MHM Magazine

40 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | Issue 1 | 2022 MHM TRIBUTE ‘It’s Dr Beck!’  ‘He’s speaking live? In person?’ Bodies filled every seat, every inch of stairway, lined shoulder to shoulder along the perimeter of the auditorium. And still we kept coming.  A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO DR AARON T. BECK T he year was 2010. The occasion was the World CBT Congress, this time taking in place in Boston, home base of so many giants and founding fathers in this field. Original of these being Aaron T Beck. Age 81, a slight, snow haired man, wearing his trademark bowtie, and sitting quietly on the stage while the room buzzed and heaved around him. For me, 18 years into practise and well versed in CBT, it suddenly felt like I was a young excited child again — on the night before Christmas! I caught the eye of an old friend and colleague, now a Prof at BU in his own right and privileged to interact with Dr Beck on a regular basis. His eyes shone as brightly as the rest of ours. There hasn’t been a public sighting of, let alone address by this gentle giant, in years. And by giant I mean presence, and impact.  Both becoming abundantly clear when he began to speak. The room fell silent, despite the vast numbers it contained and even more standing outside, watching on screens. And in this moment I felt what we all did — a deep appreciation for the vision and courage to put this vision out there at a time when no one had ever approached their clients (patients, back then) or the therapeutic relationship in this way before. Giving the client a space to explore the direct relationship between what they were thinking - yes, it’s not just the unconscious, (subconscious) controlling every move — and how they felt, behaved, as a result. ‘Would there be an alternate way to think about…’ The original Socratic questioning method, being demonstrated naturally and with great effect, by the person who first gave it to psychology. Maybe very familiar now, 40 years later. At that time, unheard of to engage this way, or to base your work on empirical evidence rather than accepted theories.  Dr Beck opened a box of possibility. Not only for clients to consider the world through alternate cognitive filters, but also for methods to be refined and honed according to proven efficacy.  Anxiety, depression, suicidality, everything you can imagine has been included and is being studied on an ongoing basis. Always aimed at making it clearer, more accessible, more efficient. When Covid-19 appeared in our world, CBT translated with relative ease to an online setting. The therapeutic relationship and methods employed, withstood the absence of the traditional therapeutic space. Once again there was reason to appreciate the tools and possibilities open to CBT therapists, as the second (mental health) pandemic spread and shows little sign of abating.  Lest I am misunderstood, Dr Beck was passionate about helping as many as possible to get well and stay well, which CBT has proven to do over several decades of rigorous enquiry. He was also known to be respectful and gracious, never disparaging of other modalities or paradigms. The emphasis on CBT and it’s incredible impact, is mine. This year marks my 30th year in practise, a long time to witness first hand this very impact for literally thousands of people in various stages of psychological distress.  Dr Beck left this world on 1 November 2021, peacefully, at home. He was 100 years old, a pioneer and custodian. After a long Dr Colinda Linde (M.A.Clin.Psych. cum laude, D. Litt et Phil.) Clinical Psychologist SADAG chairperson Image of Dr Aaron T. Beck © 2016 Moonloop Photography, courtesy of Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy