M. Katherine Shear, MD

“We tend to think of self-care as a luxury, but it really isn’t—because taking care of ourselves is taking care of the instrument that we use in our work, and that is incredibly important.” 

In this Mental Health Minute, M. Katherine Shear, MD, of Columbia University discusses the importance of self-care and how self-care is actually an ethical responsibility for clinicians. She also shares some her favorite forms of self-care, from walking and biking to maintaining a positive mood to reading murder mysteries.

is Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and director of the Center for Prolonged Grief at the Columbia University School of Social Work. Her work includes more than 330 peer-reviewed publications and the development of several widely used assessment instruments and instructional materials for prolonged grief disorder therapy. Dr Shear has served on review committees of the National Institute of Mental Health and on the advisory council for its National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She has also served as an advisor to the DSM-5 workgroup on complicated grief and adult separation anxiety, a member of the World Health Organization’s ICD11 Working Group on Mood and Anxiety Disorders, a member of the scientific advisory board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and an elected member of the board of the Association for Death Education and Counseling.

Videos

When we take care of ourselves, we can take better care of our patients.

The Ethical Responsibility of Self-Care

In this Mental Health Minute video, M. Katherine Shear, MD, of Columbia University gives a preview of her presentation on bereavement-related depression at the upcoming 2022 Annual 

is Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and director of the Center for Prolonged Grief at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

2022 Annual Psychiatric Times™ World CME Conference

will take place August 11 to 13 in San Diego, California. 

Articles

Grief or Bereavement-Related Depression?

When does grief after the death of a loved one transition to complicated grief to the point where the pain doesn't go away? In this podcast, Dr Katherine Shear discusses this important issue. 

Dr Shear has worked on the development and implementation of funded research in 

, and grief, primarily in the area of psychotherapy studies. She has conducted studies and provided mentorship for research using a wide range of different psychotherapy methods including 

, cognitive behavioral therapy, Rogerian reflective listening treatments for panic disorder, and IPT for depression with panic spectrum features.  

Most recently, Dr Shear has worked in the area of bereavement and grief.  She recently developed a novel composite psychotherapy for the syndrome of complicated grief.  Her work culminated in the publication of the first randomized controlled treatment study for complicated grief in June 2005. In September 2007, Dr Shear received a $2.6 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct the first clinical study to determine the effects of two different models of treatment for complicated grief in older adults. In August 2009, Dr Shear received a $1.8 million 5-year grant for a complicated grief multi-site treatment study examining the relative merits of 

 with and without complicated grief treatment. 

Katherine Shear, MD, on complicated grief

Podcasts

When does grief after the death of a loved one transition to complicated grief to the point where the pain doesn't go away? In this podcast, Dr Katherine Shear discusses this important issue. 

M. Katherine Shear, MD

Articles

The Ethical Responsibility of Self-Care

Grief or Bereavement-Related Depression?

Recognizing Complicated Grief and How to Help Patients Through the Process