Alexis Abernethy

Alexis Abernethy is a clinical psychologist and professor or psychology in the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary. In 2021 she was named chief academic officer at Fuller. Prior to that she served as the chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She graduated from Howard University with a BS in psychology. She received her MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her primary research interest is the intersection between spirituality and health. Dr. Abernethy’s Spirituality and Health Lab includes three research teams: Experience of Spirituality and Health-Related Outcomes; Spirituality, Cancer, and Health Disparities; and Spirituality, Culture, and Eating Disturbance. She is the Principal Investigator of the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services-Fuller Theological Seminary Research Collaborative. She has numerous research publications including the following: “Patient Patients: Increased Patience Associated with Decreased Depressive Symptoms in Psychiatric Treatment” in the Journal of Positive Psychology; “Understanding the Roles of Religious Comfort and Strain on Depressive Symptoms in an Inpatient Psychiatric Setting” in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality; and “God Imagery and Affective Outcomes in a Spiritually Integrative Inpatient Program” in Psychiatry Research; and “Spiritual Struggles and Mental Health Outcomes in a Spiritually Integrated Inpatient Program” in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The Eating Disorders Team published the article, “Spirituality and Eating Disorder Risk Factors in African American Women” in Eating and Weight Disorders.

She has conducted institutes and workshops nationally on cultural competence and spirituality in group therapy. Dr. Abernethy is a Certified Group Psychotherapist and Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for AGPA. She was the editor of a special edition of the journal, Group (2004), on spirituality in group therapy and contributed the chapter, “A Spiritually Informed Approach to Group Psychotherapy” in Kleinberg’s edited volume, The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Group Psychotherapy (2012). She co-authored an article with Lee Stevens on “Neuroscience and Racism: The Power of Groups for Overcoming Implicit Bias” and another article with David Allen and Marie Carroll “Adapting Group Therapy to Address Real World Problems: Insights from Groups Offered in the Bahamas” in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy (2017).