Faculty Profile for Dr. Farya Phillips PhD

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Farya Phillips, Ph.D., CCLS, is a lecturer in the department of Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas State University and is the practicum and internship coordinator for their child life graduate program. She is the director of research for the Department of Health Social Work at Dell Medical School and a research assistant professor at The Institute for Collaborative Health Research and Practice at Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. She oversees multiple projects relating to psychosocial care in oncology and palliative care. Her primary research interests include adolescent and young adult cancer survivors as well as interventions for children with a parent diagnosed with cancer. She teaches Introduction to Child Life: Psychosocial Needs of Children in Healthcare, Interprofessional Education in Healthcare, Advanced Child Development, Play and Development, and Social Work in Health Care. Farya has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis on Hospitalized Children from Mills College in Oakland, California, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a certified Child Life Specialist and received her internship training at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. She has over 20 years’ experience providing psychosocial support for children and families in healthcare environments and has worked extensively with children and families dealing with chronic illness and grief. She serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology and has been an active member of the Association of Child Life Professionals where she volunteers her time at the national level to improve psychological resources provided to families dealing with healthcare challenges.