Christine Maguth Nezu, PhD, ABPP
Professor, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Professor, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Education:
- PhD, Clinical Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1987
- MA, Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1981
- BS, Fine Arts/Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1977
How I Make a Difference in Psychotherapy Research and Serving the Community
Christine Maguth Nezu, PhD, and her collaborators make a difference by developing effective psychotherapy interventions. The treatment they co-developed, Emotion-Centered Problem-Solving Therapy (EC-PST), is a brief, practical, and user-friendly treatment for diverse problems and populations. It is currently available to Veterans across the country managing stressful life problems and through in-person, computer, and iPhone formats. EC-PST has been adopted by the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Defense as an evidence-based program. EC-PST has also been translated into user-friendly materials and a video animation series to reduce the risk of depression and anxiety in Kenyan women in secondary school. Additionally, Dr. Nezu provides invaluable assistance to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as mental health challenges who are involved in the court system.
Research Interests:
- Emotion-Centered Problem Solving Therapy
- Clinical Case Formulation
- Psychotherapy Training & Supervision
- Adaptive Functioning in Adults with Intellectual Disability
- Suicide Risk Reduction
Bio:
Christine Maguth Nezu, PhD, is an award-winning professor of psychological and brain sciences and a professor of medicine. She is a past president of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Society for Clinical Psychology). An internationally recognized clinician, she has maintained her clinical practice for 35 years, and was a clinical supervisor for many Drexel PhD students in training. She is a editorial board member for the Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, a past editorial board member of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and an American Psychologist. Dr. Nezu has received awards from numerous university and professional organizations, including the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association. Other noteworthy awards include the 2015 Russell J. Bent Distinguished Service and Contributions to the American Board of Professional Psychology Award and the 2016 Outstanding Contribution by an Individual for Education and Training Activities Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). ABCT also spotlighted her work as one of a small number of elite “pioneers” of behavioral and cognitive therapy.
She is best known for her work as the co-developer of Emotion-Centered Problem-Solving Therapy (EC-PST), a clinical intervention designated by numerous professional organizations and professional treatment guidelines as an evidenced-based, trans-diagnostic psychotherapy approach. She co-developed a PST-based therapy program for the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), implemented across the U.S. As a consultant to the U.S. Air Force, she co-developed a problem-solving skills training program.
In addition to the professional leadership roles described above, Professor Nezu has held several other positions in various private and professional organizations, including Director of Training for an APA-accredited Internship/Residency program (Hahnemann University Hospital), Associate Provost for Research (MCP and Hahnemann University), Board Member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Deputy Chair of the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, and Board Member of the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy. She has published over 150 journal articles, book chapters, and 23 books., including publications translated into various foreign languages.
The National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Justice, the DVA, the DoD, the U.S. Air Force, the Philadelphia Department of Mental Health, and the Pew Charities Trust supported Nezu’s clinical research collaboration and program development activities. She held honorary and visiting faculty appointments in Japan and the United Kingdom and has presented numerous invited workshops worldwide. Her current clinical and research interests involve suicide treatment and prevention, clinical case formulation, and integrative psychotherapy. Because of her expertise and significant background in researching, assessing, and treating clinical syndromes and adaptive functioning in persons with intellectual disability, Dr. Nezu is a frequent expert witness to the court system.
In 2022, Dr. Nezu co-founded a 501C3 charity, Full of Possibiities, Inc., to provide educational, psychological, and emotional resources to educate young African women.
Selected Publications:
Recent Books
Nezu, C. M., Martell, C. R., & Nezu, A. M. (2014). Specialty competencies in cognitive and behavioral psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Nezu, C. M., & Nezu, A. M. (Eds.). (2016). The Oxford handbook of cognitive and behavioral therapies. Oxford Library of Psychology Series. New York: Oxford University Press.
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.
Recent Book Chapters
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.
Nezu, A. M., & Nezu, C. M., & Hays, A. M. (2019). Emotion-centered problem-solving therapy. In
K. Dobson & D. Dozois (Eds.). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (4th ed.; pp. 171- 190). New York: Guilford.
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.
Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., Gerber, H. R., & Damico, J. Emotion-centered problem-solving therapy. Andersson (Ed.), Comprehensive clinical psychology (2nd ed., vol 6, pp.129-139). New York: Elsevier.
Nezu, C. M., Nezu, A. M., Damico, J., & Geber, 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.
Recent Peer-reviewed Jounal Publications
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.
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(2), 165-176.
Colosimo, M. M., Nezu, C. M., Nezu, F. M., & Nezu, A. M. (2022). Social problem solving as a predictor of chronic prostatitis symptomology. Psychology, Health, and Medicine. Published online October 20, 2022.
Nezu, C. M., & Damico, J. L. (2022). A special need for case formulation for persons with special needs. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 29(3), 272–274.
Beaudreau, S. A., Lutz, J., Wetherell, J. L., Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., O'Hara, R., ... & 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