Judith S. Beck

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 T. Beck, M.D., the founder of cognitive therapy, with whom she has worked closely in developing its clinical applications and theoretical advancements.

Judith 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 the basic textbook in the field for most students in psychiatry, psychology, 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. Judith 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.

Judith Beck is the Director of the non-profit Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in suburban Philadelphia and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches residents. Judith 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. Judith Beck is also a distinguished founding fellow and past president of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

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.
 * Gabbard, G., Beck, J. S., & Holmes, J. (Eds.) (2005). Oxford textbook of psychotherapy. London: Oxford University Press.
 * 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.
 * 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., & Beck, A. T. (2001). Beck youth inventories of emotional and social impairment. Texas: The Psychological Corporation.