Elijah Murphy, M.A., L.P.A., is a 5th-year Ph.D candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Houston. Mr. Murphy is originally from Washington, D.C., and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology at American University. Since beginning at the University of Houston, Mr. Murphy has received a master’s in clinical psychology and has become a licensed psychological associate in the state of Texas. Mr. Murphy is dedicated to having an equity-aligned career as a clinical psychologist. His research includes elucidating strength-based pathways to healing for people of the global majority. He seeks to combat racism in its many forms while finding ways to promote thriving despite an oppressive society. Through research, clinical practice, teaching, and advocacy, he remains committed to promoting racial justice and health equity. Read more about Mr. Murphy’s career to date below.
Scholarly Publications
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES
-Gallagher, M.W., Murphy, E.R., Senger, A. R., Ayers, Z. S., & Ge, J.L., (2025). Hope and Depression: A Meta-Analytic Review. Cognitive Therapy and Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-025-10609-x
-Brooks Stephens, J. R., Murphy, E. R., Gallagher, M., & Walker, R. L. (2025). Racial trauma and mental health: The adaptive role of psychological flexibility for young Black adults. Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2025.02.001
-Murphy, E. R., Brooks Stephens, J.R., & Gallagher M. W. (2025) Hope, Mindfulness, PTSD and Well-being among Trauma-exposed Black Adults. Journal of Happiness Studies https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-025-00864-w
-Martinez, M.N., Murphy, E.R., Gallagher, M.W., Woods, S.P., Arboleda-Rios, P., & Medina, L.D. (2025). The Role of Stress, Perceived Discrimination, and Skin Tone On Cognitive Performance In Puerto Rican Adults. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000740
-Gallagher, M. W., Ayers, Z. S., Murphy, E. R., & Senger, A. R. (2025). Measurement Invariance of the Adult Hope Scale across Race/Ethnicity and Gender. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 10(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-024-00207-9
-Murphy, E. R., Wippold, G. M., & Crichlow, Z. R. (2024). Socioeconomic Status, Social Support, and Quality of Life Among Black Adults. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-02204-9
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-Murphy, E. R., Brooks Stephens, J. R., Gallagher M. W., (2024). The Unique Associations Between Ethnic Discrimination, Hope, Anxiety, Depression, and Well-being in African American, Asian, and Hispanic Adults. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-023-00144-z
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-Murphy, E. R. (2023). Hope and well-being. Current Opinion in Psychology, 50, 101558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101558
-Murphy, E.R., Cox, D.J., Fisseha, F., Gunthert, K.C., (2023) Category-Specific Stress Mindsets: Beliefs about the Debilitating Versus Enhancing Effects of Specific Types of Stressors among Young Adults. Behavioral Sciences, 13(9), 709. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13090709
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-Wippold, G. M., Abshire, D. A., Garcia, K. A., Crichlow, Z., Grace Frary, S., Murphy, E. R., Frank, L., Johnson, L., Woods, T., (2023). A Community-Based Men’s Expo to Reach and Engage Men for Health Promotion. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231222766
MANUSCRIPTS UNDER REVIEW
-Murphy, E. R., Brooks, J. R., Gallagher M. W., & Walker, R. L., Racial Trauma and Well-Being; How Racism-Related Trauma Influences Well-being Among Black Adults
-Brooks Stephens, J. R., Murphy, E. R., Robinson, T. A., Arnold, E., Mims, L. C., Strengths-Based Factors That Reduce Suicide Risk for Black Youth: A Systematic Review
-Murphy, E. R., Ge, J.L., & Gallagher M. W., Hope, mindfulness, and anxiety in the context of perceived discrimination in Black young adults
-Gallagher, M.W., Murphy, E.R., & Ayers, Z., The Unique Effects of Hope and Optimism on Well-being Across Race/Ethnicity
-Reynolds, E., Brooks Stephens, J.R., Murphy, E. R., Phillips, M., & Walker, R. L., Anxiety and suicide ideation among African American and Hispanic adults: The role of grit
MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION
-Senger, A. R., OConnell, D., Murphy, E. R., Gallagher, M. W., Venta, A. C., Gratitude and Neuroticism’s Prospective Effects on PTSD Symptoms and Resilience in Latinx Adolescents
-Murphy, E. R., Ge, J.L., Senger, A. R., & Gallagher M. W., A longitudinal examination of mindfulness, neuroticism, anxiety, and depression
-Murphy, E. R., A meta-analytic review on racial and ethnic discrimination influencing PTSD symptoms among Black Americans
-Senger, A. R., Murphy, E.R., Williams, D. D., & Rech, M.E., Vulnerability and Resilience Factors Predicting Insomnia in Black and Asian Americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic
-Brooks Stephens, J. R., Murphy, E. R., & Walker, R. L., The role of individualism-collectivism in the association between anxiety and suicide ideation for Black women
BOOK CHAPTERS
- Murphy, E. R., Senger A.R., Ayers, Z, S., & Gallagher M. W. (2024), Hope and Health. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Concepts in Health, Health Behavior and Environmental Health. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-0821-5_7-1
-Gallagher M. W., Smith, L. J., Murphy, E. R., & Senger A.R., Hope in Psychology: Goal Perspective Theories. In A. Scioli & S. van den Heuvel (Eds.), Oxford Compendium of Hope Research. Oxford University Press.
CONFERENCE APPEARANCES
ORAL SYMPOSIA
Murphy, E. R., Brooks Stephens, J. R., Gallagher M. W., & Walker, R. L., (2025, August) Racial Trauma and Well-Being; How Racism-Related Stress and Trauma Influences Well-being Among Black Adults in E. Murphy (Chair) Racial Trauma and Mental Health Among Black Adults: Exploring Moderators and Treatment Implications. Symposium accepted to the 2025 Association for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Murphy, E. R., Brooks Stephens, J. R., & Gallagher M.W., (2024, November) Hope, Discrimination, Mental Health and Well-being across Asian, Hispanic, and African American Adults in the United States in J. Murphy (Chair) Examining the role of hope and self-efficacy in mental health outcomes and cognitive-behavioral treatments. Symposium presented at the 2024 Association for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Murphy, E. R., Ge, J.L., Gallagher M. W., Hope, mindfulness, and anxiety in the context of perceived discrimination in African American adults in J. Brooks Stephens (Chair) Living my Best Black Life: Psychological Outcomes, Coping, and Mechanisms of Resilience. Symposium submitted to the 2024 American Psychological Association conference. Seattle, Washington.
Brooks Stephens, J. R., Murphy, E. R., Gallagher M.W., & Walker, R. L. Racial Trauma and Mental Health: The Adaptive Role of Psychological Flexibility for Black Americans in J. Brooks Stephens (Chair) Living my Best Black Life: Psychological Outcomes, Coping, and Mechanisms of Resilience. Symposium submitted to the 2024 American Psychological Association conference. Seattle, Washington.
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Murphy, E. R., Brooks Stephens, J. R., Robinson, T. A., Gallagher, M. W. (2025, November 20-23). A meta-analytic review on racial and ethnic discrimination influencing PTSD symptoms among Black Americans. Paper presentation accepted to the 2025 Annual Convention of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Martinez M.N., Murphy, E.R., Gallagher M.W., Woods S.P., Arboleda-Rios P., Medina L.D., The Role of Stress, Perceived Discrimination, and Skin Tone On Cognitive Performance In Puerto Rican Adults. Paper accepted for presentation at the 2024 International Neuropsychological Society
​Murphy, E. R. (2025, July). Rupture & repair in cross-racial supervisory dyads [Roundtable discussion]. In K. Maple (Chair), 2025 APA Division 45 Research Conference. Ann Arbor, MI.
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Senger, A., OConnell, D., Murphy, E. R., Gallagher, M. W., Venta, A. (2025, November 20-23). Gratitude and neuroticism’s prospective effects on PTSD symptoms and resilience in Latinx adolescents Poster accepted to the 2025 Annual Convention of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Harris, A., Jernigan-Noesi, M. M., Newsome, J., Murphy, E. R., Success, S., Moore, J., (2025, August) Data-Driven Solutions for Student-Athlete Mental Health: Insights, Impact, and Implementation. Poster accepted to the 2025 American Psychological Association conference. Denver, Colorado.
Gallagher, M. W., Murphy, E. R., Senger, A. R., Ayers, Z. S., Ge, J. L. (2025, April). Hope and Depression: A meta-analytic review. Poster presented at the 2025 Annual Convention of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), Las Vegas, NV.
Murphy, E. R., Brooks, J. R., Gallagher M. W., & Walker, R. L. (2024, September) Racial Trauma adversely impacts the well-being of Black young adults. Poster presented at the 2024 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Boston, Massachusetts.
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Brooks Stephens, J. R., Murphy, E. R., Phillips, M. & Walker, R. L. (November 2023). The role of individualism-collectivism in the association between anxiety and suicide ideation for African American women. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2023 Annual Convention of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Black Americans in Research and Behavioral Therapy Special Interest Group, Seattle, Washington.
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Murphy, E. R., Brooks, J. R., Gallagher M. W., (November 2023). Hope and mindfulness as positive traits impacting subjective well-being and PTSD symptom severity in trauma-exposed African Americans. Abstract accepted at the 2023 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Los Angelos, California.
Murphy, E. R., Senger, A. R., Williams, D. D., Rech, M. E., Gallagher, M. W., (2023, May) A longitudinal examination of the impact of perceived discrimination, gratitude, and perceived stress on insomnia among Black and Asian adults impacted by Covid-19. Abstract accepted to the 2023 Association for Psychological Sciences Annual Conference. Washington, DC.
Murphy, E. R., Gallagher, M. W, (2022, November) Hope and Perceived Discrimination: Predictors of well-being and mental health outcomes in a diverse sample. Poster presented at the 56th Annual Conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. New York City, NY.
Murphy, E. R., Cox, D. J., Fisseha, F., Gunthert K. C., (2021, November). Stressor type matters in mindset research: Differential salience of stress categories in ratings of stress mindset. Poster presented at the 55th Annual Conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Virtual.
Oppliger, T. R., Carter, M., Murphy, E. R., (2021, November). Social Distancing Measures During COVID-19 and Mental Health. Poster presented at the 55th Annual Conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Virtual.
Murphy, E. R., Fisseha, F., Chue, A., Gunthert K. C., (2020, November). Depression moderates the relationship between objective sleep indicators and next-day experiences of anger. Poster presented at the 54th Annual Conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Virtual.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
PAPER PRESENTATIONS
ROUND TABLE TALKS
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