Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych., Professor and Clinical Science Area Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University (SFU), is a Registered Psychologist and the President of the DBT Centre of Vancouver. Dr. Chapman received his B.A. (1996) from the University of British Columbia and his M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2003) in clinical psychology from Idaho State University, following an internship at Duke University Medical Center. He completed a two year post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Marsha Linehan (founder of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) at the University of Washington. Dr. Chapman directs the Personality and Emotion Research Laboratory at SFU, where he studies the role of emotion regulation in BPD, self-harm, impulsivity, and other behavioural problems.
He has published numerous scientific articles and chapters on these and other topics and has given many scientific conference presentations on his research. He is PI on two large CIHR-funded grants for multi-site studies, one of which investigates the effects of an abbreviated (6 months) versus a standard course (12 months) of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy. Dr. Chapman also is on the editorial board for Personality Disorder: Theory, Research & Treatment, and Journal of Personality Disorders, and Behavior Therapy, where he was recently designated Distinguished Reviewer for his contributions.
Dr. Chapman is a DBT Trainer and Consultant with Behavioral Tech, LLC. and was certified in DBT in November 2015 in the first cohort of certified clinicians by the Linehan Board of Certification. He is also board certified in CBT by the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies. Dr. Chapman regularly gives local, national, and international workshops and invited talks on DBT and the treatment of BPD, has consulted with and trained clinicians in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., and trains and supervises clinical psychology students.
He has received the Young Investigator’s Award of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (2007), the Canadian Psychological Association’s (CPA) Early Career Scientist Practitioner Award (2011), and an 8-year Career Investigator Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. He has co-authored 8 books. Three of his self-help books have won the ABCT Self-Help Book Seal of Merit Award. In addition, Dr. Chapman is an assistant instructor at his local martial arts studio and has been practicing Zen and mindfulness meditation for several years.
He enjoys cooking, hiking, skiing, and spending time with his wonderful wife and two young sons.