"We have yet to discover what humankind is capable of achieving. I believe that we have limited and constrained ourselves with a physicalist view of the world and our abilities. Acknowledging our own lived reality, that our consciousness and associated abilities are not mere manifestations of our body’s efforts, is important in liberating our true extraordinary potential." – J. Kim Penberthy, Aug. 24, 2020
Biography
Dr Jennifer "Kim" Penberthy is the Chester F. Carlson Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine, where she conducts research, teaches, and provides clinical care and supervision. She is a member of the Division of Perceptual Studies within the Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences and a founding member of the UVA Contemplative Sciences Center. She is in the UVA Academy of Distinguished Educators, the UVA Leadership in Academic Matters Program, and is a Fellow of Humanism in Medicine at the University of Virginia. She is Co-Director of the Effective Communication and Coping Skills for Clinicians at UVA and is the Associate Director for the Clinical Wellbeing Program at UVA School of Medicine and Health System.
Dr Penberthy received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA and completed her Residency in Clinical Psychology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. She earned a Masters of Art in Experimental Psychology and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology/Biology from from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.
Dr Penberthy specializes in research and delivery of contemplative interventions including mindfulness based psychotherapeutic treatments. She conducts clinical work and research on resilience, mindfulness, and effective components of therapy and leadership, with a focus on developing extraordinary abilities and promoting social connectedness and compassion. Her clinical research focus includes fostering health and wellbeing in addition to helping advance extraordinary abilities. She lectures internationally about the effectiveness of psychotherapy and mindfulness based interventions as well as the impact of effective interpersonal communication skills on the outcomes of psychotherapy. She is interested in the positive impact of coping and mindfulness based skills training upon human potential and healing. She is the author of three books on persistent depression and effective therapies as well as scores of manuscripts regarding her research and clinical interests. She is the author of multiple books, including the upcoming Living Mindfully Across the Lifespan: An Intergenerational Guide out in December 2020 from Routledge, that she wrote with her daughter, Morgan Penberthy.
by J. Kim Penberthy

Persistent Depressive Disorders
Advances in Psychotherapy – Evidence-Based Practice - Volume 43
by J. Kim Penberthy
Hogrefe Publishing, 2019

Group Treatment Manual for Persistent Depression
Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) Therapist’s Guide
by Liliane Sayegh and J. Kim Penberthy
Routledge, 2016
Papers of Note

Mindfulness for healthcare providers fosters professional quality of lifeand mindful attention among emergency medical technicians
Dallas M Ducar, J Kim Penberthy, John B Schorling, Virginia A Leavell, J Forrest Calland
Explore, Volume 16 Issue 1, 26-33, 2020

Mindfulness based therapies for autoimmune diseases and related symptoms
J. Kim Penberthy, Dinesh Chhabra, Nina Avitabile, J. Morgan Penberthy, Ngan Le, Yiqin Roger Xu, Seara Mainor, Natalie Schiavone, Paul Katzenstein, Janet Lewis, Leslie Hubbard
OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 3 Issue 4, 2018

Impact of a brief mindfulness intervention on psychiatric consult patients’ symptoms
Dallas M. Ducar, Malvika Venkataraman, Sara Rizvi, J. Kim Penberthy
Psychological Disorders and Research, Volume 1 Issue 1, 2018

Impact of a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Course and Application of Related Modern Contemplative Practices on College Students’ Psychological Well-being: a Pilot Study
J. Kim Penberthy, Susanna Williams, Joshua N. Hook, Ngan Le, Jacob Bloch, Justin Forsyth, Jennifer Morgan Penberthy, David Germano, Kurtis Schaeffer, John Schorling
Mindfulness, Volume 8, 911–919, 2017

Mindfulness based treatment for smoking cessation: How it works and future directions
J. Kim Penberthy, J. Morgan Penberthy, Morgan Lynch, Dinesh Chhabra
Contemporary Behavioral Health Care, Volume 2 Issue 1, 2016