Our Providers | KaMala Thomas, PhD

KaMala Thomas, PhD

Clinical Health Psychologist

Dr. KaMala Thomas is passionate about helping clients to achieve emotional, spiritual, and physical wellness. She believes that wellness exists on a continuum, and achieving optimal health involves working with clients to develop treatment plans that integrate relevant cultural, social, physical, and psychological factors. Dr. Thomas’ primary therapeutic orientations include cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy. However, she considers herself eclectic, and uses the therapeutic techniques that best match the needs of her clients.

Dr. Thomas specializes in helping clients with chronic illness manage their disease using behavioral and psychological strategies. She is trained in EMDR, one of the few treatments for trauma endorsed by the National Institutes of Health. Some of Dr. Thomas’ specialties include immune system disorders, caregiver stress, recovery from stroke and cardiac injury, sleep disorders, and Psycho-Oncology.

Education & Experience

Dr. Thomas holds a Phd in Clinical Health Psychology from UC San Diego and has completed both internship and postdoctoral training at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute and the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology.

Prior to working as a psychotherapist, Dr. Thomas was an assistant professor at Pitzer College, which is a member of the Claremont University Consortium in Southern California, where she taught courses in clinical and health psychology. She remains involved in research in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology and collaborates with colleagues at UCLA and UC San Diego. She has published a number of studies in this area and currently serves as a panel expert in the American Psychological Association’s stress and health disparities working group.