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Home CBT Insights Reflecting on the Beck Institute CBT Certification Process: Ryan Freeman Burchfield Shares her Experience
  • CBT Certification

Reflecting on the Beck Institute CBT Certification Process: Ryan Freeman Burchfield Shares her Experience

December 11, 2020 / by Beck Institute Staff
Categories: CBT Certification

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Learn more about Beck Institute CBT Certification and the application process.

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Last year, we had the opportunity to hear from Ryan Freeman Burchfield, LPC, BICBT-CC, about what brought her to Beck Institute and her experience working toward Beck Institute CBT Certification. One year later, all 14 mental health professionals in her clinic are at various stages in pursuing their BI CBT Certification. Further, Ryan’s practice is one of the only clinics in Arkansas dedicated to providing the gold standard in CBT. Hear more from Ryan about her practice and her team’s journey toward Certification below.

Ryan Freeman Burchfield, LPC, BICBT-CC
Ryan Freeman Burchfield, LPC, BICBT-CC

My mission in my clinic is to create an environment that will inspire and nourish the kind of growth that impacts the world. This applies not only to our clients, but to my team of therapists as well. In the past year, I’ve shifted my mission to emphasize and incentivize training and Beck Institute Certification. I love learning, and my colleagues do as well; it is easy to see the passion we have for our work and for CBT. Each week, I lead a training on a CBT topic, and I go back to basics every few months for a refresher. Certification has provided a framework and foundational knowledge in evidence-based therapy.

One of my goals is to create a sanctuary for therapists to learn and become the best therapists they can be. The clinic, like many around the world, got much busier during the pandemic as people have been confronted with uncertainty and other difficult feelings. Clients who have done research on the effectiveness of evidence-based treatment, those who have been referred by their doctors, and many therapists themselves have been attracted to the clinic, believing in the efficacy of the modality. Staying true to the Beck model of CBT, we emphasize psychoeducation in the first few sessions, guiding clients to become their own CBT therapists, so to speak.

I’m excited to keep growing my practice and supporting fellow mental health professionals as they work toward providing quality CBT. While I was earning my BI CBT Certification, my term of Supervision was illuminating. Working with my Supervisor was inspiring, and I hope to provide the same inspiration to my team as we continue working toward our mission.


December 11, 2020

Ryan Freeman Burchfield, LPC, is among the first clinicians to get certified in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) with Beck Institute. BI’s Certification program includes coursework (currently hosted online in both on demand and live, interactive formats), one term of supervision with our expert faculty, case write-ups, and a work sample. Ryan shared insight about her experience in the program and why she chose to pursue CBT as the driving force in her career.

Can you tell me about your organization and your role there? What made you decide to get CBT certified with Beck Institute?

I am the founder and CEO of The Freeman-Burchfield Institute, a clinic in northwest Arkansas specializing in CBT, so I was excited to get CBT certified when the program was introduced last year. Certification helped me to refresh and hone my skills, as well as translate them to both my clients and my internal team of mental health professionals. As team leader, it has been essential to use the same frameworks both because they are effective and so that my team will have muscle memory for structuring their sessions.

What made you choose CBT?

I was drawn to CBT from a young age. I competed as a pole vaulter in college and was a gymnast before that. Although I had been fearless of heights, that changed after I fell and blew my left leg out. I had so much fear, and, on top of that, I was concerned about losing my scholarship. My coach set me up with a sports psychologist, and it was incredibly effective. In fact, I ended up setting the record for highest jump. This experience guided my urge to work with athletes, where there is a high incidence of anxiety and depression. From both the evidence and my personal experience, I know CBT to be the most effective treatment. With the lack of CBT therapists in my community, I ultimately decided to start my own practice.

What was your favorite part of the certification process?

My favorite stage of the certification experience was definitely my term of Supervision. The collaboration fostered a sense of community, and getting feedback from my supervisor was invaluable for improving my skills. I can’t wait for my team to do it because I think they’ll fall in love with CBT even more. One of my biggest takeaways was expanding my knowledge of using measurements to inform treatment. Using graphs and inventories are empowering for clients and can take some of the guesswork out of the session for therapists.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience in Beck Institute’s certification program?

Overall, my certification experience was enriching, and I frequently use elements of it in my practice. The coursework was engaging both in person and virtually. My first in person course was actually a birthday gift from my family in friends, who flew me to Philadelphia to take CBT for Anxiety! I’m thrilled to be connected to the Beck Institute community as a BICBT-CC and am excited to continue becoming a better CBT practitioner.

Learn more about the Certification process and apply here.

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