President

As President of Beck Institute, Judith S. Beck, PhD, provides the vision and leadership to further our mission: to improve lives worldwide through excellence and innovation in Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy. She is also Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania where she teaches psychiatric residents. She received her doctoral degree from Penn in 1982.

Professional Activities

Dr. Beck divides her time among administration, supervision and teaching, clinical work, curriculum development, research, and writing. She has been a consultant for several National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) studies, has developed widely-adopted assessment scales for children and adolescents, and has made hundreds of presentations nationally and internationally on various applications of CBT.

Program Development

Dr. Beck oversees all programmatic offerings at Beck Institute, ensuring the content is current, relevant, and appropriately adapted to meet the needs of trainees around the world. Dr. Beck also spearheaded the development of Beck Institute’s CBT Certification Program, ensuring that Beck Institute certified clinicians are practicing with fidelity to the model developed and tested in over 2,000 clinical trials.

On-Demand Courses

Dr. Beck is the primary developer of Beck Institute’s core online courses, which have now been taken by health and mental health professionals in over 130 countries. First created in 2015, and extensively revised in 2021, these core comprehensive courses changed the landscape of mental health training worldwide.

Publications

Dr. Beck has written over 100 articles and chapters on different aspects of cognitive therapy, as well as books, workbooks, and pamphlets for professionals and the lay public.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond

The third edition of Dr. Beck’s seminal textbook, Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond was published by Guilford Press in 2020. This book, previously translated into more than 20 languages, is an essential resource in the field of mental health, for both students and experienced practitioners who want to update their skills. With chapters on conceptualizing clients, structuring sessions, and establishing and maintaining a strong therapeutic relationship, the textbook explains in a direct and clear style the core techniques and essential features of CBT.

Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems

Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems, published by Guilford Press in 2007, is an important resource for clinicians who treat clients with longstanding negative, dysfunctional and rigid core beliefs. In Dr. Beck’s typically clear and concise manner, this book explains how to engage challenging clients in therapy, build and maintain and strong therapeutic relationships, and help clients change their beliefs at both an intellectual and emotional level.

Additional Publications

Download a complete listing of Dr. Beck’s publications.

Awards and Honors
– Distinguished Workshop Presenter Award, American Psychological Association 

– Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa), Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 

– Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa), Assumption College 

– Clinical Faculty Award, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania 

– Greater Philadelphia Social Innovations Award for Community and Behavioral Health Innovator, Social Innovations Journal  

– Earl Bond Award for Distinguished Teaching of Medical Students and Residents, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Department of Psychiatry 

– Award for Significant and Enduring Contributions to Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Academy of Cognitive Therapy 

– Outstanding Contribution by an Individual for Clinical Activities, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 

– Distinguished Workshop Presenter Award, American Psychological Association 

– Presidential Citation, Texas Psychological Association 

– Health Disparities Award, National Nursing Centers Consortium 

– Distinguished Contributions to the Science and Profession of Psychology, Pennsylvania Psychological Association 

– Excellence in Cognitive Therapy Award, Assumption College, Institute for Cognitive Studies 

– Psychiatric Residents Faculty Teaching Award, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry 

– Rachel Gundry Visiting Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine