Stefan Hofmann

Stefan G. Hofmann (born December 15, 1964) is a German-born clinical psychologist. He is the Alexander von Humboldt Professor and recipient of the LOEWE Spitzenprofessur for Translational Clinical Psychology at the Philipps University of Marburg in Germany, examining Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, especially for anxiety disorders.

Stefan Georg Hofmann
Born	(1964-12-15)December 15, 1964 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany
Nationality	German American
Citizenship	German
Alma mater	Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
Known for	Translational clinical psychology Process-based therapy
Children	2
Scientific career
Fields	Emotions Anxiety disorders Clinical psychology Neuroscience
Institutions	Philipps University of Marburg, Germany Boston University, USA
Academic advisors	Anke Ehlers Walton T. Roth David H. Barlow Aaron T. Beck

Since 2012, he has been editor in chief of the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research.

Education

Hofmann was born on December 15, 1964, in Bietigheim-Bissingen.He majored in Psychology at the Philipps University of Marburg, where he eventually earned his Ph.D. in 1993.

Scientific contributions

Clinical Translational Research

Hofmann has been studying the nature of emotional disorders and the processes through which psychological treatments alleviate symptoms by translating discoveries from emotion research and neuroscience into clinical applications.

Pharmacological Augmentation of Psychotherapy

An important mechanism of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders is extinction learning. Hofmann has shown that d-cycloserine, a partial agonist of the glutamate receptor can augment extinction learning and speed up exposure therapy of anxiety disorders.

Emotion Research

Some of his other major contributions are on Mindfulness and research on Emotion in therapy. In particular, he advanced the concept of Interpersonal emotion regulation.

Processes-Based Therapy

In collaboration with Steven C. Hayes and David Sloan Wilson, he has been developing Process-based Therapy (PBT), an idiographic treatment approach based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that combines insights from evolution theory and complex network theory to target processes that underlie effective psychological treatments.

Awards and recognition

Hofmann has published more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 20 books and is listed by Clarivate Analytics and the Institute for Scientific Information as a ISI Highly Cited Researcher.

Selected works

Books

• Hofmann, S. G. (2011). An introduction to modern CBT: Psychological solutions to mental health problems. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0470971765.
• Hofmann, S. G. (2016). Emotion in therapy: From science to practice. New York, NY: Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1462524488.
• Barlow, D. H., Durand, V. M., & Hofmann, S. G. (2017). Abnormal psychology: An Integrative approach (8th edition). Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1305950443.
• Hayes, S. C. & Hofmann, S. G. (Eds.) (2018). "Process-based CBT: The science and core clinical competencies of cognitive behavioral therapy". Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. ISBN 978-1626255968.
• Hofmann, S. G. Doan, S. N. (2018). "The social foundations of emotion: Developmental, cultural, and clinical dimensions". Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN 978-1433829277.
• Hayes, S. C. & Hofmann, S. G. (Eds.) (2020). Beyond the DSM: Toward a process-based alternative for diagnosis and mental health treatment. Oakland, CA: Context Press / New Harbinger Publications. ISBN 978-1684036615.
• Hofmann, S. G. (2020). The anxiety skills workbook: Simple CBT and mindfulness strategies for overcoming anxiety, fear, and worry. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Press. ISBN 1684034523.
• Hofmann, S. G. (2023). CBT for social anxiety. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Press. ISBN 1648481205.
• Hofmann, S. G., Hayes, S. C., & Lorscheid, D. (2021). Learning process-based therapy: A skills training manual for targeting the core processes of psychological change in clinical practice. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Press. ISBN 1684037557.

Articles

• Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 169–183. doi:10.1037/a0018555
• Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36, 427–440. doi:10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
• Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Fang, A., & Asnaani, A. (2012). Emotion dysregulation model of mood and anxiety disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 29, 409–416. doi:10.1002/da.21888.
• Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Ghosh, S. S., Nieto-Castanon, A., Saygin, Z., Doehrmann, O., Chai, X. J., Reynold, G. O. , Hofmann, S. G., Pollack, M. H., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2016). Brain connectomics predict response to treatment in social anxiety disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 21, 680–685. doi:10.1038/mp.2015.109
• Hofmann, S. G. (2016). Schrödinger's cat and d-cycloserine to augment exposure therapy – both are dead and alive. JAMA Psychiatry, 73, 771–772. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1132.
• Hayes, S. C. & Hofmann, S. G. (2017). The third wave of CBT and the rise of process-based care. World Psychiatry, 16, 245–246. doi:10.1002/wps.20442
• Hayes, S. C. & Hofmann, S. G. (2021). "Third-wave" cognitive and behavioral therapies and the emergence of a process-based approach to intervention in psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 20, 363–375. doi:10.1002/wps.20884
• Hofmann, S. G. & Hayes, S. C. (2019). The future of intervention science: Process-based therapy. Clinical Psychological Science, 7, 37–50. doi:10.1177/2167702618772296.
• Hofmann, S. G. (2020). The age of depression and its treatment. JAMA Psychiatry, 77, 667–668. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.0158.
• Phelps, E. A. & Hofmann, S. G. (2019). Memory editing from science fiction to clinical practice. Nature, 572, 43–50. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1433-7