About

Education

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Harvard University

Pre-Doctoral Internship, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System

M.A. Clinical Psychology, Harvard University

B.A. Psychology, Williams College

Research Interests

Our personality shapes our experience of the world and can lead us to thrive or struggle. I am particularly fascinated by personality features that contribute to struggle and, when extreme, merit a clinical diagnosis of a personality disorder. Accordingly, my research sits at the intersection of clinical, social, and cognitive psychology and uses a wide variety of scientific methods to better understand, and ultimately treat, personality psychopathology. Currently, my research focuses on 1) using experimental paradigms to elucidate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral underpinnings of pathological narcissism, 2) characterizing and reducing personality disorder stigma, and 3) developing psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational interventions for personality disorders.

Clinical Interests

I am a practicing clinician with experience providing adult individual and group psychotherapy. I currently conduct clinical work as a postdoctoral resident at Psychology Specialists of Maine. I specialize in working with adults who are experiencing problems related to anxiety, trauma, depression, and personality difficulties, and related issues such as stress, anger, and relationship challenges. My therapeutic approach is grounded in cognitive-behavioral principles and shaped by evidence-based treatments tailored to individual needs. My clinical experience informs both my research and teaching, and vice versa.

Selected Publications & Book Chapters

*indicates shared authorship

Finch, E. F., Coppersmith, D. C., & Ronningstam, E. (in press). Contextualizing suicidality in narcissism: A commentary. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 

*Brañas, M. J. A. A., *Croci, M. S., Finch, E. F., Uh, S., Dalmaijer, E., Ren, B., Pan, P. M., Euripedes, M. C., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2026). Psychopathology profiles and longitudinal correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury in youth: a machine-learning approach. Translational Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-03832-x

Kealy, D. & Finch, E.F. Pathological narcissism and loneliness (2025). In T. Nelson (Ed.), The Handbook of Loneliness (pp. 89-102). Springer Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-02959-1

Mermin, S., Finch, E. F., Ilagan, G. S., Chen, C. A., Ross, J., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2025). Associations between generalist knowledge of borderline personality disorder and clinician factors and attitudes. Personality and Mental Health, 19(2), e70021.

Finch, E. F. * & Mellen, E. J.* (2025). “Labeled, criticized, looked down on”: Characterizing the stigma of narcissistic personality disorder. Personality and Mental Health. https://doi.org10.1002/pmh.70015

Finch, E. F. & Kealy, D. (2024). Loneliness in narcissistic vulnerability: Examining domains of personality functioning. Personality and Mental Health. 8(3), 259-268. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmh.1615

Finch, E. F., Kalinowski, S. E., Schacter, D. L., & Hooley, J. M. (2024). Aiming (too) high: Pathological narcissism and unrealistic goal setting. Personality and Individual Differences. 224, 112614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2024.112614

*Bernstein, E. E., *Shingleton, R. M., Finch, E. F., LeBlanc, N. J., Bentley, K. H., Barreira, P., & McNally, R. J. (2024). A roadmap to address stress in graduate students: How to develop and disseminate a single session evidence based intervention. Journal of American College Health, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2299427

*Finch, E. F., *Kalinowski, S. E., Hooley, J. M., & Schacter, D. L. (2023). Grandiose narcissism influences the phenomenology of remembered past and imagined future events. Memory, 32(1), 24-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2023.2274807

Choi-Kain, L. W., Masland, S. M., & Finch, E. F. (2023). Corrective experiences to enhance trust: Clinical wisdom from Good (enough) Psychiatric Management. Journal of Personality Disorders, 37(5), 559-579. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2023.37.5.559

Finch, E. F. & Hooley, J. M. (2023). Functional fantasies: The regulatory role of grandiose fantasizing in pathological narcissism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1274545. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1274545 

Finch, E. F., Boccagno, C., & Hooley, J. M. (2023). Hurting the grandiose self: Examining presence, frequency, and functions of non-suicidal self-injury in pathological narcissism. Journal of Personality Disorders, 37(4), 424-443. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2023.37.4.424

Finch, E. F., Kleiman, E. M., Bentley, K. H., & Bernstein, E. E. (2023). Helpful for all? Examining the effects of psychotherapy treatment history on outcomes of single session, transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral interventions for university students. Psychological Services. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000781

Masland, S. R., Finch, E. F., & Schnell, S. (2023). Effects of group psychotherapy for nonsuicidal self-injury: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 73(3), 183-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2023.2191683

Finch, E. F., Shikatani, B., Snir, A., & Smith, L. (2023). Treating volitional elimination disorders in a healthy adult: Applying cognitive behavioral principles in the absence of treatment guidelines. Clinical Case Studies, 22(1), 60-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/15346501221107133

Hooley, J. M., Masland, S. R., & Finch, E. F. (2023). Borderline personality disorder. In H. S. Friedman & C. H. Markey (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Mental Health (3rd ed.). Elsevier Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91497-0.00056-4

Nook, E. C., Jaroszewski, A. C., Finch, E. F., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2022). A cognitive-behavioral formulation of narcissistic self-esteem dysregulation. FOCUS, 20(4), 378-388. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20220055

Finch, E. F., Choi-Kain, L. W., Iliakis, E. A., Eisen, J. L., & Pinto, A. (2021). Good psychiatric management for obsessive compulsive personality disorder. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 8, 160-171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-021-00239-4 

Finch, E. F., Iliakis, E. A., Masland, S. M., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2019). A meta-analysis of treatment as usual for borderline personality disorder. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 10(6), 491-499. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000353

Adler, K., Finch, E. F., Rodriguez-Villa, A., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2019). Primary care providers. In L. W. Choi-Kain & J. G. Gunderson (Eds.), Applications of good psychiatric management for borderline personality disorders: A practical guide (pp. 169-185). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

Hersh, R. & Finch, E. F. (2019). College mental health services. In L. W. Choi-Kain & J. G. Gunderson (Eds.), Applications of good psychiatric management for borderline personality disorders: A practical guide (pp. 117-137). American Psychiatric Association Publishing. 

Weinberg, I., Finch, E. F., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2019). Implementation of good psychiatric management for narcissistic personality disorder: Good enough or not good enough?. In L. W. Choi-Kain & J. G. Gunderson (Eds.), Applications of good psychiatric management for borderline personality disorders: A practical guide (pp. 253-279). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

Choi-Kain, L. W. & Finch, E. F. (2019). The corrective experience of getting a life: Case formulation using general psychiatric management as a framework to facilitate remission and recovery. In U. Kramer (Ed.), Case formulation for personality disorders: Tailoring psychotherapy to the individual client (pp. 61-75). Elsevier Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813521-1.00004-7

Finch, E. F., Brickell, C. M., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2018). General psychiatric management: An evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder in the college setting. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 33(2), 163-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2018.1491361

Masland, S. M., Price, D., MacDonald, J. M., Finch, E. F., Gunderson, J. G., & Choi-Kain, L. W. (2018). The enduring effects of one-day training in General Psychiatric Management on clinician attitudes about borderline personality disorder. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 206(11), 865-869. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000893

Choi-Kain, L. W., Finch, E. F., Masland, S. R., Jenkins, J. A., & Unruh, B. T. (2017). What works in the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 4(1), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-017-0103-z