Judith S. Beck (born May 5, 1954) is an American

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

who is best known for her work in

cognitive therapy Cognitive therapy (CT) is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck, which aims to change unhelpful or inaccurate thought patterns. CT is one therapeutic approach within the larger group of cognitive behavio ...

and

cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and chang ...

. Her father is

Aaron Beck Aaron Temkin Beck (July 18, 1921November 1, 2021) was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.

, the founder of cognitive therapy, with whom she has worked on many occasions. She received her doctoral degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1982.

Career

Writing

Beck is the author of the widely adopted and widely cited textbook,
Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond
'' which has been translated into 20 languages and is a basic textbook in the field for many students in

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

, and

psychiatric nursing Psychiatric nursing or mental health nursing is the appointed position of a nurse that specialises in mental health, and cares for people of all ages experiencing mental illnesses or distress. These include: neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophr ...

in the U.S. and around the world. Her other books include ''Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems: What to Do When the Basics Don't Work'', ''The Oxford Textbook of Psychotherapy'', ''Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders'', as well as ''The New York Times'' Best Seller (Advice/2007) ''

The Beck Diet Solution ''The Beck Diet Solution'', authored by Judith S. Beck, uses cognitive and behavioral techniques to teach dieters how to lose weight and continually motivate themselves to maintain their weight loss. It is one of the first books to apply Cognitiv ...

'' and ''The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Workbook'', ''The Complete Beck Diet for Life'', and ''The Diet Trap Solution'', a cognitive therapy approach to

weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...

and maintenance. Beck co-developed the Beck Youth Scales for Social and Emotional Impairment and has written hundreds of articles, chapters, and books, for professionals and consumers, on the various applications of cognitive therapy in treatment and training.

Beck Institute and teaching

Beck is the President of the non-profit

Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, a non-profit organization located in suburban Philadelphia, is an international Cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) training and research center. It was founded in 1994 by A ...

in suburban Philadelphia. She is also a Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the

, where she teaches residents. Beck directs the three major functions of the Beck Institute: education, clinical care, and research. In these capacities, she is involved with administration, teaching and supervising mental-health professionals, treating patients, writing, developing educational materials, and consultation. She is a consultant for research studies funded by the

National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primar ...

, and assists hospitals, residency training programs, community mental health centers, and other organizations in setting up or improving their cognitive therapy programs.

Awards

* 1998-1999 Psychiatric Residents (III & IV) Faculty Teaching Award * 2003-2004 Excellence in Cognitive Therapy Award * 2007 Distinguished Contributions to the Science and Profession of Psychology * 2007 Health Disparities Award * 2009 Aaron T. Beck Award for Significant and Enduring Contributions to Cognitive Behavior Therapy * 2009 Distinguished Workshop Presenter Award * 2011 Outstanding Contributions by an Individual for Clinical Activities Award * 2012 Earl Bond Award for Distinguished Teaching of Medical Students and Residents, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Department of Psychiatry * 2017 Greater Philadelphia Social Innovations Award for Community and Behavioral Health Innovator, Social Innovations Journal * 2017 Clinical Faculty Award, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania * 2018 Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa), Assumption College

Selected works

* Beck, J. S. (1995). ''Cognitive therapy: Basics and beyond.'' New York: Guilford. * Beck, J. S. (2005). ''Cognitive therapy for challenging problems: What to do when the basics don’t work.'' New York: Guilford. * Beck, J. S. (2007). ''The Beck Diet Solution.'' Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House Publications. * Beck, J. S. (2007). ''Beck diet solution weight loss workbook: The 6-week plan to train your brain to think like a thin person. ''Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House Publications. * Beck, J. S. (2011). ''Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond.'' 2nd ed. New York: Guilford * Beck, J. S., & Beck, A. T. (2001). ''Beck youth inventories of emotional and social impairment. ''Texas: The Psychological Corporation. * Beck, A., Freeman, A., Davis, D., A., Pretzer, J., Fleming, B., Ottaviani, R., Beck, J. S., Simon, K., Padesky, C., Meyer, J., & Trexler, L., & Associates. (2004). ''Cognitive therapy of personality disorders,'' 2nd ed. New York: Guilford. * Gabbard, G., Beck, J. S., & Holmes, J. (Eds.) (2005). ''Oxford textbook of psychotherapy. ''London: Oxford University Press.

References

External links

Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Judith S. 1954 births Living people American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American women psychologists American cognitive scientists Jewish American psychologists 20th-century American psychologists American cognitive psychologists University of Pennsylvania faculty 21st-century American women academics 21st-century American academics 21st-century American psychologists