Farya Phillips, Ph.D., CCLS

Farya Phillips, Ph.D., CCLS, is a research assistant professor and assistant director at the Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She oversees multiple projects relating to psychosocial care in oncology. Her primary research interests include adolescent and young adult cancer survivors as well as interventions for children with a parent diagnosed with cancer.

Phillips teaches “Introduction to Child Life: Psychosocial Needs of Children in Healthcare”, “Transformative Teams in Healthcare”, “Communication in Healthcare”,  and “Play & Child Development”. She has a bachelor’s degree in human development and Family Studies from The University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in education with an emphasis on Hospitalized Children from Mills College in Oakland, California, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a certified Child Life Specialist and received her internship training at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. She has over 20 years of experience providing psychosocial support for children and families in healthcare environments and has worked extensively with children and families dealing with chronic illness and grief. Phillips serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology and has been an active member of the Association of Child Life Professionals. She volunteers her time at the national level to improve psychological resources provided to families dealing with healthcare challenges.