James J. Mazza

James J. Mazza, PhD, is Professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington, where he teaches and conducts research in the field of adolescent mental health. Dr. Mazza’s research focuses particularly on adolescent internalizing disorders, such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, exposure to violence, and, especially, suicidal behavior. His work also examines the complex relationships among adolescent mental health issues, social–emotional abilities, and academic skills through multi-tiered systems of support. Dr. Mazza has written extensively on how to identify youth who are at risk for suicidal behavior, as well as on how to develop social–emotional learning (SEL) curricula to help all students learn emotion regulation skills. He has worked with over 30 school districts and thousands of school personnel in developing and implementing comprehensive school-based suicide identification and prevention strategies for adolescents. Dr. Mazza also provides consultation and training to school personnel internationally on implementing DBT STEPS-A in schools, on developing mental health intervention services within multi-tiered systems of support, and on integrating SEL curricula as a part of a school system’s role in educating the whole child. He is the coowner of a private practice in Seattle, Washington.