ABCT 57th Annual Convention Banner Cultivating Joy with CBT Seattle 2023

Friday, November 21 | 10:15 AM- 11:15 AM

 

ABCT Lifetime Achievement Award Talk:

Reflections About the Future: Cautionary Tales and Food for Thought

Arthur M Nezu, Ph.D., DHL, ABPP, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Drexel University

Participants earn 1 continuing education credit

Categories: Treatment — CBT

Keywords: Clinical decision making, evidence-based practice

All levels of familiarity with the material.

Dr. Nezu is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus (Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University), and the recipient of numerous honors, including two Lifetime/Career Achievement Awards, an honorary doctoral degree, and designation by ABCT as a “CBT-Pioneer.” Additionally, an annual award given for diversity dissertation research was named after him by the American Board of Professional Psychology. As a clinician, he co-developed the evidence-based Problem-Solving Therapy (newly revised as Emotion-Centered Problem-Solving Therapy) and has trained thousands of mental health professionals in this and other CBT interventions. He also co-developed Moving Forward, a program geared to foster resilience among Veteran and Active-Duty populations, currently implemented as face-to-face protocols and as a web-based course.

As a scholar and researcher, Dr. Nezu published hundreds of journal articles and book chapters, and 26 books and has presented myriads of papers, invited addresses, webinars, and workshops worldwide. His research has been funded by NCI, NIMH, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the U. S. Air Force, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Editorial appointments include current Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, previous Editor of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Behavior Therapist, and previous Associate Editor of American Psychologist and Archives of Scientific Psychology. Professional activities include Past President of both AABT (now ABCT) and the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and Head of the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies. In addition, Dr. Nezu was a member of multiple APA groups: Board of Scientific Affairs, Clinical Practice Guidelines Panel for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders, Task Force to Revise the Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS-Quantitative Research), Task Force to Revise the Publication Manual (7th ed.), and the Presidential Advisory Work Group on the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice in Health Service Psychology.      

“I believe that a significant reason I received this exceptional honor involves my work as a major co-developer and researcher of Problem-Solving Therapy (recently revised as Emotion-Centered PST). However, rather than discuss its evolution and my recent work regarding its relevance for suicide prevention and treatment, I decided to focus on a more meta topic– the future of behavioral and cognitive therapies (BCT) based on my 45+ years as a BCT-oriented clinician and researcher. While simultaneously acknowledging (and heralding) all the progress and positive aspects of BCT, I often contemplate about the following critical questions:

(a) Is there too much research being conducted (e.g., too many journals, too many retractions, proliferation of predatory journals, concerns about quality versus quantity)?

(b) Is there not enough research (i.e., important studies that focus on improving our understanding of the limitations and failures of BCT, why people drop out of BCT treatment, why people refuse to engage in BCT, the long-term effects of BCT, the generalizability of BCT, the importance of therapist competence/expertise regarding both case formulation and treatment implementation)?

(c) Is BCT too focused on individual “deficiencies? (e.g., does it tend to ignore social determinants of behavior, are we forgetting the “whole” person)?

(d) are current measures of efficacy sufficient (i.e., what about measuring adverse/negative effects)?

(e) is affect always only a dependent variable (should an “A” be included in BAC—the problem of construct validity)?

(f) should there be more social justice targets for CBT interventions to foster (e.g., how to increase behaviors that combat climate change, prevent domestic violence, decrease political violence)? and

(g) what is the role of ethics? From a problem-solving therapy perspective, I believe that when we avoid identifying potential difficulties, we also avoid making needed changes.

I pose these questions to hopefully engender “food for thought.”

Outline:

  1. Rationale for content of talk—looking to the future to discuss “food for thought”
  2. Limitations of BCT
  3. Importance of social determinants of behavior
  4. Need to identify adverse/negative effects
  5. Is affect only a dependent variable?
  6. Identify “social justice” targets for change
  7. Role of ethics

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. Describe at least one current limitation of BCT
  2. Explain why assessing all negative effects of BCT is important
  3. Explain why critical thinking training is important

Recommended Readings:

Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2025). Failures in cognitive behavior therapy: The state of the art. Current Opinion in Psychology. https:doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102122.

Nezu, A. M. (2020). When psychotherapy is not working: Ethical considerations. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 27(4), 417-425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2020.05.006

Nezu, A. M. (2025). My approach to psychotherapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 1-6. Published online May 20, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-025-09678-6.