Dr. Brennan Peterson

Dr. Brennan Peterson

Professor
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology
Expertise: Infertility, Fertility Counseling, Couples;
Office Location: Crean Hall 140 (501 W. Palm Ave)
Office Hours: By appointment
Phone: (714) 744-7915
Scholarly Works:
Digital Commons
Education:
Brigham Young University, Bachelor of Science
Virginia Tech, Master of Science
Virginia Tech, Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Brennan Peterson is a professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy.  He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Chapman University for 20 years and is a licensed marriage and family therapist.  He researches the mental health implications of infertility and counseling interventions for couples experiencing fertility treatment. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, which have been cited over 4,500 times.  He has presented his work in the United States, Israel, Canada, Europe, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.   

Teaching

  • PSY 355 Diversity in Family Relationships
  • MFT 541 MFT Theories I
  • MFT 556 MFT Theories II
  • MFT 561 Couple Therapy
  • MFT 584 Trauma Informed Treatment
  • MFT 610 Family Life Cycle and Aging
  • MFT 694 Clinical Supervision

Research

Dr. Peterson studies the mental health implications of infertility.  He is a member of the Copenhagen Multi-Centre Psychosocial Infertility (COMPI) Research Program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.  He also collaborates with researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, Yale University Medical School, the University of Porto in Portugal, Uppsala University in Sweden, the London Health Sciences Centre in Canada, the University of Hong Kong, and with members of the special interest group in psychology and counseling of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Selected Presentations

Peterson, B. & Klevan, M. (2023 - invited speaker).  Working with couples with infertility.  10th Annual Jefferson Infertility Conference.  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

Peterson, B. (2022 – invited speaker).  Men and infertility: Biomedical, psychosocial, and cultural challenges.  9th Annual Jefferson Infertility Conference.  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Peterson, B. (2021).  Gender, religion, culture and social class: Part I - Global applications.  Symposium: Considering Culture in Research and Practice (CRP).  Presented to Ph.D. Social Work students at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. 

Duraskova, G., & Peterson, B. (2020).  Posttraumatic growth in women with a long-standing experience of involuntary childlessness.  European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Peterson, B. (2019). The male perspective of patient care and fertility counseling.  Fertility Society of Australia, Annual Conference, The Devil is in the Detail.  Hobart, Tasmania.   

Peterson, B. (2018). Coping with infertility: an unexpected barrier in the transition to parenthood.  Israel Science Foundation:  Pathways and barriers to the transition to parenthood.  Bar Illan University, Tel Aviv, Israel. 

Peterson, B. (2017).  Fertility knowledge and awareness among obstetricians and gynecologists.  European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual Meeting Pre-Congress: Fertility Awareness. Geneva, Switzerland. 

Peterson, B.  (2016).  Using gender differences as a resource in fertility counseling for couples.  European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Campus Workshop. Vienna, Austria. 

Peterson, B., Yu, L., Boehm, J., Hodgson, A., Inhorn, M., & Patrizio, P. (2016).  Initiating patient discussions about oocyte cryopreservation: Attitudes of obstetrics and gynecology resident physicians.  3rd European Congress on Preconception Health and Care, Uppsala, Sweden.

Peterson, B. (2015).  Fertility counseling for couples.  Infertility in Global Perspective: Psychosocial aspects in research and clinical practice, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.  

Peterson, B.D., Sejbaek, C., Pirritano, M., & Schmidt, L. (2013).  Depressive symptoms and infertility: Actor and partner effects.  5th Meeting of the Copenhagen Multi-Centre Psychosocial Infertility (COMPI) Research Programme.  University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Peterson, B.D. (2012).  Family Planning Intentions and Fertility Awareness and U.S. Undergraduates.  1st Annual International Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics Advances in Women’s Health. Guangzhou, China.

Peterson, B.D. (2010). Using typical gender differences as a resource in couple counseling.  European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Symposium - Raising Competence in Psychosocial Care. Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

Peterson, B.D., Pirritano, M., Christensen, U., Boivin, J., Block, J., & Schmidt, L. (2009).  The longitudinal impact of partner coping in couples following five years of unsuccessful fertility treatments.  25th Annual Meeting European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).  Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Awards and Honors

Chapman University Faculty Excellence Award (2023).  Presented at the Annual Faculty Awards Ceremony.  Chapman University, Orange, CA. 

ESHRE Clinical Science Award (2009).  European Society for Human Reproductive and Embryology 25th Annual Meeting, Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Presented to the Top Oral Presentation. The longitudinal impact of partner coping in couples following 5 years of unsuccessful fertility treatments.

ASRM Prize Paper (2001).  American Society for Reproductive Medicine Mental Health Professional Group (MHPG).  Orlando, Florida.  Examining the congruence between couples’ infertility-related stress and its relationship to depression and marital adjustment in infertile men and women.

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

Petok, B., & Peterson, B. (2023). The male experience with fertility and counseling: Addressing the needs of diverse populations. In S. Covington (Ed.), Fertility counseling: Case studies. (2nd ed, pp.83-87). Cambridge University Press
Peterson, B., & Koser, K. (2023). Fertility counseling for couples. In S. Covington (Ed.), Fertility counseling: Clinical guide (2nd ed., pp. 49-58). Cambridge University Press.
Peterson, B., Petok, B. (2023). The male experience with fertility and counseling: Addressing the needs of diverse populations. In S. Covington (Ed.), Fertility counseling: Clinical guide. (2nd ed., pp. 153-161). Cambridge University Press.
Duraskova, G., & Peterson, B. (2022). Posttraumatic growth in women with a long-standing experience of involuntary childlessness in the Czech Republic. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1-22.
Peterson, B., Fitzmaurice, L., Boehm, J., Bendix, B. (2022). Pilot study evaluating a 12-h mindfulness-based curriculum for OB/GYN residents. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 48, 1-6.
Shreffler, K.M., Gallus, K.L., Peterson, B., & Greil, A.L. (2020). Couples and infertility. In Wampler, K.S. & Blow, A.J. (Eds.) The handbook of systemic family therapy, Volume 3 Systemic family therapy with couples (pp. 385-406). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Place, J.M., Peterson, B., Horton, B., & Sanchez, M. (2020). Fertility awareness and parenting intentions among Mexican undergraduate and graduate university students. Human Fertility. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647273.2020.1817577
Peterson, B. Crothers, R. (2019). Infertility. In J. J. Ponzettti (Ed.) Macmillan encyclopedia of families, marriages, and intimate relationships. Macmillian, USA.
Peterson, B., & Place, J.M. (2019). The experience of infertility: An unexpected barrier in the transition to parenthood. In O.T. Ben-Ari (Ed.) Pathways and barriers to parenthood: Existential concerns regarding fertility, pregnancy, and early parenthood (pp. 19-37). Switzerland: Springer.
Peterson, B. (2019). The complex relationship between celebrity-driven magazines and depictions of fertility at advanced reproductive ages. Journal of Women’s Health, doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2019.7923.
Peterson, B., Gordon, C., Boehm, J., Inhorn, M., & Patrizio, P. (2018). Initiating patient discussions about oocyte cryopreservation: Attitudes of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) resident physicians. Reproductive BioMedicine & Society Online, 6, 72-79.
Peterson, B.D. (2018). Five myths about infertility. The Washington Post. June 22, 2018.
Peterson, B. (2017). A validated measure for fertility awareness: an essential step towards informed reproductive decision-making. Fertility & Sterility.
Yu, L., Peterson, B., Inhorn, M. C., Boehm, J. K., & Patrizio, P. (2016). Knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward fertility awareness and oocyte cryopreservation among obstetrics and gynecology resident physicians. Human Reproduction, 31, 403-411.
Martins, M. V., Basto-Pereira, M., Pedro, J., Peterson, B., Almeida, V., Schmidt, L., & Costa, M. E. (2016). Male psychological adaptation to unsuccessful medically assisted reproduction treatments: A systematic review. Human Reproduction Update.
Peterson, B. (2015). Fertility counseling for couples. In Fertility counseling: Clinical guide and case studies. S. Covington, Ed. Cambridge University Press, pg. 60-74.
Petersen, G., Belnstrup, L.T., Peterson, B.D., Knudsen, L.B., & Schmidt, L. (2015). Childlessness’ impact on life among infertile couples and attitudes towards continuation of medically assisted reproduction and/or adoption. Human Fertility, 18, 121-127.
Chan, C., Chan, T., Peterson, B., Lampic, C., Tam, M. (2015). Intentions and attitudes towards parenthood and fertility awareness among Chinese university students in Hong Kong: A comparison with Western samples. Human Reproduction, 30, 364-372.
Greil, A.L., Schmidt, L., & Peterson, B.D. (2014). Understanding and treating adjustment to infertility. The Oxford Handbook of Perinatal Psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pages 1-30. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780 199778072.013.007
Martins, M.V., Costa, P., Peterson, B.D., Costa, M.E., & Schmidt, L. (2014). Marital stability and repartnering: infertility-related stress trajectories of unsuccessful fertility treatment. Fertility & Sterility, 102, 1716-1722.
Peterson, B.D., Sejbaek, C., Pirritano, M., & Schmidt, L. (2013). Are severe depressive symptoms associated with infertility-related distress in individuals and their partners? Human Reproduction, 29, 76-82.
Martins, M.V., Peterson, B.D., Costa, P., Costa, M.E., Lund, R. & Schmidt, L. (2013). Interactive effects of social support and disclosure on fertility-related stress. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30, 71-88.
Martins, M. V., Peterson, B, D., Almeida, V., Mesquita-Guimarães, J. & Costa, M.E. (2013). Dyadic dynamics of perceived social support in couples facing infertility. Human Reproduction, 23, 83-90.
Peterson, B.D., Boivin, J., Norre, J., Smith, C., Thorn, P., & Wischmann, T. (2012). An introduction to infertility counseling: A guide for mental health and medical professionals. Journal of Reproduction and Genetics. Doi 10.1007/s10815-011-9701.
Peterson, B.D., Pirritano, M., Tucker, L., & Lampic. (2012). Fertility awareness and parenting attitudes among American male and female undergraduate university students. Human Reproduction, 27, 1375-1382.
Peterson, B.D. & Eifert, G.H. (2011). Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to treat infertility stress. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 18, 577-587.
Martins, M.V., Peterson, B.D., Almeida, V., & Costa, M.E. (2011). Direct and indirect effects of perceived social support on women’s infertility-stress. Human Reproduction, 26, 2113-2121.
Peterson, B.D., Pirritano, M., Block, J., & Schmidt, L. (2011). Marital benefit and coping strategies in men and women undergoing unsuccessful fertility treatments over a 5-year period. Fertility & Sterility, 95, 1759-1763.

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