Who is Beck Institute CBT Certification For?
By Judith S. Beck, PhD
President, Beck Institute
My father, Aaron Beck, and I view learning CBT as a life-long undertaking. I’m a much better therapist today than I was five years ago. And in another five years, I hope I’ll be even better. When we founded the Beck Institute 25 years ago, we wanted to create an international home for CBT clinicians—professionals who, like us, were committed to continuously developing their skills. We regularly review the research to upgrade our clinical expertise and our training and supervision programs. And we’ve set standards for Beck Institute CBT Certification, which requires a comprehensive program of training, supervision and practice. We want to ensure that clinicians meet a high standard of excellence in CBT.
Clinicians who pursue certification represent all behavioral health disciplines including psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing and multiple fields of counseling. They work in a wide range of settings and see patients from diverse backgrounds, who suffer from a variety of mental health conditions and medical disorders. Our certification is for clinicians who are truly committed not only to personal and professional development, but also to improving lives worldwide through excellence in CBT—which is the mission of the Beck Institute.
Ultimately, Beck Institute Certification is for behavioral health professionals who are dedicated to achieving a high level of expertise in the delivery of CBT according to the Beck Institute Model and who are on a life-long journey of continuous learning.
In our experience, many clinicians claim to practice CBT, but there’s a gap between what they say they do, and what they actually do in session. As CBT has grown and expanded throughout the world, Beck Institute has remained the standard-bearer for CBT as developed by Aaron Beck and empirically supported by thousands of peer-reviewed research studies.
Beck Institute Certified clinicians receive extensive training and supervision and devote themselves to applying researched and validated methods in practice. We require all clinicians pursuing certification to complete at least one term of supervision because research shows that supervision helps practitioners master the clinical skills necessary to deliver CBT with fidelity. And once clinicians have achieved certification, they will complete a re-certification process every five years, to ensure that they continue to practice with fidelity.
Three levels of certification are available for clinicians to achieve:
- Beck Institute Certified Clinician is the first level of certification; practitioners demonstrate achievement in the fundamentals of the Beck Institute model.
- Beck Institute Certified Master Clinician is the next level of certification; practitioners consistently demonstrate higher level skills, either generally or in a specific area.
- Beck Institute Certified Supervisor is the final level of certification; practitioners not only consistently demonstrate a high level of expertise but have also demonstrated skill in teaching and supervising CBT.
Beck Institute Certified clinicians of all levels are eligible to receive exclusive benefits through Beck Institute, including discounts on our online courses and in-person workshops, access to quarterly live and recorded webinars, and invitations to Beck Institute networking events and receptions. And clinicians who are seeking referrals can choose to be added to our public Therapist Directory and become eligible to receive referrals from Beck Institute.
Ultimately, Beck Institute Certification is for behavioral health professionals who are dedicated to achieving a high level of expertise in the delivery of CBT according to the Beck Institute model and who are on a life-long journey of continuous learning. We hope you’ll join our community!