Fear of death is a near universal human experience — but for many, it quietly drives a wide range of psychological difficulties. Research increasingly suggests that death anxiety may be a transdiagnostic and causal factor underlying anxiety, mood, and related mental health problems.
This webinar will explore when normal death anxiety crosses the line into something more pathological, and why learning to address death anxiety in therapy can be helpful for achieving long-term, stable recovery. Clinicians will learn how to begin integrating these approaches into everyday practice.
Dr Rachel E. Menzies is a clinical psychologist and founder of the Menzies Anxiety Centre. She is also a Research Fellow and Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney.
Rachel is an award-winning researcher whose work on death anxiety has been recognised nationally and internationally. She was awarded the 2021 APS Excellent PhD Thesis Award and the 2023 APS Early Career Research Award, and has delivered workshops and training for clinicians across Australia and beyond.
Her clinical area of focus lies in treating death anxiety using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). She has led national tours on death anxiety (AACBT, 2019), contributes to leading academic journals, and served on boards including the International Society for the Science of Existential Psychology.
Rachel’s research and commentary on existential issues have been widely published, including in The Conversation Yearbook 2016, highlighting her as one of Australia’s top thinkers.
Dr Rachel E. Menzies is the author of the Death Anxiety Beliefs and Behaviours Scale (DABBS), an 18-item self-report measure designed to assess death anxiety (i.e., fears of death or dying). The DABBS was developed specifically for use in clinical populations and was the first measure to provide a clinical cut-off score, normative data, and treatment-guiding subscales.
