About

James Mazza is a professor at the University of Washington College of Education with a research focus broadly on adolescent mental health issues, particularly internalizing disorders such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, exposure to violence, and suicidal behavior. His work emphasizes understanding the complex relationships between mental health problems and academic difficulties, disciplinary issues, and social-emotional abilities in youth. Mazza's research centers on a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) that advocates for school-based mental health services and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs for all students. Currently, his research involves the development and evaluation of a social-emotional regulation curriculum called Skills Training for Emotional Problem-Solving for Adolescents (STEPS-A), which is designed at the universal level to help middle and high school students learn adaptive coping strategies and decision-making skills. This curriculum is based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and utilizes its skills component. Mazza is engaged in a multi-year project examining the implementation and outcomes of STEPS-A in school settings, with plans to focus on this research for the next 5 to 10 years. Beyond this, he investigates the impact of cyberbullying, social media, and exposure to community violence on PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior among youth, exploring how technological and social changes influence mental health and intervention strategies.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychotherapist
• Computer Science
• Clinical psychology
• Medical education
• Psychology
• Applied psychology
• Psychiatry
• Social psychology
• Pedagogy

Selected publications

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills in Schools

  2025-12-02

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract This chapter focuses on mindfulness as it relates to school-based settings and uses the framework of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to describe the different components of mindfulness-based practices. Additionally, this chapter highlights related skills and strategies that are taught within a universal (school-wide) curriculum designed for middle and high school students: DBT Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A). This chapter also integrates current research in the area of mindfulness through a school-based DBT lens, showing how mindfulness skills are essential in providing the foundation for the acquisition of other DBT skills. Finally, this chapter discusses current gaps in the field regarding school-based mindfulness research as well as limitations and barriers related to using mindfulness from a DBT perspective.

  PublisherDOI

• Suicidal Behavior

  2024-09-26

  book-chapterSenior author

  Youth suicidal behavior is a disturbing, pervasive, and challenging public health problem. Suicide is the 2nd-leading cause of death among young people, and youth who exhibit non-lethal forms of suicidal behavior (e.g., suicidal ideation; making suicide plans; suicide attempts) experience substantial emotional distress. Research indicates that the most effective interventions for suicidal behavior are derived from cognitive-behavioral models. In recent years, brief cognitive-behavior therapy (BCBT) has shown to be an effective treatment for suicidal behavior in adults as well as adolescents. Given its brevity (typically 12 sessions), it would especially appear to have wide applicability in schools. The theoretical underpinnings of BCBT are discussed, as well as its empirical support, treatment components, session structure, case conceptualization, progress monitoring, and a case study for school-based mental health professionals working with suicidal youth in schools. A school-based social, emotional, and learning (SEL) curriculum, based on cognitive-behavioral principles, is also briefly described. School-based mental health professionals who wish to provide psychotherapeutic services for youth exhibiting suicidal behavior may find BCBT to be a useful treatment option.

  PublisherDOI

• Delivering comprehensive school‐based dialectical behavior therapy (CSB‐DBT)

  Psychology in the Schools · 2023-03-06 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract This manuscript provides a detailed examination of comprehensive school‐based dialectical behavior therapy (CSB‐DBT) as a critical component to the DBT services continuum provided in schools. Because suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents along with increased prevalence of self‐harming behavior, schools often find themselves thrust into the role of mental health providers especially around the issues of emotion regulation. Yet school personnel are often not formally trained to provide adequate services to these at‐risk students. This gap is filled by the implementation of CSB‐DBT. DBT is an evidence‐based, transdiagnostic treatment that has been adapted by Miller and Rathus for adolescents with a range of mental health difficulties characterized by emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Comprehensive DBT adapted for implementation in school‐based settings consists of four modes: Individual counseling, group skills training, in‐school coaching, and DBT provider consultation team. A fifth mode, caregiver involvement is encouraged, to the extent possible. Each mode will be explained in further detail along with the adaptation rationale that makes it distinct for school‐based application. Finally, discussion of implementation strategies, barriers, and support will be examined as important components for successfully integrating CSB‐ DBT.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Pilot study of an undergraduate college course to support student mental health: Wellness and resilience for college and beyond

  Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy · 2023 · 4 citations

  • Psychology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Medical education
  PublisherDOI

• A multisite, quasiexperimental trial of a college course to support student mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic

  Journal of Clinical Psychology · 2023-08-14 · 2 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of a three-credit college Wellness and Resilience Course (WRC) for improving student mental health and well-being outcomes in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHOD: Undergraduate students aged 18-24 years old on five campuses in Western Pennsylvania or West Virginia who had either enrolled in the WRC (n = 81) or were attending university as usual (i.e., not enrolled in the WRC; n = 171) participated in surveys at baseline (beginning of semester), end of semester, and 3-month follow-up during the Spring and Fall 2020 semesters. RESULTS: Overall, students rated the WRC as acceptable, appropriate, and feasible. From baseline to the end of semester, students who received the WRC reported significant improvements in psychological flexibility (d = 0.30), mindfulness (d = 0.42), distress tolerance (d = 0.36), and use of dysfunctional and adaptive coping skills (d = 0.32), compared with students who did not receive the WRC. At follow-up, all gains remained statistically significant and students who received the WRC additionally reported significant improvements in stress (d = 0.44) and life satisfaction (d = 0.35) compared with students who did not receive the WRC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer preliminary evidence that college courses focused on mental wellness may be an important component of campus strategies to increase universal access to mental health support and skills. This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov on April 8, 2020.

  PublisherDOI

• Trends in Secondary School Practices Related to Violence Prevention, 2012‐2018

  Journal of School Health · 2022-05-17 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Schools are important venues for addressing interpersonal violence among youth. However, it is unclear to what extent school violence prevention practices have been implemented across states and over time. This study examined trends in the percentage of US secondary schools that engaged in practices related to violence prevention (eg, bullying, fighting, dating violence) across 33 states. METHODS: With representative data from 4 waves (2012-2018) of School Health Profiles, we used logistic regression to examine change over time of 5 practices related to violence prevention in school-based settings: professional development for health education teachers (received and would like to receive); increasing student knowledge; and teaching healthy and respectful relationships in grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. RESULTS: Two practices had rates of adoption >90% across years (tried to increase student knowledge on violence prevention and taught healthy and respectful relationship in grades 9-12). Adoption of professional development on violence prevention for health education teachers was lowest (53%-61% across years). For all practices, most states experienced no change in the percentage of schools implementing violence prevention practices from 2012 to 2018. CONCLUSION: Education about healthy relationships in middle school and professional development on violence prevention for health education teachers are needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) in a Low-Income School

  School Mental Health · 2021 · 21 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Psychology
  • Medical education
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Research of dialectical behavior therapy in schools

  Elsevier eBooks · 2020-01-01 · 3 citations

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Adolescent Suicidal Behavior in Schools: What to Know and What to Do

  Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2020-09-22 · 1 citations

  book-chapterOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  A Toolkit for Schools | ii

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Performance Boost Scheme with Activated Dummy Fin in 12-nm FinFET Technology for High-Performance Logic Application

  2020-03-01

  articleSenior author

  This paper demonstrates performance enhancement with activated dummy fins based on a 12-nm FinFET technology definition for high-performance logic module design. The proposed scheme uses a double-height cell structure with two additional active fins enabled compared to traditional single-height cell stacking. The increase in total active fins in the proposed scheme results in higher effective transistor density and better cell performance. Through Design and Technology Co-Optimization, the parasitic capacitance of these proposed cells can be further decreased, with a NAND <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$2\times 4$</tex> cell yielding about 20% lower parasitic capacitance per fin compared to a traditional single-height cell. The proposed scheme shows the highest efficacy for gate-dominant and complex module designs like CPUs.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• David N. Miller

  13 shared

• Richard F. Catalano

  10 shared

• Kevin P. Haggerty

  University of Washington

  9 shared

• Charles B. Fleming

  Cisco College

  8 shared

• William M. Reynolds

  7 shared

• Elizabeth T. Dexter‐Mazza

  Seattle Public Schools

  6 shared

• Carla D. Chugani

  Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

  6 shared

• Tracy W. Harachi

  University of Washington

  6 shared