About Chris Perry

I have been working as a mental health provider for 38 years with a specialty in improving the lives of people experiencing or at risk for psychosis.  I have spent much of this time working in community mental health settings, including the PREP program for early psychosis, and have been a therapist at UCSF for the past 17 years.  I am an adjunct faculty at SFSU and teach a year-long graduate class each year for therapists in training.  I have also taught at CIIS and am closely involved in the academic aspects of treatment for early psychosis and ways to use this to expand efficacy and access. 

 

I believe strongly in the importance of psychological approaches to understanding and negotiating unusual experiences or changes in mood or perception

 

I am trained in multiple modalities related to this goal, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is an evidence-based trauma treatment.  I am trained in using this technique with people who experience psychosis to address past traumas, including trauma directly related to psychosis

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

• Drama therapy for individuals and groups

• Multifamily group for families affected by psychosis

• Compassion Focused Therapy

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I also have extensive training and experience in evaluating the difference between psychosis and psychosis risk syndrome.  I have been involved in research and clinical practice focused on this distinction and am certified in the SIPS (Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndrome).  There is strong evidence that many people who experience attenuated symptoms of psychosis or who are at risk for developing psychosis benefit most from psychosocial interventions instead of medications.