Bio

Ryan Matlow, Ph.D., is a child clinical psychologist who serves as Director of Community Programs for Stanford’s Early Life Stress and Resilience Program, and is a faculty member in Stanford's Human Rights and Trauma Mental Health Program. His clinical and research efforts focus on understanding and addressing the impact of stress, adversity, and trauma in children, families, and communities. In particular, Dr. Matlow seeks to apply current scientific knowledge of the neurobiological and developmental impact of stress, trauma, and adversity in shaping interventions and systems of care. Dr. Matlow is focused on engaging diverse populations and providing evidence-based individual, family, and systems interventions for posttraumatic stress following interpersonal trauma, with an emphasis on efforts in school, community, and integrated care settings. He is engaged in clinical service, program development, and interdisciplinary collaboration efforts that address childhood trauma exposure in communities that have been historically marginalized, under-resourced, and/or experienced human rights violations. He has worked extensively in providing trauma-focused psychological evaluation, treatment, and advocacy services with immigrant youth and families, with a focus on immigrants from Latin American countries. Dr. Matlow is involved in the training and dissemination of Stanford's Cue Centered Therapy (Carrion, 2015), a flexible, manualized intervention addressing childhood experiences of chronic trauma.

Clinical Focus

  • Psychology
  • Child trauma exposure
  • Complex traumatic stress
  • Immigration-related stress and adversity

Academic Appointments

  • Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Administrative Appointments

  • Director of Community Programs, Early Life Stress and Resilience Program (2014 - Present)
  • Core Faculty, Human Rights in Trauma Mental Health Program (2014 - Present)
  • Clinical Psychologist, Ravenswood Family Health Network Integrated Behavioral Health Services (2015 - Present)
  • Program Co-Director, East Palo Alto Academy School Mental Health (2019 - Present)

Honors & Awards

  • Chairman's Award for Community Engagement and Commitment, Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (2019)
  • Community Investment Grant, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (2018-current)
  • Implementing Evidence-Based Mental Health Care in East Palo Alto Schools, Stanford Spectrum Pilot Grant for Population Health Sciences (2017)
  • Mental Health Initiative, Tipping Point Community (2015-current)
  • Maryon Stone Posdoctoral Fellowship, Pritzker Foundation (2013-2014)
  • Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Dissertation Fellowship, University of Denver (2011-2012)

Program Affiliations

  • Center for Human Rights and International Justice

Professional Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California San Francisco Multicultural Clinical Training Program, San Francisco General Hospital Child and Adolescent Services, Clinical Psychology (2014)
  • Internship: UCSF/San Francisco Gen Hosp (2013) CA
  • PhD, University of Denver, Child Clinical Psychology (2013)
  • MA, San Francisco State University, Psychology (Psychological Research) (2008)
  • BS, University of California, San Diego, Cognitive Science (2003)

Community and International Work

  • One East Palo Alto

    Ongoing Project

    Yes

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    No

  • Ravenswood Family Health Center

    Topic

    Integrated Behavioral Health Care

    Location

    Bay Area

    Ongoing Project

    Yes

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    No

  • Tipping Point Community

    Topic

    Mental health and wellness program development

    Partnering Organization(s)

    JobTrain, Aspire East Palo Alto Charter School

    Location

    Bay Area

    Ongoing Project

    Yes

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    No

Contact

  • Academic
    rmatlow@stanford.edu
    University - Academic staff Department: Psych/Major Laboratories and Clinical & Translational Neurosciences Incubator Position: Clinical Associate Professor
    • 1070 Arastradero Rd
    • Palo Alto,  California  94304-1336 
  • Clinical Ravenswood Family Health Center 1885 Bay Rd E Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650) 321-2002 (fax)
  • Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic 401 Quarry Rd MC 5719 Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 723-4655 (fax)

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 5265

Links

2023-24 Courses

All Publications

  • A school-based health and mindfulness curriculum improves children's objectively measured sleep: a prospective observational cohort study. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Chick, C. F., Singh, A., Anker, L. A., Buck, C., Kawai, M., Gould, C., Cotto, I., Schneider, L., Linkovski, O., Karna, R., Pirog, S., Parker-Fong, K., Nolan, C. R., Shinsky, D. N., Hiteshi, P. N., Leyva, O., Flores, B., Matlow, R., Bradley, T., Jordan, J., Carrion, V., O'Hara, R. 2021

    Abstract

    STUDY OBJECTIVES: Poor sleep impedes children's cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial development. Pediatric sleep dysregulation is common, and children who live in communities of low socioeconomic status (SES) experience additional risk factors for short sleep duration and poor sleep quality. School-based training in mindfulness and yoga-informed practices can improve children's behavior and well-being, but effects on objectively measured sleep are unknown.METHODS: Effects of a school-based health and mindfulness curriculum, which taught practices such as paced breathing, on sleep and stress were examined in 115 children (49 girls, ages eight to 11 at baseline). 58 children in a community of low socioeconomic status (SES) received the curriculum twice weekly for two years. 57 children in an SES-matched community engaged in their usual physical education class instead. In-home ambulatory polysomnography and perceived social stress were measured from all children at three timepoints: at baseline (i.e., prior to curriculum exposure) and at two yearly follow-ups.RESULTS: Children receiving the curriculum gained an average of 74 minutes of total sleep time, and 24 minutes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, per night over the two-year study period. Children not receiving the curriculum experienced a decrease in total sleep time averaging 64 minutes per night, with no changes in REM sleep. Sleep improved within the first three months of curriculum exposure, in a dose-dependent fashion. Higher curriculum engagement (e.g., using the breathing exercises outside of class) was associated with larger gains in total and REM sleep duration. Aggregate within-group changes in social stress were not significant. However, among children receiving the curriculum, those who experienced larger gains in total and REM sleep duration also experienced larger increases in perceived social stress.CONCLUSIONS: A school-based health and mindfulness curriculum improved children's objectively measured sleep over two years. Social stress did not mediate these effects; instead, mindfulness training may have increased awareness of environmental stressors, while developing tools to reduce stress vulnerability.

    View details for DOI 10.5664/jcsm.9508

    View details for PubMedID 34170222

  • When Undoing Is Not Enough - Repairing Harms Inflicted on Immigrant Children. The New England journal of medicine Wang, N. E., Matlow, R., Shapiro, A. 2021

    View details for DOI 10.1056/NEJMp2103956

    View details for PubMedID 33951356

  • A SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH AND MINDFULNESS CURRICULUM IMPROVES CHILDREN'S OBJECTIVELY MEASURED SLEEP Chick, C., Anker, L., Singh, A., Buck, C., Kawai, M., Gould, C., Cotto, I., Schneider, L., Linkovski, O., Matlow, R., Bradley, T., Carrion, V., O'Hara, R. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2021: A251

    View details for Web of Science ID 000698984300640

  • Cue-Centered Therapy for Youth Experiencing Posttraumatic Symptoms. Current treatment options in psychiatry Kletter, H., Matlow, R., Tanovic, S., Carrion, V. 2021: 1–16

    Abstract

    Purpose: Few of the existing evidence-based interventions for child trauma exposure were specifically designed to address experiences and outcomes of complex developmental trauma. Stanford's cue-centered therapy (CCT) was designed to address this gap by offering a flexible, integrative, and insight-oriented treatment approach that is grounded in principles of neuroscience, developmental trauma, client empowerment, and allostasis. This article reviews the CCT rationale, treatment components, evidence base, and training approach.Recent findings: Studies demonstrate promising outcomes indicating CCT effectiveness in reducing child and caregiver posttraumatic stress, and in improving child functioning. Further research, however, is needed to identify which clients are best-suited for CCT (versus other available child trauma treatments) and to identify which components of CCT are most critical for addressing complex developmental trauma.Summary: CCT advances the field of child trauma treatment by offering an intervention approach focused on addressing complex developmental trauma. Positive treatment and training outcomes indicate utility of CCT for clients and clinicians. Innovations in research and training approaches are needed to further dissemination and implementation of CCT and other related child trauma interventions for complex developmental trauma.

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s40501-021-00241-3

    View details for PubMedID 33898161

  • Equity, Inclusivity, and Innovative Digital Technologies to Improve Adolescent and Young Adult Health. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine Israni, S. T., Matheny, M. E., Matlow, R. n., Whicher, D. n. 2020; 67 (2S): S4–S6

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.05.014

    View details for PubMedID 32718514

  • Patient and community engagement for mental health disparities in Latinx immigrant populations. Community Mental Health Engagement with Racially Diverse Populations edited by Breland-Noble, A. Academic Press. 2020
  • Reducing Protections for Noncitizen Children - Exacerbating Harm and Trauma NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE Matlow, R., Reicherter, D. 2019; 380 (1): 5-7

    View details for DOI 10.1056/NEJMp1814340

    View details for Web of Science ID 000454731200003

  • General principles of psychotherapy for youth exposed to traumatic stress. Assessing and Treating Youth Exposed to Traumatic Stress Matlow, R. B. edited by Carrion, V. American Psychiatric Association. 2019
  • General Principles of Psychotherapy ASSESSING AND TREATING YOUTH EXPOSED TO TRAUMATIC STRESS Matlow, R. B., Carrion, V. G. 2019: 111–28

    View details for Web of Science ID 000549804100006

  • Reducing Protections for Noncitizen Children - Exacerbating Harm and Trauma. The New England journal of medicine Matlow, R., Reicherter, D. 2018

    View details for PubMedID 30462590

  • Stress and Trauma STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A GUIDE FOR PSYCHIATRISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND LEADERS SERVING IN HIGHER EDUCATION Matlow, R. B., Carrion, V. G., Roberts, L. W. 2018: 249–65

    View details for Web of Science ID 000552225100018

  • Caring for students with mental health issues: Stress and trauma. University Student Mental Health: A Guide for Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Leaders Serving Higher Education. Matlow, R. B., Carrion, V. G. edited by Roberts, L. American Psychiatric Association. 2018
  • Creating lab reports on psychological outcomes of political violence in human rights criminal cases: The Human Rights in Trauma Mental Health Laboratory at Stanford University Cambodia's Hidden Scars: Trauma Psychology and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia Reicherter, D., Reed, D., Williamson, R., Matlow, R. edited by van Schaack, B., Reicherter, D. Documentation Center of Cambodia. 2016; 2: 268–276
  • Addressing trauma and attachment in Latino immigrant youth and their families Matlow, R. B., Romero, M. B. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. 2016 ; StressPoints: A Quarterly eNewsletter of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
  • The Impact of Appraisals and Context on Readiness to Leave a Relationship Following Intimate Partner Abuse VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Matlow, R. B., DePrince, A. P. 2015; 21 (9): 1043-1064

    Abstract

    The current longitudinal study examined the relative impact of symptoms and appraisals as well as contextual and demographic factors on women's subsequent readiness to leave a relationship following intimate partner abuse. An ethnically diverse sample of women (N = 177) completed measures assessing posttrauma appraisals, symptoms, dependence on the perpetrator, and abuse characteristics. One year later, women reported on their readiness to leave the relationship. Regression analyses revealed that readiness to leave was (a) positively predicted by fear appraisals, (b) negatively predicted by shame appraisals, and (c) significantly associated with additional contextual factors (i.e., dependence on the perpetrator, stalking behaviors).

    View details for DOI 10.1177/1077801215590668

    View details for Web of Science ID 000358593900001

  • The Impact of Appraisals and Context on Readiness to Leave a Relationship Following Intimate Partner Abuse. Violence against women Matlow, R. B., DePrince, A. P. 2015; 21 (9): 1043-64

    Abstract

    The current longitudinal study examined the relative impact of symptoms and appraisals as well as contextual and demographic factors on women's subsequent readiness to leave a relationship following intimate partner abuse. An ethnically diverse sample of women (N = 177) completed measures assessing posttrauma appraisals, symptoms, dependence on the perpetrator, and abuse characteristics. One year later, women reported on their readiness to leave the relationship. Regression analyses revealed that readiness to leave was (a) positively predicted by fear appraisals, (b) negatively predicted by shame appraisals, and (c) significantly associated with additional contextual factors (i.e., dependence on the perpetrator, stalking behaviors).

    View details for DOI 10.1177/1077801215590668

    View details for PubMedID 26077326

  • Tobacco Use and Its Treatment Among Young People in Mental Health Settings: A Qualitative Analysis NICOTINE & TOBACCO RESEARCH Prochaska, J. J., Fromont, S. C., Wa, C., Matlow, R., Ramo, D. E., Hall, S. M. 2013; 15 (8): 1427-1435

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Youth with psychiatric disorders are at increased risk of tobacco use. Outpatient mental health settings have received little investigation for delivering tobacco treatment. This study obtained formative data to guide development of a tobacco cessation program for transitional age youth with co-occurring psychiatric disorders with a focus on outpatient mental health settings. METHODS: Applying qualitative methods, we analyzed transcripts from interviews with 14 mental health clients (aged 16-23) and 8 mental health providers. RESULTS: The youth identified internal (nicotine addiction and mood), social, parental, and media influences to their use of tobacco. Providers' viewed youth tobacco use as a normative developmental process, closely tied to management of psychiatric symptoms, supported by parents, and of lower priority relative to youth alcohol and illicit drug use. Youth and providers believed that clinicians can do more to address tobacco use in practice and emphasized nonjudgmental support and nondirective approaches. Top recommended quitting strategies, however, differed notably for the youth (cold turkey, support from friends, physical activity, hobbies) and providers (cessation pharmacotherapy, cessation groups, treatment referrals). CONCLUSIONS: Mental health providers' greater prioritization of other substances and view of youth smoking as developmentally normative and a coping strategy for psychopathology are likely contributing to the general lack of attention to tobacco use currently. Integrating care within mental health settings would serve to reach youth in an arena where clinical rapport is already established, and study findings suggest receptivity for system improvements. Of consideration, however, is the apparent disconnect between provider and youth recommended strategies for supporting cessation.

    View details for DOI 10.1093/ntr/nts343

    View details for Web of Science ID 000322093700012

    View details for PubMedID 23322765

  • The Influence of Victimization History on PTSD Symptom Expression in Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA-THEORY RESEARCH PRACTICE AND POLICY Matlow, R. B., DePrince, A. P. 2013; 5 (3): 241-250

    View details for DOI 10.1037/a0027655

    View details for Web of Science ID 000319307800007