My name is Nikolaos Kazantzis, and I am a British clinical psychologist, researcher, and editor. I am the founder and director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Research Unit, which is dedicated to providing clinicians with evidence-based guidance to optimize the practice of Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Contact for consultations
It has been my privilege to work as a clinical psychologist across practice, research, and training contexts for over two decades. All of my work is grounded in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), the most evidence-based psychological therapy underpinned by the idea that perception creates reality. In a clinical context, this means that unwanted thoughts, emotional distress, unhelpful habits, and behaviors can be understood as the products of life experiences, rather than as permanent characteristics of a person.
New learning is always possible.
I am fortunate to collaborate with leading scientists, practitioners, and educators from Asia, Australia, Canada, England, Europe, and the United States of America. Each of us is a clinician first and a researcher second. We never lose sight of the privileged position we have in supporting a person one-on-one in the consultation room. Everything we do is about optimizing therapy practice.
Education
After attending The Vaughan in London, England, I earned a Bachelor’s degree with First Class Honours in Psychology, followed by a Master’s degree with Distinction and a Ph.D. in Psychology. I then completed postdoctoral training in the United States, including advanced training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy under the mentorship of Dr. Aaron T. Beck and Dr. Judith S. Beck at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia. Additionally, I undertook a year-long supervised practicum under the guidance of Dr. Cory Newman (Center for Cognitive Therapy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania) and postdoctoral studies in research at Harvard University.
Academic
Throughout my career, I have held clinical positions across public health sectors, including inpatient, outpatient, and community mental health, as well as in private practice, primarily within primary care. Concurrently, I pursued an academic trajectory, advancing from Lecturer (2000) to Senior Lecturer (2004), Associate Professor (2014), and ultimately Full Professor (2019). During my tenure at Monash University, one of Australia’s prestigious “Group of Eight” universities, I led the development and implementation of a new Ph.D. Clinical Psychology Training Program as the Director of Clinical Psychology Training. My time at Monash was both preceded and followed by roles as Director of Clinical Psychology Training at other Australian universities. In 2021, I was honored with an offer of employment and relocation from the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia, USA, alongside an Adjunct Professorial position in Monash University’s Department of Psychiatry. However, I chose to retire from the academic component of my career to focus on private consulting practice and research in Melbourne, Australia.
Research
Editorial Appointments
Training & Workshops
Awards & Recognition
I am the Founding Director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Research Unit (CBTRU), based in Melbourne, Australia. Under my leadership, the CBTRU team has developed innovative conceptual models and measures that have secured multiple grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). This research has resulted in over 200 publications in scholarly journals and six books designed for clinicians. The impact of our work is widely recognized by the international scientific and practice communities. Notably, in 2019, the American Psychological Association (APA) honored our team with the Top Downloaded Paper Award for producing the most downloaded article across all 89 APA journals, selected from a pool of more than 4,500 articles.
I have had the privilege of contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge through my editorial leadership in several esteemed journals. Most recently, I served as Editor-in-Chief of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (2021–2024), widely regarded as the world’s premier journal for CBT practice, published by Elsevier and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) in New York. Concurrently, I served as Guest Editor for notable publications including Cognitive Therapy and Research, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Journal of Clinical Psychology, and the internationally acclaimed Psychotherapy Research.
Prior to this, I held Editor-in-Chief positions at Australian Psychologist and the New Zealand Journal of Psychology. My editorial portfolio also includes roles as Associate Editor for the British Journal of Clinical Psychology and Cognitive Therapy and Research, as well as Guest Editor for a total of 19 special issues in scientific journals.
From 2019 to 2024, I also led SpringerNature’s CBT: Science into Practice book series as its Editor. Under my leadership, this New York-based series achieved the distinction of publishing 21 volumes, forming the most comprehensive collection of books on Cognitive Behavior Therapy ever developed globally.
It has been an honor to consult with the Australian Psychological Society in developing clinical practice guidelines and national CBT training programs for Australian psychologists, which have successfully trained over 10,000 professionals to date.
Additionally, I have greatly valued the opportunity to connect with psychologists and psychiatrists globally through workshops and conference presentations. These engagements have taken me to 23 countries, allowing me to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and contribute to the advancement of mental health practice worldwide.
First Class Honors in Psychology
Masters Degree Awarded with Distinction
Research Medal and Nomination as Lecturer of the Year (2004, Massey University)
Australian Association for Cognitive Behavior Therapy Early Career Award (2004)
American Psychological Association Monitor Feature Article (2005)
New Zealand Psychological Society Commendation for Excellent Service as NZJP Editor (2008)
Beck Institute Scholar Award (2012)
Fellow, Australian Psychological Society (2016)
Deputy Chair, World Congress of CBT (2016)
Exceptional Achievement Award (Monash University School of Psychological Sciences, 2016)
Multiple “Purple Unit” Teaching Awards Monash University (2014-2019)
The Vaughan - Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Inaugural Alumni Magazine Lead Article Invitation (2019)
American Psychological Association Most Downloaded Paper Award (2019)
Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies Award for Service as C&BP Editor (2024)
Dr. Kazantzis with Dr. Aaron T. Beck (originator of Cognitive Behavior Therapy).
Currently, I provide psychological therapy services for individuals across the lifespan at the Toorak Medical Centre. In addition to my clinical work, I am completing two books: the second edition of the clinician's guide on engaging clients in between-session work (Routledge Press) and a comprehensive guide on optimizing collaborative empiricism in CBT (Oxford University Press).
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Photography by Kristian Gehradte