Lisa Wallner Samstag
Professor of PsychologyDirector of Psychotherapy Research and Clinical Supervisor, Psychological Services Center, LIU Brooklyn
B.A. Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, OntarioM.A. Psychology, City University of New York, M. Phil. Psychology, City University of New YorkPh.D. Clinical Psychology, City University of New York
lisa.samstag@liu.edu
Description
Lisa Wallner Samstag, Ph.D., is Full Professor in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program and the Department of Psychology at Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus) where she has been a faculty member since 1999. She completed training in psychoanalysis at the William Alanson White Institute in 2009, is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), and is past Associate Editor/Book Review Editor of the APA Division 29 journal, Psychotherapy. Dr. Samstag is author and co-author of over 60 psychotherapy research studies, articles, and book chapters, and co-authored/edited two recent books, with a particular focus on the development of the therapeutic relationship, including identifying ruptures in the working alliance and other factors that contribute to poor outcome and premature termination. She is the Director of Psychotherapy Research and a Clinical Supervisor in the Psychological Services Center at the Brooklyn Campus of LIU and is a Senior Consultant at the Alliance-Focused Training group in New York City, training psychotherapists in rupture identification and repair strategies.
Specialties
Psychotherapy Research (e.g., therapeutic alliance development, alliance ruptures, process-outcome); Clinical Research (e.g., depression, anxiety, personality disorders, attachment); Developmental Research (e.g., parenting, maternal identity, infertility)
Publications
Selected Publications:
BOOKS:
Muran, J.C., Eubanks, C.F., Samstag, L.W., & Macdonald, J. (2025). Alliance-Focused Training: An evidenced-based guide to negotiating ruptures in therapy. APA Books.
Eubanks, C.F., Samstag, L.W., & Muran, J.C. (2022). Rupture and repair in psychotherapy: Multiple perspectives on common clinical challenges. APA Books.
ARTICLES (Refereed Journals):
Muran, J.C., Eubanks, C.F., & Samstag, L.W. (2021). One more time with less jargon: An introduction to “Rupture Repair in Practice”. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(2), 361-368.
Eubanks, C.F., Sergi, J., Samstag, L.W., & Muran, J.C. (2021). Commentary: Rupture repair
as a transtheoretical corrective experience. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(2), 457-466.
McIntyre, S. & Samstag, L.W. (2021). Promoting an empathic dialogue for therapeutic change: An integrative review. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 51(3), 467-481.
Muran, J.C., Eubanks, C.F., & Samstag, L.W. (2021). One more time with less jargon: An introduction to “Rupture Repair in Practice”. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(2), 361-368.
Eubanks, C.F., Sergi, J., Samstag, L.W., & Muran, J.C. (2021). Commentary: Rupture repair as a transtheoretical corrective experience. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(2), 457-466.
McIntyre, S., Samstag, L.W., Haden, S.C., & Duncan, J.W. (2019). Therapist experience, personal therapy, and distressing states of mind: Regulation and resonance as dialectics of therapeutic empathy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 49, 213-221.
Calderon, S. Samstag, L.W., Papouchis, N., & Saunders, B.A. (2019). The effects of early parental death and grief on interpersonal functioning and alexithymia in adults. Psychopathology, 52, 1-7.
Samstag, L.W., & Muran, J.C. (2019). Ruptures, resolutions, and reflections: Contributions of Jeremy D. Safran. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 22, 7-14.
Samstag, L.W., & Norlander, K. (2019). Characteristics of trainees’ early sessions: A naturalistic process-outcome study tribute to Jeremy D. Safran. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 36, 148-158.
Muran, J.C., Eubanks, C.F., & Samstag, L.W. (2019). The processes of Jeremy Safran. Psychotherapy Research, 29, 277-278.
Mulay, A.L., West, M.L., Samstag, L. W., & Diamond, E. (2017). Negative body attitudes as a risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury among college students. Suicidology Online, 8, 1-9.
Simon, S., Cain, N.M., Samstag, L.W., Meehan, K.B., & Muran, J.C. (2015). Assessing interpersonal subtypes in depression. Journal of Personality Assessment, 24, 1-10.
Detrixhe, J.J., Samstag, L.W., Penn, L.S., & Wong, P.S. (2014). A lonely idea: Solitude’s separation from psychological research and theory. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 50, 310-331.
Samstag, L. W. (2012). Introduction to the special section on ethical issues in clinical writing. Psychotherapy, 49, 1-2.
Samstag, L.W. (2009). Mending the gap: An introduction to the commentaries on Dinger, Strack, Sachesse, and Schauenburg (2009). Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 46, 275-276.
Samstag, L.W., Muran, J.C., Wachtel, P.L., Slade, A., Safran, J.D., & Winston, A. (2008). Evaluating negative process: A comparison of working alliance, interpersonal behavior, and narrative coherency among three psychotherapy outcome conditions. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 62, 165-194.
Samstag, L.W. (2007). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change: Reaction to Roger's 1957 article. Psycotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44, 295-299.
Samstag, L.W. (2006). The working alliance in psychotherapy: An overview of the invited papers in the special section. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43, 299-306.
Samstag, L.W. (2002). The common versus unique factors hypothesis in psychotherapy research: Did we misinterpret Rosenzweig? Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 12, 58-66.
Caspar, F., Pessier, J., Stuart, J., Safran, J.D., Samstag, L.W., & Guirguis, M. (2000). One step further in assessing how interpretations influence the process of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research, 10, 309-320.
Samstag, L.W., Batchelder, S.T., Muran, J.C., Safran, J.D., & Winston, A. (1998). Early identification of treatment failures in short-term psychotherapy: An assessment of therapeutic alliance and interpersonal behavior. Journal of Psychotherapy Practice & Research, 7, 126-143.
Muran, J.C., Samstag, L.W., Segal, Z.V., & Winston, A. (1998). Interpersonal scenarios: An ideographic measure of self-schemas. Psychotherapy Research, 8, 321-333.
Muran, J.C., Gorman, B.S., Safran, J.D., Twining, L., Samstag, L.W., & Winston, A. (1995). Linking in-session change to overall outcome in short-term cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 651-657.
Muran, J.C., Segal, Z.V., Samstag, L.W., & Schumann, C. (1994). Patient pre-treatment interpersonal problems and therapeutic alliance in short-term cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 185-190.
Safran, J.D., Segal, Z.V., Vallis, T.M., Shaw, B.F., & Samstag, L.W. (1993). Assessing patient suitability for short-term cognitive therapy. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 17, 23-38.
Safran, J.D. & Wallner, L.K. (1991). The relative predictive validity of two therapeutic alliance measures in cognitive therapy. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 3, 188-195.
BOOK CHAPTERS:
Eubanks, C.F., Muran, J.C., & Samstag, L.W. (2023). Alliance-focused training: Teaching therapists to navigate alliance ruptures. In L.G. Castonguay and C.E. Hill, (Eds.), Becoming better psychotherapists: Advancing training and supervision (pp. 107-126). APA Books.
Eubanks, C.F., Samstag, L.W., & Muran, J.C. (2023). Conclusion: Don’t be afraid to get messy – points of conversion in rupture and repair. In C.F. Eubanks, L.W. Samstag, and J.C. Muran (Eds.), Rupture and repair in psychotherapy: A critical process for change (pp. 305-317). APA Books.
Muran, J.C., Eubanks, C.F., & Samstag, L.W., (2023). Introduction: Rupture in a wicked and wonderful world. In C.F. Eubanks, L.W. Samstag, and J.C. Muran (Eds.), Rupture and repair in psychotherapy: A critical process for change (pp. 3-20). APA Books.
Samstag, L. & Samstag, N. (2016). Not your mother’s identity: Good enough parenting in the age of maximization. In S. Tuber (Ed.), Parenting: Contemporary clinical perspectives (pp. 27-42). Rowman & Littlefield.
Gelso, C. & Samstag, L.W. (2008). The therapeutic relationship. In S.D. Brown & R.W. Lent (Eds.). Handbook of counseling psychology (4th edition) (pp. 267-283). John Wiley.
Samstag, L.W., Muran, J.C., & Safran, J.D. (2004). Defining and identifying alliance ruptures. In D. Charman (Ed.), Core concepts in brief dynamic psychotherapy (pp. 187-214). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Safran, J.D., Muran, J.C., Samstag, L.W., & Stevens, C.L. (2002). Repairing alliance ruptures. In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work: Therapists’ relational contributions to effective psychotherapy (pp. 235-254). Oxford University Press.
BLOG PUBLICATION:
Samstag, L.W. (November, 2019). Why does my therapist ask me to talk about our relationship?
Psychoanalysis Unplugged, American Psychoanalytic Association.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychoanalysis-unplugged/201911/why-does-my-therapist-ask-me-talk-about-our-relationship
Grant Support:
Principal Investigator: Power Dynamics and Response Styles in the Supervisory Alliance.
Charles Gelso J. Psychotherapy Research Award ($5,000: 2020-2021)
Lectures and Presentations
Honors/Awards
Fellow, American Psychological Association: Divisions 29 & 39
Professional Affiliations
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association: Divisions 29, & 39
Harry Stack Sullivan Society (2003-2009)
Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration
Society for Psychotherapy Research
White Society
