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Brent Dean Robbins, Ph.D.

Professor, Psychology
Director, Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology Program

Pictured is Professor of Psychology and Chair Brent Robbins, Ph.D. Photo by John Altdorfer.Contact Information

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Media Communications, Webster University
  • Master of Arts, Psychology, Duquesne University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology, Duquesne University

Courses Taught

  • Ancient to Modern Approaches to Psychology
  • Brain, Body & Experience
  • Dynamics of Social Systems
  • Foundations of Community Psychology
  • Happiness, Well-Being & Human Strengths
  • History & Theory of Psychology
  • Humanistic & Phenomenological Approaches to Psychology
  • Mental Health & Well-Being: Individual & Collective
  • Mindfulness & Buddhist Psychology
  • Modern to Postmodern Approaches to Psychology
  • Program Development, Evaluation & Assessment
  • Psycho/Social Community Engagement
  • Psychological Foundations
  • Psychology of Cognition, Emotion & Motivation
  • Psychology of Emotion & Motivation
  • Psychology of Religion & Spirituality
  • Psychology of Sex & Gender
  • Psychopathology in the Context of Society & Culture
  • Psychotherapy Methods I & II
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Social Psychology & Cultural Transformation
  • Theoretical Perspectives in Community Engagement
  • Theories of Personality

Background

Brent Dean Robbins, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and director of the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at Point Park University. Over the years, Dr. Robbins has served in various leadership roles at the University, including chair of the Department of Psychology, program director of the M.A. in Community Psychology, undergraduate coordinator for the B.A. in Psychology, chair of the Graduate Programs Committee, chair of the Core Outcomes Assessment Committee, and chair of the Internal Review Board (IRB).

He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and past president of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of APA). He has served on the Board of the Society for General Psychology (Division 1 of APA) and the Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology (Division 24 of APA), and he is an active member of the Society for Personality & Social Psychology (Division 8 of APA) and the Society for the Psychology of Religion & Spirituality (Division 36 of APA). He also serves on the editorial board of various peer-reviewed academic journals, including Journal of Humanistic Psychology, The Humanistic Psychologist, Qualitative Psychology, Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, Integratus and International Journal of Transpersonal Studies. He is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the interdisciplinary journal, Janus Head, and an author of The Medicalized Body and Anesthetic Culture: The Cadaver, the Memorial Body and the Recovery of Lived Experience (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). He is also a fellow of the Beatrice Institute.

Dr. Robbins' areas of expertise include, for example, humanistic, existential and interpersonal approaches to psychotherapy and diagnosis, the phenomenology of emotion and embodiment, coping with death and dying, neurophenomenology, enactive cognition, metabletic phenomenology, cultural therapeutics, mindfulness, mystical and religious experiences, indigenous psychologies, the cultural history of mental illness, resiliency, virtue theory, human dignity, objectification of women and nature, psychology of non-violence and scapegoat theory. 

Curriculum Vitae


Selected Publications

  • The Medicalized Body & Anesthetic Culture: The Cadaver, the Memorial Body, & the Recovery of Lived Experience (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
  • Drugging Our Children: How Profiteers are Pushing Antipsychotics on Our Youngest and What We Can Do To Stop It, with Sharna Olfman (Praeger, 2012)
  • "The Joyful Life: An Existential-Humanistic Approach to Positive Psychology in the Time of a Pandemic," Frontiers in Psychology, 2021
  • "Approaching Mindful Multicultural Case Formulation: Rogers, Yalom, & Existential Phenomenology," with A.J. Felder, Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies, 2021
  • "Student Activism in the Neoliberal University: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Analysis," with J.M. Karter & R.G. McInerney, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2021
  • "Viewing Trauma Through a Culturally Informed Framework: Tailoring Interventions to Culture," with D. Froyd, Jr., R. Martinez, S. Benally, V. Begay, & C. Roberts, Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development, 2020
  • "Virtue as a Basis for Non-Violence and Creative Maladjustment: Humanistic & Positive Psychological Solutions to War & Violence," in War or Peaceful Transformation: Multidisciplinary & International Perspectives (Nova Science Publishers), 2020
  • "Standards & Guidelines for the Development of Diagnostic Nomenclatures and Alternatives in Mental Health Research & Practice," with S.R. Kamens, L. Cosgrove, S.M. Peters, N. Jones, E. Flanagan, E. Longden, S. Schulz, S. Olsen, R. Miller, & P. Lichtenberg, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2019
  • "Subjectivity is No Object: Can Subject-Object Dualism Be Reconciled Through Phenomenology?" with H. Friedman, C.V. Johnson, & Z. Franco, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 2018
  • "DSM-5 Reform Efforts by the Society for Humanistic Psychology," with S.R. Kamens & D.N. Elkins, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2017
  • "Open Letter to the DSM-5," with S.R. Kamens & D.N. Elkins, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2017
  • "The Unavoidable Role of Values in Positive Psychology: Reflections in Light of Psychology's Replicability Crisis," with H. Friedman, The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology (Routledge), 2017
  • "The Integrated Heart of Cultural and Mindfulness Meditation Practice in Existential Phenomenology & Humanistic Psychotherapy," with A.J. Felder, The Humanistic Psychologist, 2016
  • "The Heart of Humanistic Psychology: Human Dignity Disclosed Through a Hermeneutic of Love", Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2016
  • "Building Bridges Between Humanistic & Positive Psychology," in Positive Psychology in Practice (Wiley), 2015
  • "Big Pharma(kos): The Stigmatized Scapegoat of Medicalization & the Ethics of Psychiatric Diagnosis," with J.M. Karter & K. Gallagher, Psychotherapy Section Review, 2015
  • "Humanistic Neuropsychology," with S. Gordon, in Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Theory, Research & Practice (Sage), 2014
  • "Social Justice, Human Dignity, & Mental Illness: A Psychological Perspective Informed by Personalist Ethics," with H. Friedman, in The Praeger Handbook on Social Justice & Psychology (Praeger), 2014
  • "Mindfulness at the Heart of Existential-Phenomenology & Humanistic Psychology: A Century of Contemplation & Elaboration," with A.J. Felder, H.M. Aten, J.A. Neudeck, & J. Shiomi-Chen, The Humanistic Psychologist, 2014
  • "Enactive Cognition & the Neurophenomenology of Emotion," in Neurophenomenology and Its Applications to Psychology (Springer), 2013
  • "The Negative Shadow Cast by Positive Psychology: Contrasting Views & Implications of Humanistic & Positive Psychology on Resiliency," with H. Friedman, The Humanistic Psychologist, 2012
  • "A Cultural-Existential Approach to Therapy: Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Embodiment & Its Implications for Practice," with A.J. Felder, Theory & Psychology, 2011
  • "Conflicts of Interest in Research on Antipsychotic Treatment of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder, Temper Dysregulation Disorder, and Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms Syndrome: Exploring the Unholy Alliance Between Big Pharma & Psychiatry," with M. Higgins, M. Fisher, & K. Over, Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture, 2011
  • "Lessons from the dead: The Experience of Undergraduates Working with Cadavers," with A. Tomaka, C. Innus, J. Patterson, & G. Styn, OMEGA--Journal of Death & Dying, 2009
  • "The Self-Regulation of Humor Expression: A Mixed Method, Phenomenological Investigation of Suppressed Laughter," The Humanistic Psychologist, 2009
  • "What is the Good Life? Positive Psychology and the Renaissance of Humanistic Psychology," The Humanistic Psychologist, 2008
  • "The Unwanted Exposure of the Self: A Phenomenological Study of Embarrassment," with H. Parlavecchio, The Humanistic Psychologist, 2006
  • "The Delicate Empiricism of Goethe: Phenomenology as a Rigorous Science of Nature," Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 2006
  • "An Empirical, Phenomenological Study: Being joyful," Qualitative Research Methods for Psychologists (Academic Press), 2006
  • "The Psychogenesis of the Self & the Emergence of Ethical Relatedness: Klein in Light of Merleau-Ponty," Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology, 2006
  • "Relationships Between Problem Behaviors and Academic Achievement in Adolescents: The Unique Role of Attention Problems," with A.Q. Barriga, J.W. Doran, S.B. Newell, E.M. Morrison, & V. Barbetti, Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, 2002
  • "Schreber's Soul-Voluptuousness: Mysticism, Madness & the Feminine in Schreber's Memoirs," Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 2000
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Selected Honors

  • Fellow, American Psychological Association
  • Fellow, Beatrice Institute
  • Carmi Harari Early Career Award, Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of APA)
  • Sidney M. Jourard Student Award, Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of APA)
  • Past president and council representative, Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of APA)
  • Board member, Society for General Psychology (Division 1 of APA)
  • Board member, Society for Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology (Division 24 of APA)

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