Elizabeth Slivjak, PhD

Dr. Slivjak’s therapeutic approach integrates cognitive, behavioral, mindfulness, and acceptance-based techniques. She has received extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which serve as the foundation of her clinical work.

She has also received specialized training in a range of evidence-based treatments, including Behavioral Activation (BA) for depression; Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills; CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I); Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), and Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) for trauma-related concerns and nightmares; Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD; Motivational Interviewing (MI) and CBT for substance use; and CBT, ACT, and Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) for chronic pain.

Dr. Slivjak strives to create a warm, nonjudgmental space where clients feel supported in navigating challenges and building more meaningful, fulfilling lives. She takes an active, collaborative, and skills-based approach, helping clients understand the connections between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors while developing greater mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion. Together, she and her clients establish meaningful goals and build practical skills to support lasting change beyond the therapy room.

Outside of her clinical work, Dr. Slivjak enjoys hiking, yoga, reading novels, and spending time with family and friends.

Education and Training:

Dr. Slivjak earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude with a major in History and a minor in Psychology. Following graduation, she spent four years as a research study specialist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

During her graduate training, Dr. Slivjak provided psychotherapy at several clinical settings, including the University of Colorado Boulder’s Raimy Clinic, Mental Health Partners, the Boulder Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, and the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, where she received specialized training in treating anxiety and depression, trauma, substance use, chronic pain, and adjustment difficulties in the context of chronic illness (e.g., cancer, spinal cord injury and disorders).

Publications and Presentations:

Arch, J. J., Uno, H., Poort, H., Slivjak, E., Nealis, M. S., Park, H., ... & Wright, A. A. (2026). Randomized clinical trial of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy telehealth intervention (‘REVITALIZE’) to reduce fatigue interference in women with advanced ovarian cancer on PARP inhibitors: study protocol. BMC Cancer.

Slivjak, E. T., Al Majid, F., Wrigley, J., Russell, S., Zielony, L., & Arch, J. J. (2024). Self-compassion and social anxiety: A scoping review. Mindfulness, 15, 2448–2472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-024-02450-2

Arch, J. J., Slivjak, E. T., Finkelstein, L. B. (2024). A novel intervention to reduce fear of progression and trauma symptoms in advanced cancer using written exposure to worst-case scenarios. (2024). Journal of Palliative Medicine. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2023.0658

Wright, A. A., Poort, H., Tavormina, A., Schmiege, S. J., Matulonis, U. A., Campos, S. M., Liu, J. F., Slivjak, E. T., Gilmour, A. L., Salinger, J. M., Haggerty, A. F., Arch, J. J. (2023). Pilot randomized trial of an acceptance-based telehealth intervention for women with ovarian cancer and PARP inhibitor-related fatigue. Gynecologic Oncology, 177, 165-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.08.020

Slivjak, E. T., Kirk, A., & Arch, J. J. (2023). The psychophysiology of self-compassion. In Finlay-Jones, A., Bluth, K., Neff, K. (Eds.) Handbook of self-compassion. Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_17

Slivjak, E. T., & Arch, J. J. (2023, November 18). Acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a brief, common humanity- and exposure-based group intervention for socially anxious students. In K. Lear (Chair), Cultivating Compassion in the Face of Social Anxiety: Exploring the Role of Self-Compassion Interventions in Promoting Well-being for Socially Anxious Individuals [Symposium presentation]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 2023 conference, Seattle, WA.

Arch, J. J., Slivjak, E. T., Bright, E. E., Crespi, C. M., Levin, M. E., Genung, S. R., Nealis, M., Albright, K., Mitchell, J. L., Sheth, A. D., Magidson, J. F., & Stanton, A. L. (2022). Leveraging values to promote adherence to endocrine therapy among breast cancer survivors: A mixed-methods investigation. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 25, 122-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.07.002

Slivjak, E. T., Pedersen, E. J., & Arch, J. J. (2022). Evaluating the efficacy of common humanity-enhanced exposure for socially anxious young adults. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 87:102542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102542

Tuman, M. M., Roberts, K., Corner, G. W., Beard, C., Fadalla, C., Coats, T., Slivjak, E. T., Schofield, E., Lichtenthal, W. G. (2021). Interpretation bias in breast cancer survivors experiencing fear of cancer recurrence. Frontiers in Psychology, 12:682174. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682174

Slivjak, E. T., Fishbein, J. N., Nealis, M., Schmiege, S. J., & Arch, J. J. (2021). Cancer survivors' perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 and impacts on cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to the pandemic. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 39(3), 366-384. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2021.1887430

Slivjak, E. T., Martinko, M., Bright, E., Nealis, M., Albright, K., & Arch, J. J. (2021, June 25). A qualitative analysis of breast cancer patients’ responses to a values-based intervention to enhance endocrine therapy adherence. In J. J. Arch (Chair), Leveraging ACT and values to increase treatment adherence in diverse healthcare contexts [Symposium presentation]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 2021 conference, virtual.

Slivjak, E. T., Fishbein, J. N., Nealis, M., Schmiege, S. J., & Arch, J. J. (2021, March 12). Cancer survivors' perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 and impacts on cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to the pandemic [Poster presentation]. American Psychosocial Oncology Society 2021 conference, virtual.

Roberts, K. E., Jankauskaite, G., Slivjak, E. T., Rubin, L., Schachter, S., Stabler, S., … Lichtenthal, W. G. (2020). Bereavement risk screening: A pathway to psychosocial oncology care. Psycho-Oncology, 29(12), 2041-2047. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5526

Arch, J. J., Fishbein, J. N., Ferris, M. C., Mitchell, J. L., Levin, M. E., Slivjak, E. T., … & Kutner, J. S. (2020). Acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy potential of a multi-modal Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention to address psychosocial and advance care planning needs among anxious and depressed adults with metastatic cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 23(10), 1380-1385. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2019.0398

Arch, J. J., Genung, S. R., Ferris, M. C., Kirk, A., Slivjak, E. T., Fishbein, J. N., … Stanton, A. L. (2020). Presence and predictors of anxiety disorder onset following cancer diagnosis among anxious cancer survivors. Supportive Care in Cancer, 28(9), 4425-4433. doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05297-0

Slivjak, E. T., & Arch, J. J. (2020, November 19). Evaluating the acceptability of common humanity enhanced exposure for individuals with social anxiety [Poster presentation]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 2020 conference, virtual.

Slivjak, E. T., & Arch, J. J. (2020, July 17). Evaluating the efficacy of common humanity enhanced exposure for individuals with social anxiety. In S. Gaynor (Chair), Third wave approaches to anxiety disorder treatment: Outcomes and processes [Symposium presentation]. Association for Contextual Behavioral Science 2020 conference, virtual.

Slivjak, E. T., & Arch, J. J. (2020, April 1). Are estimates of anxiety disorder prevalence in cancer populations accurate? [Poster presentation]. Society of Behavioral Medicine 2020 conference, virtual.

Lichtenthal, W. G., Catarozoli, C., Masterson, M., Slivjak, E. T., Schofield, E., Roberts, K. E., Neimeyer, R. A., Wiener, L, Prigerson, H. G., Kissane, D. W., Li, Y., & Breitbart, W. (2019). An open trial of meaning-centered grief therapy: Rationale and preliminary evaluation. Palliative & Supportive Care, 17(1), 2-12. doi: 10.1017/S1478951518000925

Masterson, M. P., Slivjak, E. T., Jankauskaite, G., Breitbart, W., Pessin, H., Schofield, E., Holland, J., & Lichtenthal, W. G. (2018). Beyond the bucket list: Unfinished business among advanced cancer patients. Psycho-Oncology, 27(11), 2573-2580. doi: 10.1002/pon.4821

Lichtenthal, W. G., Corner, G. W., Slivjak, E. T., Roberts, K. E., Li, Y., Breitbart, W., … Beard, C. (2017). A pilot randomized controlled trial of cognitive bias modification to reduce fear of breast cancer recurrence. Cancer, 123(8), 1424-1433. doi:10.1002/cncr.30478

Lichtenthal, W. G., Napolitano, S., Roberts, K. E., Sweeney, C., & Slivjak, E. T. (2017). Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy. In W. Breitbart (Ed.), Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy in the cancer setting: Finding meaning and hope in the face of suffering (pp. 88-99). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Slivjak, E. T., Jankauskaite, G., Roberts, K. E., Napolitano, S., Schofield, E., Marziliano, A., Masterson, M., Panjwani, A., Schwerd, A., Breitbart, W., & Lichtenthal, W. G. (2017, April 5-8). The influence of depression in Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy [Poster presentation]. Association for Death Education and Counseling 2017 conference, Portland, OR.

Slivjak, E. T., Marziliano, A., Jankauskaite, G., Breitbart, W., Wiatrek, D., Sharpe, K., & Lichtenthal, W. G. (2017, March 15-19). Evaluating patient preferences for Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy for Breast Cancer Survivors (MCGP-BCS) [Poster presentation]. American Psychosocial Oncology Society 2017 conference, Orlando, FL.

Slivjak, E. T., Jankauskaite, G., Roberts, K. E., Corner, G. W., Schofield, E., Tuman, M., Beard, C., Breitbart, W., & Lichtenthal, W. G. (2016, June 13-17). A personalized intervention targeting fear of recurrence in breast cancer survivors [Poster presentation]. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Clinical Research Professionals Week, New York, NY.

Slivjak, E. T., Jankauskaite, G., Roberts, K. E., Corner, G. W., Schofield, E., Tuman, M., Beard, C., Breitbart, W., & Lichtenthal, W. G. (2016, March 3-5). A personalized intervention targeting fear of recurrence in breast cancer survivors [Poster presentation]. American Psychosocial Oncology Society 2016 conference, San Diego, CA.

Slivjak, E. T., Roberts, K. E., Beard, C., Lacey, S., Breitbart, W., DuHamel, K. N., & Lichtenthal, W. G. (2015, July 28 – August 1). The use of stakeholder feedback in the development of a cognitive intervention for fear of recurrence in breast cancer survivors [Poster presentation]. World Congress of Psycho-Oncology 2015 conference, Washington, DC.