PRESS RELEASE
June 11, 2020
CONTACT
Ivy McDaniels
610-664-3020 x243
imcdaniels@beckinstitute.org
BALA CYNWYD, PA – The Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA) announced Friday that Beck Institute Psychologist Ellen Inverso, PsyD, is the recipient of the 2020 Early Career Psychologist of the Year Award. This award recognizes an Early Career Psychologist who has made significant contributions to the practice of Psychology in Pennsylvania. With this award, the PPA recognizes the impact of Dr. Inverso’s work in the training and dissemination of Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) to institutions and providers both in Pennsylvania and across the country.
As the Co-Director of the Beck Institute Center for CT-R, Dr. Inverso leads a team of six clinician educators who have pioneered the development and implementation of CT-R, a groundbreaking new practice poised to change the way that serious mental health conditions are conceptualized and treated. Originally developed to empower individuals given a diagnosis of schizophrenia, CT-R applies broadly to individuals experiencing extensive behavioral, social and physical health challenges. CT-R is highly collaborative, person-centered and strengths-based. It focuses on developing and strengthening positive beliefs of purpose, hope, efficacy, empowerment and belonging.
Dr. Inverso has been instrumental in guiding programs that have reduced or eliminated the use of controlling measures such as seclusion, restraint, and as-needed medication in a variety of settings, as well as reducing the length of hospital stays for individuals. In addition, reincarceration and rehospitalization rates have been significantly curtailed through these programs. And, most significantly, there are at least 50 individuals who had spent decades in state hospitals before receiving treatment guided by Dr. Inverso and her team, who subsequently were able to move into the community to pursue their dreams.
“Over the past seven years, I have come to admire Dr. Inverso as a natural leader, accomplished clinician, theorist and trainer, and as a pioneer of Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy,” said Judith S. Beck, PhD, President of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. “Her contributions have already made a profound impact on the lives of people with serious mental health conditions, their communities and their caregivers in Pennsylvania and beyond. I predict that her impact will only continue to grow.”
Along with Dr. Aaron T. Beck, Dr. Inverso is co-author of the forthcoming book Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Serious Mental Health Conditions, to be published in September 2020 by Guilford Press. Of her next steps, Dr. Inverso said, “I am humbled by this recognition and hope to continue to increase access to effective treatment strategies for some of our nation’s most disenfranchised individuals. Along with my colleagues, I look forward to expanding the reach of CT-R to more providers, affected individuals, teachers, loved ones, and advocates. We aim to deepen our knowledge of the impact of CT-R and to create even more effective, practical strategies and interventions to support empowerment relative to mental health challenges.”
About Dr. Ellen Inverso
Ellen Inverso, PsyD, is Director of Clinical Training and Implementation at the Beck Institute Center for Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy. She has a national reputation for advocacy and dissemination of Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R). A co-developer of CT-R, she has created transformative CT-R programming for psychiatric inpatient units, programmatic residences, schools, and community teams, with special focus on adolescents and young adults, individuals engaging in extreme forms of self-injury, individuals considering transitions into the community following extended periods of institutionalization, and families. A licensed psychologist, Dr. Inverso supervises early career professionals in CT-R, guides her seasoned colleagues to add the approach to their armamentarium, and has co-authored curricula for training peer specialists and expert trainers in CT-R. Along with Dr. Aaron T. Beck and colleagues, she is co-author of the forthcoming book Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Serious Mental Health Conditions, to be published in September 2020 by Guilford Press.
About Beck Institute
Beck Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the mission of improving lives worldwide through excellence and innovation in Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy. It was established in 1994 by Dr. Aaron T. Beck and Dr. Judith S. Beck. As the leading source for CBT training and resources, Beck Institute has provided more than 20,000 clinicians around the world with state-of-the-art training in CBT, the most highly researched and widely adopted psychotherapy. In 2019, Beck Institute opened the Beck Institute Center for Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) to train professionals, staff, and peers who work with individuals diagnosed with serious mental health conditions. For more information, visit www.beckinstitute.org.
Photo © 2019 Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy
####