Training at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Abstract

The Beck Institute has had an interesting evolution. Aaron T. Beck, M.D., the founder of cognitive therapy, and I established the institute in 1994 in suburban Philadelphia. Initially we focused on clinical work, and our onsite and distance training programs were relatively small. While we still have an active clinic for individuals with mental health issues, we have realized our vision of becoming a national and international resource and training center. Two factors greatly aided our exponential growth. One, there was an explosion of research, well over a thousand randomized controlled trials, that demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for a range of psychiatric disorders, psychological issues and medical conditions with psychological components. Two, the Internet exposed literally millions of professionals, students, researchers, educators and consumers to CBT. (Our websites alone now attract over 100,000 visitors per year, and we are very active in social media.)