Ariel Handy, PhD

Dr. Ariel Handy is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with adults experiencing OCD, anxiety, and related concerns. Her practice draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure-based treatments, and DBT skills, with attention to each person’s goals and the difficulties getting in the way of daily life.

Her work focuses on helping people build a different relationship with anxiety and difficult emotions. Feeling better does not always require eliminating discomfort. Treatment can involve learning to tolerate discomfort, responding more flexibly, and returning to activities that matter.

Training and Clinical Background

Dr. Handy received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and completed her clinical internship at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her clinical background includes cognitive behavioral and exposure-based treatments, as well as foundational training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). She has trained across various levels of care, including outpatient care, intensive outpatient programs, partial hospital programs, and residential treatment.

She is a part-time Lecturer in Psychology at Harvard Medical School and remains involved in clinical research at McLean Hospital. She previously served as a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Dell Medical School, where she taught CBT to psychiatry residents. Her work as a clinician is informed by this combination of treatment experience, teaching, and research.

Research & Women’s Mental Health

Dr. Handy’s research focuses on women’s mental health, the physical and psychological effects of hormones, and treatment evaluation. Alongside her broader clinical work, she has a particular interest in supporting women experiencing anxiety, OCD, or depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Selected publications below provide more detail about her research.

Areas of clinical focus

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Anxiety
Panic disorder
Phobias (e.g., vomiting, driving)
Eating disorders

Perinatal mental health
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Depression
Emotion dysregulation
Perfectionism

Select Publications

Dr. Handy’s clinical work is informed by her background in psychological research. Selected publications are listed below.

Handy, A. B., Greenfield, S. F., & Payne, L. A. (2025). Estrogen and alcohol use in women: A targeted literature review. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 28(1), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-024-01483-9

Hudson, C. C., Klein, K. P., Ong, C. W., Handy, A. B., Swee, M. B., Lambert, H. K., Mei, S., Hom, M. A., Weiss, R. B., Beard, C., & Björgvinsson, T. (2023). Treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction of a virtual partial hospital program: A mixed-method study. Psychotherapy Research, 33(2), 235–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2022.2088314

Seidman, L. C., Handy, A. B., Temme, C. R., Greenfield, S. F., & Payne, L. A. (2023). Reflections on the group dynamic in a group cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young adult women with moderate to severe dysmenorrhea: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 44(1), Article 2264486. https://doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2023.2264486

Handy, A. B., Greenfield, S. F., Yonkers, K. A., & Payne, L. A. (2022). Psychiatric symptoms across the menstrual cycle in adult women: A comprehensive review. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 30(2), 100–117. https://doi.org/10.1097/HRP.0000000000000329

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