Dale Larson

Dale G. Larson, Ph.D., is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University, where he directs graduate studies in health psychology. He is best known for his contributions to the end-of-life field and for his research on self-concealment.

Larson received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Chicago in 1971, and earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1977.

Larson’s scholarly interests have focused on end-of-life care issues, grief and grief counseling, counseling skills, stress and stress management in the helping professions, and self-concealment. The Self-Concealment Scale he co-authored has now been used in more than 150 empirical studies. His award-winning book, The Helper’s Journey: Working with People Facing Grief, Loss, and Life-Threatening Illness, and his publications on grief counseling, have had significant impact on the field. Other contributions include:

• Senior Editor and contributing author, the Robert Wood Johnson funded national newspaper series, Finding Our Way: Living With Dying in America, which reached 7 million Americans
• Author, the Caring Helper: Skills for Caregiving in Grief and Loss videotape series
• Chairperson, First National Conference on Hospice Volunteerism, National Hospice Organization, San Diego, CA
• Co-Director, Berkeley Hospice Training Project, an NIMH- funded national mental health training program for hospice workers

Selected Articles and Chapters:

• Larson, D. G., Chastain, R. L., Hoyt, W. T., & Ayzenberg, R. (2015). Self-concealment: Integrative review and working model. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 34(8), 705-729.
• Larson, D. G. (2013).A person-centred approach to grief counselling. In M. Cooper, M. OHara, P. F. Schmid, & A. Bohart (Eds.), The handbook of person-centred psychotherapy and counselling (2nd ed., pp. 313–326). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Larson, D. G., & Hoyt, W. T. (2007). What has become of grief counseling: An evaluation of the empirical foundations of the new pessimism.Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38, 347-355.
• Larson, D. G., & Bush, N.J. (2006). Stress management for oncology nurses: Finding a healing balance. In R.M. Carroll-Johnson, L.M. Gorman, & N.J. Bush (Eds.), Psychosocial nursing care along the cancer continuum (2nd ed.) (pp. 587–601). Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society.
• Larson, D. G., & Tobin, D. R. (2000).End-of-life conversations: Evolving practice and theory. JAMA, 284, 1573-1578.
• Larson, D. G., & Chastain, R. L.(1990).Self-concealment:Conceptualization, measurement, and health implications.Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9, 439-455.

• Death Educator Award, Association for Death Education and Counseling, 2016
• Fellow, Division 32, Humanistic Psychology, 2016
• Fellow, Division 38, Health Psychology, 2009
• Fellow, Division 17, Counseling Psychology, 2008
• Member, International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement
• The Helper's Journey: Working With People Facing Grief, Loss, and Life-Threatening Illness cited as a 1993 Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing
• Kara Pioneer Award (“In recognition of pioneering work in end-of-life care”), 2007
• Award of Excellence for Educational Achievement, National Hospice Organization, 1997
• Summer Scholar,Stanford Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences,1988

Dale Larson has been a keynote presenter at hundreds of professional conferences in the United States and abroad, and has appeared in many printed media publications, television programs, and radio broadcasts, including NBC News, Radio National’s Life Matters Program (AU), Australian Associated Press, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Radio, Radio New Zealand, CKNX Radio, Washingtonpost.com, Men’s Health, Newsweek, First for Women, and Family Circle. He is a popular conference presenter among colleagues at the Association for Death Education and Counseling.