Judith S. Beck, PhD

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., (born May 5, 1954) is an American psychologist who is best known for her work in cognitive therapy. Her father is Aaron Beck, M.D., the founder of cognitive therapy, with whom she has worked with on many occasions.

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, psychology, counseling, social work, and psychiatric nursing 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, and The New York Times Best Seller (Advice/2007) The Beck Diet Solution and The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Workbook, a cognitive therapy approach to weight loss 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 is the President of the non-profit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in suburban Philadelphia and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, 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, and assists hospitals, residency training programs, community mental health centers, and other organizations set up or improve their cognitive therapy programs. Beck is also a distinguished founding fellow and past president of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.