Susan McCurry, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with midlife and older adults. She uses a contextual behavioral science approach to provide evidence-based treatment for enhancing quality of life in healthy aging adults, as well as in individuals experiencing age-related changes in physical, cognitive, or psychological function, disturbances in sleep, or residential care transitions and adjustments. She recognizes the broad and complex contextual factors that influence the aging process and welcomes interdisciplinary perspectives and collaboration.
Dr. McCurry earned a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited) at the University of Nevada, Reno. She completed an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System in Reno, and an NIMH-supported post-doctoral fellowship specializing in geropsychology at University of Washington. Dr. McCurry has been licensed as a psychologist in Washington State since 1992, and served as an attending psychologist at the UW Medical Center’s Geriatric and Family Services Clinic from 1991-2010.
In addition to working part-time in private practice at Seattle Psychology, Dr. McCurry is Research Professor in the University of Washington Department of Psychosocial and Community Health, and Adjunct Research Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She has authored two books designed to help family caregivers and health care professionals provide more effective and compassionate care to cognitively impaired individuals, and has been a principal investigator on several NIH-funded grants using cognitive behavioral strategies to improve sleep in midlife and older adults. She is a recognized speaker at local, national, and international conferences, and considers work with aging individuals (of whom she is one!) to be her professional passion and calling.
Dr. McCurry’s clinical orientation has been influenced by a variety of third-wave cognitive and behavioral therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Relational Frame Theory, and Compassion Focused Therapy. Her areas of clinical specialty include:
Assisting older adults with life transition issues impacting quality of life and adaptive aging
Behavioral sleep medicine and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia
Whole-person evaluation of mood and behavioral changes in individuals with cognitive decline
Family and professional caregiver training for managing neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia
Caregiver psychoeducation and support to facilitate resilience and proactive self-care
Treatment of sleep disturbances in persons with age-related medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, and menopausal vasomotor symptoms
Representative sleep-related articles:
1. Koffel, E., Vitiello, M.V., McCurry, S.M., Rybarczk, B., & Von Korff, M. (2017). Predictors of adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia and pain: Analysis from a randomized trial. Clinical Journal of Pain. Sept 14 [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000546
2. Buchanan, D.T., McCurry, S.M., Eilers, K., Applin, S., Williams, E.T., Voss, J.G. (2018). Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia in persons living with HIV. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 16(3): 244-258. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2016.1188392
3. Guthrie, K.A., Larson, J.C., Ensrud, K.E., Carpenter, J.S., Freeman, E.W., Joffe, H., LaCroix, A.Z., Manson, J.E., Morin, C.M., Newton, K.N., Otte, J., Reed, S.D., & McCurry, S.M. (2018) Effects of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions on insomnia symptoms and self-reported sleep quality in women with hot flashes: A pooled analysis of individual participant data from four MsFLASH trials. Sleep, 41(1). doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsx190
4. Song, Y., McCurry, S.M., Fung, C.H., Josephson, K.R., Teng, E., Irwin, M.R., Alessi, C.A., & Martin, J.L. (2017). Sleep and caregiving experiences among caregivers of veterans in an adult day health program: A pilot study. Clinical Gerontologist, 41(2):167-171. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2017.1365795
5. Tang, H., McCurry, S.M., Pike, K.C., Von Korff, M., & Vitiello, M.V. (2017). Differential predictors of nighttime and daytime sleep complaints in older adults with co-morbid insomnia and osteoarthritis pain. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 100: 22-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.06.020
6. Song, Y., Washington, D.L., Yano, E.M., McCurry, S.M., Fung, C.H., Dzierzewski, J.M., Rodriguez, J.C., Mitchell, M., Jouldjian, S., Mitchell, M.N., Alessi, C.A., & Martin, J.L. (2016). Caregiving-related sleep problems and their relationship to mental health and daytime function in female veterans. Behavioral Sleep Medicine Oct 3 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20160930-01
7. McCurry, S.M., Guthrie, K.A., Morin, C.M., Woods, N.F., Landis, C.A.., Ensrud, K.E., Larson, J.C., Joffe, H., Cohen, L.S., Hunt, J.R., Newton, K.M., Otte, J.L., Reed, S.D., Sternfeld, B., Tinker, L., & LaCroix, A.Z. (2016). Telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in peri- and post-menopausal women with vasomotor symptoms: A MsFLASH randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(7):913-920. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1795
8. Tewary, S., Cook, N., Pandya, N., & McCurry, S.M. (2016). Pilot test of a six-week group delivery caregiver training program to reduce sleep disturbances among older adults with dementia (Innovative Practice). Dementia, 17(2):234-243. doi: 10.1177/1471301216643191
9. Balderson, B., McCurry, S.M., Vitiello, M.V., Shortreed, S.M., Rybarczyk, B.D., Keefe, F.J., & Von Korff, M. (2015). Information without implementation: A practical strategy for developing controls for behavioral interventions. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 14(5):514-527. doi:10.1080/15402002.2015.1036271
10. Vitiello, M.V., McCurry, S.M., Shortreed, S.M., Baker, L.D., Rybarczyk, B.D., Keefe, F.J., & Von Korff, M. (2014). Short-term improvement in insomnia symptoms predicts long-term improvements in sleep, pain, and fatigue in older adults with co-morbid osteoarthritis and insomnia. Pain, 155(8):1547-1554. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2014.04.032
11. McCurry, S.M., Shortreed, S.M., Vitiello, M.V., Balderson, B.H., Baker, L.D., Rybarczyk, B.D., & Von Korff, M. (2014). Who benefits from CBT for insomnia in primary care? Important patient selection and trial design lessons from longitudinal results of the Lifestyles trial. Sleep, 37(2):299-308. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12275
12. Vitiello, M.V., McCurry, S.M., Shortreed, S.M., Balderson, B.H., Baker, L.D., Keefe, F.J., Rybarczyk, B.D., & Von Korff, M. (2013). Cognitive-behavioral treatment for co-morbid insomnia and osteoarthritis pain in primary care: The lifestyles randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61(6): 947-956. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12275
13. Parsons, E.C., Kross, E., Caldwell, E.S., Kapur, V.K., McCurry, S.M., Vitiello, M.V., & Hough, C.L. (2012). Post-discharge insomnia symptoms are associated with quality of life impairment among survivors of acute lung injury. Sleep Medicine, 13(8): 1106-1109. doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2012.05.010
14. McCurry, S.M., LaFazia, D.M., Pike, K.C., Logsdon, R.G., & Teri, L. (2012). Development and evaluation of a sleep education program for older adults with dementia living in adult family homes. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(6):494-504. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318248ae79
15. Von Korff, M., Vitiello, M.V., McCurry, S.M., Balderson, B.H., Moore, A.L., Baker, L., Yarbro, P., Saunders, K., Keefe, F., & Rybarczyk, B. (2012). Group interventions for co-morbid insomnia and osteoarthritis pain in primary care: The lifestyles cluster randomized trial design. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 33:759-768. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2012.03.010
16. McCurry, S.M., Pike, K.C., Vitiello, M.V., Logsdon, R.G., Larson, E.B., & Teri, L. (2011). Increasing walking and bright light exposure to improve sleep in community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer’s disease: Results of a randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 59(8):1393-1402. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03519.x
17. McCurry, S.M., Von Korff, M., Vitiello, M.V., Saunders, K., Balderson, B.H., Moore, A.L., Rybarczyk, B. (2011). Frequency of co-morbid insomnia, pain, and depression in older adults with osteoarthritis: Predictors of enrollment in a randomized treatment trial. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71(5):296-299. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.05.012
18. McCurry, S.M., Pike, K.C., Logsdon, R.G., Vitiello, M.V., Larson, E.B., & Teri, L. (2010). Predictors of short and long-term adherence to a daily walking program in persons with Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, 25(6): 505-512. doi: 10.1177/1533317510376173
19. McCurry, S.M., LaFazia, D.M., Pike, K.C., Logsdon, R.G., & Teri, L. (2009). Managing sleep disturbances in adult family homes: Recruitment and implementation of a behavioral sleep education program. Geriatric Nursing, 30(1): 36-44. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2008.05.001
20. McCurry, S.M., Pike, K.C., Vitiello, M.V., Logsdon, R.G., & Teri, L. (2008). Factors associated with concordance and variability of sleep quality in Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Sleep, 31(5): 741-748. doi: 10.1097/01.JGP.0000192499.25940.da
21. McCurry, S.M., Gibbons, L.E., Logsdon, R.G., Vitiello, M.V., & Teri, L. (2009). Insomnia in caregivers of persons with dementia: Who is at risk and what can be done about it? Sleep Medicine Clinics, 4(4): 519-526. doi:10.1016/j.jsmc.2009.07.005
22. McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., Teri, L., & Vitiello, M.V. (2007). Evidence-based psychological treatments for insomnia in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 22(1), 18-27. doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.22.1.18
23. McCurry, S.M., Vitiello, M.V., Gibbons, L.E., Logsdon, R.G., & Teri, L. (2006). Factors associated with caregiver reports of sleep disturbances in persons with dementia. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14(2), 112-120. doi: 10.1097/01.JGP.0000192499.25940.da
24. McCurry, S.M., Gibbons, L.E., Logsdon, R.G., Vitiello, M.V., & Teri, L. (2005). Nighttime Insomnia Treatment and Education for Alzheimer’s Disease (NITE-AD): A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53(5), 793-802. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53252.x
25. McCurry, S.M., Gibbons, L.E., Logsdon, R.G., & Teri, L. (2004). Anxiety and nighttime behavioral disturbances: Awakenings in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 30(1), 12-20.
26. McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., Vitiello, M.V., & Teri, L. (2004). Treatment of sleep and nighttime disturbances in Alzheimer’s disease: A behavior management approach. Sleep Medicine, 5(4), 373-377. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2003.11.003
27. McCurry, S.M., Gibbons, L.E., Logsdon, R.G., Vitiello, M.V., & Teri, L. (2003). Training caregivers to change the sleep practices of patients with dementia: The NITE-AD study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 51(10), 1455-1460. doi: 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2003.51466.x
28. McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.L., Teri, L., Gibbons, L.E., Kukull, W., Bowen, J.D., McCormick, W.C., & Larson, E.B. (1999). Characteristics of sleep disturbance in community-dwelling AD patients. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 12(2), 53-59. doi: 10.1177/0891988706292758
29. McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., Vitiello, M.V., & Teri, L. (1998). Successful behavioral treatment for reported sleep problems in elderly caregivers of dementia patients: A controlled study. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 53B, P122-P129. 10.1093/geronb/53B.2.P122
30. McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., & Teri, L. (1996). Behavioral treatment of sleep disturbance in elderly dementia caregivers. Clinical Gerontologist, 17(2), 35-50. doi: 10.1300/J018v17n02_04
31. McCurry, S.M., & Teri, L. (1995). Sleep disturbance in elderly caregivers of dementia patients. Clinical Gerontologist, 16(2), 51-66. doi: 10.1300/J018v16n02_05
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