School of Psychology
Daniel Spina
  • 513-745-3145
  • 306 Elet Hall
  • ML 6511

Dr. Daniel Spina

Assistant Professor, School of Psychology

Dr. Spina is an assistant professor of psychology at Xavier University. He earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Penn State University and completed his predoctoral internship at Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center in New York City. His clinical training and scholarly interests focus on psychodynamic psychotherapy, particularly the treatment of personality disorders, as well as personality assessment. His research emphasizes psychotherapy process and outcome. Specifically, he examines the therapy relationship and reflective functioning as processes underlying therapeutic change, and has co-developed observer-rated methods for assessing the Real Relationship. He is also interested in therapist effects in the treatment of borderline personality disorder, and the dissemination and availability of evidence-based treatments.

Teaching

  • PSYC 731 Intervention: Psychodynamics
  • PSYC 301 History and Systems of Psychology

Representative Publications

Spina, D. S., Aafjes van-Doorn, K., Bekes, V., & Loffler-Stastka, H. (2025). The Real Relationship and Countertransference in the treatment of depression: Comparing three treatments in the Munich Psychotherapy Study. Counseling Psychology Quarterly 38(4), 1019-1037.

Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Spina, D. S., Horne, S., Gorman, B. S., Waldron, S., & Stukenberg, K.   (2025). Measuring Personality Change in Psychoanalytic Treatments: Opportunities for the Use of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 42(2), 106-111.

Békés, V., Spina, D. S., Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Gorman, B. S., Stukenberg, K., & Waldron S. (2025). Development of a new observer-rated measure to assess the real relationship in psychotherapy sessions. Psychotherapy Research 35(5), 807–817.  

Notsu, H., Blansfield, R. E., Spina, D. S., & Levy, K. N. (2025). An updated meta-analysis of the relation between adult attachment style and working alliance. Psychotherapy Research, 35(5), 721–734.

Spina, D. S., & Levy, K. N. (2023). The availability of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in partial hospitalization and residential services for borderline personality disorder: an exploratory longitudinal study of the National Mental Health Services Survey from 2014-2021. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 92(3), 176–186.

Spina, D. S., Aafjes-van Doorn, K., & Békés, V. (2023). A Psychotherapy Process Q-sort prototype for the Real Relationship. Psychotherapy Research 34(4), 449-460.

Levy, K. N., & Spina, D. S. (2022). The centrality of a representation-based framework for   understanding the emotional underpinnings of personality pathology: A commentary on “The emotional underpinnings of personality pathology: Implications for psychotherapy.” Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 29(3), 287–290.

  • 513-745-3145
  • 306 Elet Hall
  • ML 6511
Dr. Spina is an assistant professor of psychology at Xavier University. He earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Penn State University and completed his predoctoral internship at Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center in New York City. His clinical training and scholarly interests focus on psychodynamic psychotherapy, particularly the treatment of personality disorders, as well as personality assessment. His research emphasizes psychotherapy process and outcome. Specifically, he examines the therapy relationship and reflective functioning as processes underlying therapeutic change, and has co-developed observer-rated methods for assessing the Real Relationship. He is also interested in therapist effects in the treatment of borderline personality disorder, and the dissemination and availability of evidence-based treatments.

Teaching

  • PSYC 731 Intervention: Psychodynamics
  • PSYC 301 History and Systems of Psychology

Representative Publications

Spina, D. S., Aafjes van-Doorn, K., Bekes, V., & Loffler-Stastka, H. (2025). The Real Relationship and Countertransference in the treatment of depression: Comparing three treatments in the Munich Psychotherapy Study. Counseling Psychology Quarterly 38(4), 1019-1037.

Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Spina, D. S., Horne, S., Gorman, B. S., Waldron, S., & Stukenberg, K.   (2025). Measuring Personality Change in Psychoanalytic Treatments: Opportunities for the Use of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 42(2), 106-111.

Békés, V., Spina, D. S., Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Gorman, B. S., Stukenberg, K., & Waldron S. (2025). Development of a new observer-rated measure to assess the real relationship in psychotherapy sessions. Psychotherapy Research 35(5), 807–817.  

Notsu, H., Blansfield, R. E., Spina, D. S., & Levy, K. N. (2025). An updated meta-analysis of the relation between adult attachment style and working alliance. Psychotherapy Research, 35(5), 721–734.

Spina, D. S., & Levy, K. N. (2023). The availability of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in partial hospitalization and residential services for borderline personality disorder: an exploratory longitudinal study of the National Mental Health Services Survey from 2014-2021. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 92(3), 176–186.

Spina, D. S., Aafjes-van Doorn, K., & Békés, V. (2023). A Psychotherapy Process Q-sort prototype for the Real Relationship. Psychotherapy Research 34(4), 449-460.

Levy, K. N., & Spina, D. S. (2022). The centrality of a representation-based framework for   understanding the emotional underpinnings of personality pathology: A commentary on “The emotional underpinnings of personality pathology: Implications for psychotherapy.” Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 29(3), 287–290.