In the 1960s Dr. Beck developed the system of psychotherapy called "Cognitive Therapy" (also referred to as "Cognitive Behavior Therapy" or "CBT"). Through careful research and innovative therapeutic methods, he pioneered a therapy that has been extensively tested in over 400 clinical trials and found to be effective for a wide variety of disorders including depression, anxiety, panic, substance abuse, and personality disorders. A number of investigations are currently being conducted to assess its efficacy as a primary or adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, inpatient depression, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, obsessive- compulsive disorder, and relationship problems, among others. Cognitive therapy, or "CT", as well as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) have been adapted for various populations from preschool children to the elderly and are used in individual, couples, family, and group formats.

Dr. Beck and his daughter, Dr. Judith Beck, the former Director of Clinical Services at the Center for Cognitive Therapy and an eminent clinician in her own right, had long wished to establish a new clinical setting that would provide state of the art psychotherapy and research opportunities and serve as an international training ground for cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapists at all levels. In 1994, the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research was established at its present site in Bala Cynwyd, located in suburban Philadelphia.

In recognition of his scholarship and his proven therapeutic model, the psychotherapeutic community has acknowledged Dr. Beck's international expertise in the field of mental health. In fact, Centers for Cognitive Therapy all over the world have been established by clinicians, researchers, and academicians who received training at the original center in Philadelphia or, since 1994, at the Beck Institute.