Strong people build strong relationships.
Strong relationships build strong communities.
Relationships • Resilience • Community
Strong people build strong relationships.
Strong relationships build strong communities.
Dr. Zeph helps individuals, families, leaders, churches, organizations, and communities develop the relationships and resilience needed to flourish—even in the midst of life's storms.
Meet Dr. ZephAbout Dr. Zeph
My work is centered on helping people grow within themselves, deepen their relationship with God, strengthen their relationships with others, and contribute to healthier, more resilient communities.
Through education, speaking, training, coaching, and research, I help individuals, couples, families, and communities build the inner capacity, practical skills, and supportive connections they need to navigate and nurture the most important and meaningful relationships in their lives.
Strong people build strong relationships. Strong relationships build strong communities.
— Dr. Zeph
My Story
I grew up in a stable home where I felt loved, nurtured, and secure. One day, a friend told me about his parents' divorce—how much it hurt him to see them fight and how difficult it was having to go back and forth between their homes.
I remember thinking:
“I want to help people have less painful relationships.”
I didn't know it then, but that simple desire would eventually lead me through ministry, marriage and family therapy, and global mental health—and shape every aspect of the work I do today.
Read My StoryProfessional Bio
Zephon D. Lister, PhD, LMFT, is a professor, marriage and family therapist, researcher, educator, and speaker whose work focuses on strengthening individuals, relationships, families, and communities.
Dr. Lister is Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences at Loma Linda University. His work spans marriage and family therapy, integrated behavioral health, global and community mental health, chronic illness, resilience, and the intersection of faith, spirituality, and relational well-being.
Before joining the faculty at Loma Linda University, Dr. Lister spent seven years at the University of California, San Diego, where he directed the Collaborative Care Program within Family Medicine and helped expand integrated behavioral health services across the health system.
His research and program development have increasingly focused on making mental-health resources more accessible in communities where traditional models of care may be difficult to sustain. His global mental-health work has included community-based resilience initiatives in Africa, using task-sharing and capacity-building approaches to equip teachers, healthcare workers, community members, and other non-specialists with practical tools for supporting mental and relational well-being. His current research includes resilience initiatives in Sierra Leone and Kenya, as well as published research examining the Community Resiliency Model among survivors and released genocide prisoners in Rwanda.
Dr. Lister's work also examines the intersection of relationships and physical health, particularly chronic illness. He has contributed to research and clinical initiatives involving diabetes and sickle cell disease and is involved in integrated behavioral-health efforts within Loma Linda University Health's Sickle Cell Disease Center.
Across his work as an educator, clinician, researcher, and speaker, Dr. Lister seeks to translate psychological and relational science into practical approaches that help people develop greater capacity, strengthen meaningful relationships, and build healthier, more resilient communities.
For conferences, podcasts, programs, and introductions
Zephon D. Lister, PhD, LMFT, is a professor, marriage and family therapist, researcher, educator, and speaker whose work focuses on strengthening individuals, relationships, families, and communities. He is Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences at Loma Linda University. His work spans relationship and family well-being, integrated behavioral health, chronic illness, faith and spirituality, resilience, and global mental health. His international work focuses particularly on expanding access to mental-health resources through community-based, task-sharing, and capacity-building approaches. Across his work, Dr. Lister seeks to translate psychological and relational science into practical tools that help people build healthier relationships and more resilient communities.
Dr. Zephon Lister is a professor, licensed marriage and family therapist, researcher, educator, and speaker whose work explores relationships, resilience, faith, and community mental health. He currently works as core faculty in the Department of Counseling and Family Sciences at Loma Linda University and works internationally to develop practical, community-based approaches to strengthening mental health and resilience.
My Organizations
Helping people and communities become strong enough to weather life's storms—and rooted enough to flourish.
Building stronger relationships for life's inevitable storms.
STORM PROOF Relationships provides practical education, coaching, courses, and experiences designed to help individuals, couples, and families develop the capacity and skills to build healthier, more resilient relationships.
Explore STORM PROOF →
Strengthening communities by equipping the people who serve them.
ROOTED International Institute for Family & Community Mental Health expands access to practical mental health support through community-based outreach, training, education, and development—equipping organizations and frontline workers to strengthen the communities they serve.
Explore ROOTED →Work With Me
Practical Ideas. Meaningful Conversations.
I speak to professional, academic, faith-based, healthcare, and community audiences about the relationships and experiences that shape our individual and collective well-being.
Explore Speaking →From Ideas to Practical Skills.
I develop interactive learning experiences that translate psychological, relational, and behavioral health knowledge into practical tools participants can use in their work, relationships, organizations, and communities.
Explore Training & Workshops →Conversations That Make Complex Ideas Accessible.
I welcome opportunities to participate in thoughtful conversations about relationships, mental health, resilience, faith, families, and community well-being.
Explore Media & Interviews →Explore My Work
Explore selected peer-reviewed publications and scholarly contributions across marriage and family therapy, behavioral health, resilience, chronic illness, and global and community mental health.
Explore → WATCHReal conversations about relationships, family, faith & life.
Explore → LEARNA curated collection of books, tools, and other resources I have found helpful for understanding relationships, mental health, resilience, faith, and family life.
Explore →
Video Podcast
Real Conversations About Relationships, Family, Faith & Life
Riss & Dr. Zeph is a video podcast where my cousin Riss and I have honest conversations about marriage, relationships, family, faith, and the realities of navigating all of life's relationships.
We bring our own experiences, perspectives, and differences to the conversation, along with insights from our professional work, to explore the challenges, joys, complexities, and sometimes humorous moments that come with being human and connecting with others.
Latest Episodes