College of Arts and Sciences

Education:

• PhD, Clinical Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1979
• MA, Clinical Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1976
• BA, Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1974

Curriculum Vitae:

Research Interests:

• (Emotion-Centered) Problem-Solving Therapy
• Stress and coping
• Depression
• Suicide
• Ethics

Bio:

Dr. Nezu is the co-developer of Problem-Solving Therapy (PST), recently revised as Emotion-Centered PST (EC-PST), which is an evidenced-based psychosocial intervention that was been empirically researched and applied both nationally and internationally across multiple psychological problems and age groups. He has co-developed numerous PST/EC-PST-based treatment programs for both the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, as well as the U. S. Air Force.

He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, and previous Editor of both the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Behavior Therapist, as well as previous Associate Editor of American Psychologist and Archives of Scientific Psychology.

He is past president of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Dr. Nezu has received major awards from the following professional organizations for his contributions to the field of psychology: ABCT, the Society of Clinical Psychology, the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the American Academy of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. He also received an honorary doctoral degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lifetime/Career Achievement Awards from both ABCT and the Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association. In 2024, the ABCT recognized Dr. Nezu's distinguished legacy with its Career/Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition, an annual award for diversity doctoral research has been named in his honor by ABPP. His research has been funded by numerous federal (e.g., National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Mental Health), state (e.g., New Jersey), and private (e.g., Pew Charities Trust) agencies. He has published 26 books and over 225 journal articles and book chapters.

At Drexel, he has mentored numerous doctoral, masters, and undergraduate students. His major teaching areas are research methods, ethics, and stress management. Dr. Nezu is co-founder of Full of Possibilities, a non-profit charity that provides scholarships and skills training to young girls in Kenya.

Selected Publications:

• Nezu, C. M. & Nezu, A. M. (in press). Social problem solving, emotion-centered problem- solving therapy, and suicidality. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
• Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., Stern, J. B., & Woods, A. P. Social problem solving moderates emotion reactivity in predicting suicide ideation among college students. Journal of American College Health. Published online November 2023.
• Nezu, C. M., Nezu, A. M., Damico, J., & Gerber, H. R.  (2023). Ineffective social problem solving. In D. J. Dozois & K. S. Dobson (Eds.), Treatment of psychosocial risk factors in depression (pp. 333-358). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Beaudreau, S. A., Lutz, J., Wetherell, J. L., Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., O’Hara, R., Gould, C. E., Roelk, B., Booil Jo, B., Hernandez, B., Samarina, V., Otero, M. C., Gallagher, A., Hirsch, J., Funderburk, J., &  Pigeon, W. R. (2023). Beyond maintaining safety: Examining the benefit of emotion-centered problem solving therapy added to safety planning for reducing late life suicide risk. Contemporary Clinical Trials. Published online March 2023.
• Beaudreau, S. A., Karel, M. J., Funderburk, J. S., Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., Aspnes, A., & Wetherell, J. L. (2022). Problem-solving training for Veterans in home based primary care: An evaluation of intervention effectiveness. International Psychogeriatrics, 34, 165-176.
• Guideline Development Panel for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders (American Psychological Association). (2022). Summary of the clinical practice guideline for the treatment of depression across three age cohorts. American Psychologist, 77, 770-780. (Note I was a member of this development panel)
• Nezu, A. M. & Nezu, C. M. (2021). Emotion-centered problem-solving therapy. In A. Wenzel (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapy (pp. 463-489). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Hall, G. C. N., Berkman, E. T., Zane, N. W., Leong, F. T. L., Hwang, W. Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., Hong, J. L., Chu, J. P., & Huang, E. R. (2021). Reducing mental health disparities by increasing the personal relevance of interventions. American Psychologist, 76, 91-103.
• Nezu, A. M. (2020). When psychotherapy is not working: Ethical considerations. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 27, 417-425.
• Blanco, C., Markowitz, J., Hellerstein, D. J., Nezu, A. M., Wall, M., Oflson, M., Chen, Y., Onishi, M., Varona, C., Okuda, M., & Hershman, D. L. (2019). A randomized trial of interpersonal psychotherapy, problem-solving therapy, and supportive therapy for major depressive disorder in women with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 173, 353-364.
• Nezu, A. M., & Nezu, C. M. (2019). Emotion-centered problem-solving therapy: Treatment guidelines. New York: Springer Publishing.
• Nezu, A. M., & Nezu, C. M. (2019). Emotion-centered problem-solving therapy: Client workbook. New York: Springer Publishing.
• Nezu, C. M., Nezu, A. M., & Colosimo, M. M. (2019). A “real-life” biopsychosocial psychotherapy case. In S. Dimidjian (Ed.), Evidenced-based practice in action: Bridging clinical science and intervention (pp. 321-335). New York: Guilford.
• Applebaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E, Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report. American Psychologist, 73, 3-25.
• Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., Stern, J. B., Greenfield, A. P., Diaz, C., & Hays, A. (2017). Social problem solving moderates emotion reactivity in predicting suicide ideation among U.S. veterans. Military Behavioral Health, 5, 417-426.