Alisha Saxena Headshot

Alisha Saxena

Adjunct Professor

Part-Time Faculty
Socials

Biography

Alisha Saxena, PsyD (she/her/hers), is a licensed clinical psychologist and adjunct professor in the PsyD program at USF. In addition to teaching, Dr. Saxena works in private practice and partners with community organizations to host workshops, with a focus on inclusive spaces for historically marginalized groups. 

Dr. Saxena earned her PsyD in Clinical Psychology at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium in 2021. She completed her doctoral internship at the Philadelphia VA and her postdoctoral fellowship at the San Francisco VA, with an emphasis on Women’s Mental Health and Trauma. Dr. Saxena’s clinical interests include the psychological sequelae of trauma and health psychology. Additionally, Dr. Saxena is passionate about providing culturally contextualized therapy for individuals, families, and relationship partners.

Expertise

  • Clinical psychology
  • Trauma, risk, and resilience factors
  • Health psychology 
  • Multicultural identity experiences

Research Areas

  • Technological integration in mental health treatment

Appointments

  • Co-Chair, Oakland Community-Based Outreach Clinic's Psychology Diversity Committee

Education

  • PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, PsyD in Clinical Psychology, 2021 
  • Teachers College, Columbia University, MA in Psychology in Education, 2015 
  • University of Pennsylvania, BA in Psychology with Honors, 2013

Prior Experience

  • Pain Psychologist, San Francisco VA Health Care System 
  • Women's Mental Health and Trauma Fellow, San Francisco VA Health Care System

Awards & Distinctions

  • Palo Alto University Award for Excellence in Diversity, 2020

Selected Publications

  • Zainal, N.H., Chan, W.W., Saxena, A.P., Taylor, C.B., and Newman, M.G. (2021). Pilot randomized trial of self-guided virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 147, 1-13. 

  • Welner, M., O’Malley, K.Y., Gonidakis, J., Saxena, A., & Burnes, J. (2018). The Depravity Standard II: Developing a measure of the worst of crimes. Journal of Criminal Justice, 55, 25-34.

  • Welner, M., O’Malley, K.Y., Gonidakis, J., Saxena, A., & Stewart-Willis, J. (2018). The Depravity Standard III: Validating an evidence-based guide. Journal of Criminal Justice, 55, 12-24.