Peter Felsman

Assistant Professor of Social Work
Ph.D., University of Michigan
[email protected]
(248) 370-2822
531 Varner
Peter Felsman CV

Dr. Peter Felsman holds a Ph.D. in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan. His interdisciplinary research integrates arts and technology to address the mental health crisis. Felsman has developed a notable body of work, including the innovative use of improvisational theater to address social anxiety and uncertainty anxiety among minority adolescents. His teaching approach focuses on experiential learning, connecting theory to practical applications and fostering an engaging educational environment. Felsman is committed to community service and advocacy, particularly in anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion, making significant contributions to creating an inclusive academic community.

Research interests

Mental health, creativity, intervention research, improvisational theater, psychotherapy, clinical social work

Courses Taught

• Foundations of Generalist Practice I
• Fundamentals Social Work Practice

Selected Publications

• Voelkel, J., … Felsman, P., … Willer, R. (2024). Megastudy identifying effective interventions to strengthen Americans’ democratic attitudes. Science. 
• Weaver, A., Jacobson, M., Holzworth, J., Hall, S.V., Ross, D.M., Felsman, P., Landry, C., Whitted, R., Long, B., Al-Shamari, T., Zhang, A., & Himle, J.A. (2024). Moms & Babies Feeling Better Together: Open Pilot Outcomes of a Technology-Assisted, Entertaining, CBT-Based Depression Treatment for Low-Income Perinatal People Served by a Rural Michigan WIC Clinic. Families in Society, 10443894241281078.
• Felsman, P., Weaver, A., Segal, J., Jacobson, M., Landry, C., Crampton, K., ... & Himle, J. (2024). Doing better on dialysis: Open pilot outcomes of a technology-assisted, entertaining, CBT-based depression treatment for people with end stage kidney disease at a dialysis clinic. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 34(3), 100498.
• Katzman, J., Weiss, E., Ojeda, C., Katzman, W. & Felsman, P. (2023) A pilot experience with improvisational theater to reduce burnout in psychiatric residency. Creative Education, 14, 1094-1110. doi: 10.4236/ce.2023.145070.
• Felsman, P., Seifert, C. M., Sinco, B., & Himle, J. A. (2023). Reducing social anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty in adolescents with improvisational theater. The Arts inPsychotherapy, 82, 101985.
• Weaver, A., Zhang, A., Xiang, X., Felsman, P., Fischer, D. J., & Himle, J. A. (2023). Entertain Me Well: An entertaining, tailorable, online platform delivering CBT for depression. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 30(1), 96-115. doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2021.09.003.
• Lerner, M.D., Brown, C.E., Sridhar, A., Tschida, J.E., Felsman, P., Libsack, E.J.,Kerns, C.M., Moskowitz, L., Soorya, L., Wainer, A., Cohn, E., & Drahota, A. (2022). Usual care for youth with autism spectrum disorder: Community-based providers’ reported familiarity with treatment practices. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 923025. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.923025.
• Hauschild, K.M., Felsman, P., Keifer, C.M., & Lerner, M.D. (2020). Evidence of an own-age bias in facial emotion recognition for individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 428. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00428
• Felsman, P., Gunawardena, S., Seifert, C. M. (2020). Improv experience promotes divergent thinking, uncertainty, and affective well-being. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 35, 100632.