, 84, 329-338.
Miller, L., Sung, S. & Seligman, M. (1999) Beliefs about responsibility and improvement associated with success among Korean American immigrants, Journal of Social Psychology, 139(2), 221-228.
Miller, L., Warner, V., Wickramaratne, P. & Weissman, M. (1999) Self-steem & depression; Ten year follow?up of depressed mothers and offspring, Journal of Affective Disorders, 52, 42-49
Miller, L. (1998) Depression among pregnant adolescents: Letter to the editor. Psychiatric Services, 49, 970.
Miller, L. (1998, August). Developmental religiosity among adolescent girls. Paper presented at American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
Miller, L. (1998, February). On Optimism and hope in adolescents. Discussant at the John Templeton foundation conference on optimism and hope in honor of Martin E. P. Seligman, Philadelphia, PA.
Miller, L. (1999). Intergenerational transmission of religiosity. In J. Gillham (Ed.), The psychology of optimism and hope. Radnor, PA: Templeton Press.
Miller, L., & Weissman, M. (2000). Religion and depression (Letter to the Editor). American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 808-809.

homepage announcements

Dr. Lisa Miller is Director of Clinical Psychology and Associate Professor in the Clinical Psychology Program.  She is a leading scholar in the area of spirituality and wellness.  She has authored over seventy scholarly articles and chapters on spirituality, resilience and mental health, as well as spoken internationally to research and community organizations, as well as on Capital Hill to policy makers.  Her current research includes basic science investigation of developmental spirituality in youth, as well as applied community and school based spiritually oriented interventions. 

Professor Miller has received numerous grants and awards for her research on mental health, treatment and wellness, to include funding from NIMH, the William T Grant Foundation Scholars Award, and a number of corporate and family foundations to include the vanAmeringen Foundation, the Kingenstein Fund, and the Pritchard Foundation. 

Dr. Miller is Past-President of the American Psychological Association Society of Psychology and Spirituality.  She is Editor of the "Oxford University Press Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality," as well as Associate Editor of the APA journal "Psychology of Religion and Spirituality." 

Dr. Lisa Miller is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.  She works though scholarship and public discourse as a strong advocate for advancing psychology to include spirituality.

CCPX 4900: Research and independent study

Permission required.

CCPX 5045: Psychotherapy, religious diversity, and spirituality

This course will focus on the role of religion and spirituality in psychotherapy. Research, theory and case material will be used to clarify healing dimensions of religion and spirituality. Discussion will focus on a re-examination of models of psyche and goals of treatment.

CCPX 5230: Fieldwork in clinical psychology

Limited to doctoral candidates in clinical psychology. Supervised practice in field placements.

CCPX 6900: Advanced research and independent study

Permission required.

CCPX 8900: Dissertation advisement

Individual advisement on doctoral dissertations. Fee to equal 3 points at current tuition rate of each term.