Jason Thompson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry
School of Medicine

jason.thompson@ucsf.edu

I am a clinical psychologist, educator, and researcher with expertise in trauma recovery across the lifespan. My work integrates community mental health, neuroscience, and contemplative practices to support healing in historically underserved populations.

My clinical and academic focus is on early relational health, intergenerational trauma, and the development of culturally responsive interventions that foster resilience in children, families, and communities. Currently, I serve as the Local Recovery Coordinator for the San Francisco VA Health Care System, where I lead initiatives to support veterans recovering from depression and PTSD. My research and clinical work explore how dyadic interventions, non-ordinary states of consciousness, and trauma-focused psychotherapies can facilitate deep healing. In addition to my work with veterans, I am deeply committed to training the next generation of mental health clinicians. My approach is informed by a transdisciplinary perspective that draws from my background in psychotherapy, neuroscience, and the humanities. I am also a longtime Zen practitioner, and the author of Running is a Kind of Dreaming (HarperCollins, 2021), a memoir exploring the intersection of trauma, recovery, and altered states of consciousness.

Awards

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  • Murray Tondow Outstanding Dissertation Award, Palo Alto University, 2015
  • College Scholarship, Oxford University, 1992-1994

Education & Training

  • Postdoctoral fellowship UCSF Osher Center 10/2017
  • Postdoctoral fellowship San Francisco General Hospital 8/2016
  • Predoctoral internship San Francisco General Hospital 8/2015
  • PhD Clinical Psychology Palo Alto University 6/2015
  • BA English Literature Oxford University 6/1994

Interests

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  • Trauma recovery
  • intergenerational trauma
  • contemplative and psychedelic-assisted therapies

Websites

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Publications (4)

Top publication keywords:
Stress, PsychologicalMeditationDepressionDementiaAged, 80 and overCaregiversPersonal SatisfactionMindfulnessFamilySchoolsIndividualitySelf EfficacyHydrocortisoneRespiratory Sinus ArrhythmiaChild