He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California at Riverside.He holds a Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Sobell's publications include 6 books and over 200 articles and book chapters. His two most recent books are (a) Promoting self-change: Implications for policy, prevention, and treatment (coauthored with H. Klingemann, L. Sobell and others; Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 2001), and (b) Problem Drinkers: Guided Self-Change Treatment (coauthored with L. Sobell; Guilford Press: NY, 1993, 1996). He has given over 160 invited presentations and clinical workshops/institutes nationally and internationally. He was Acting Editor of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and is on the editorial board of 5 other journals. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and nationally and internationally recognized for his work in the area of addictive behaviors.

For many years a major focus of his work has been on developing brief motivational interventions for people who have alcohol or drug problems that are not severe. His present research is supported by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is evaluating a brief motivational intervention to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies in high-risk women. In recognition of his research accomplishments he has received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association, Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12) and the Jellinek Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to knowledge in the field of alcohol studies.