Elizabeth Blake Zakarin, PHD

Dr. E. Blake Zakarin is an Assistant Professor of Psychology (in Psychiatry) within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University and a clinical psychologist at the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders. Dr. Zakarin graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Psychology and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Catholic University. She completed a pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where she went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Behavioral Pain Medicine.

Dr. Zakarin specializes in cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, sleep difficulties, and parenting interventions associated with the treatment of pediatric anxiety and related disorders. Through her extensive training in multidisciplinary medical settings, Dr. Zakarin has also developed expertise and interest in evidence-based interventions for anxiety management and improved functioning in the context of somatic symptoms, chronic pain and medical presentations. She provides individual, group and family therapy, parent-training, and school consultations.

Dr Zakarin has provided clinical services in a number of treatment facilities, including the Eating Disorders Research Unit at Columbia University Medical center, the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Program and Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children's National Medical Center, the Kellar Center's Attention and Learning Disorders Service within the Inova Health System of Virginia, and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington.

Dr. Zakarin's research is focused on understanding and treating factors that contribute to pediatric anxiety and mood symptoms from a developmental psychopathology perspective, including examining the role of parenting, sleep-awake processes, eating behaviors, and chronic pain. She has given presentations related to this research at professional conferences, including the Society for Research on Child Development and the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Dr. Zakarin is also a member of several professional societies, including the American Psychological Association and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.