Donald Meichenbaum

Meichenbaum was educated at William Howard Taft High School in New York City. He then entered the City College of New York in 1958 with the intention of becoming an engineer, before changing course and graduating in 1962 as a psychology major.{{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/973222940|title=The evolution of cognitive behavior therapy : a personal and professional journey with Don Meichenbaum|date=2017|isbn=978-1-317-60756-4|location=Abingdon, Oxon|oclc=973222940}} He was accepted into the graduate psychology program at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He wrote his dissertation, titled How to Train Schizophrenics to Talk to Themselves, having shown an interest in the topic of self-talk since childhood. He graduated with an MA and PhD in clinical psychology with minors in the subjects of developmental psychology and physiology in 1966, working as a research assistant at a Veterans Health Administration hospital in Danville, Illinois alongside his studies.

Meichenbaum became assistant professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo in 1966. During his tenure at Waterloo he began a research program exploring the role of cognitive and emotional factors in the behavior change process. Several papers and books authored by Meichenbaum during his tenure at Waterloo focused on the use of self-instruction to affect behavior change, which became a core principle of cognitive behavioral therapy. Meichenbaum applied this concept to numerous areas of psychotherapy, including post-traumatic stress disorder, impulsivity in school children, test anxiety in college students, and adults with chronic pain, anger issues, and substance abuse issues.{{Cite journal|last1=Meichenbaum|first1=Donald H.|last2=Goodman|first2=Joseph|date=1971|title=Training impulsive children to talk to themselves: A means of developing self-control.|url=http://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/h0030773|journal=Journal of Abnormal Psychology|language=en|volume=77|issue=2|pages=115–126|doi=10.1037/h0030773|pmid=5550424 |issn=1939-1846|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/31809208|title=A clinical handbook/practical therapist manual : for assessing and treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)|date=1994|publisher=Institute Press|isbn=0-9698840-0-1|location=Waterloo, Ont., Canada|oclc=31809208}}{{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1156991140|title=Treating individuals with addictive disorders : a strengths-based workbook for patients and clinicians|date=2020|isbn=978-1-000-07025-5|location=New York, NY|oclc=1156991140}} In 1977, Meichenbaum co-founded and served as the associate editor of the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research.{{Cite journal|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|date=2003-02-01|title=Cognitive–Behavior Therapy: Folktales and the Unexpurgated History|url=https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022546915731|journal=Cognitive Therapy and Research|language=en|volume=27|issue=1|pages=125–129|doi=10.1023/A:1022546915731|s2cid=29133357 |issn=1573-2819|url-access=subscription}} Meichenbaum's 1985 clinical handbook Stress Inoculation Training is used by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as a treatment for PTSD in veterans.{{Cite web|date=2017|title=VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder|url=https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/MH/ptsd/VADoDPTSDCPGFinal012418.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=22 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114060342/https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/MH/ptsd/VADoDPTSDCPGFinal012418.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-14 }} He received the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology as a Profession in 1990, receiving their Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

Following his retirement from the University of Waterloo in 1998, Meichenbaum joined the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment of Victims as research director, which is based at the University of Miami's School of Education and Development, where Meichenbaum also worked as distinguished visiting professor.{{Cite web|title=Educational Training – The Melissa Institute|url=https://melissainstitute.org/educational-training/|access-date=2021-07-09|language=en-US}} In 2012, Meichenbaum published Roadmap to Resilience: A Guide for Military, Trauma Victims and Their Families, a handbook to help service members reintegrate into civilian life and for clinicians translating evidence-based interventions into clinical guidelines for patients.{{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/798617091|title=Roadmap to resilience : a guide for military, trauma victims, and their families|date=2012|publisher=Institute Press|isbn=978-0-9698840-2-6|location=Clearwater, FL|oclc=798617091}} Meichenbaum has been a frequent critic of the proliferation of non-evidence-based techniques in the field of psychotherapy; his 2018 article How to Spot Hype in the Field of Psychotherapy, co-authored with Scott Lilienfeld, was chosen as the "most valuable contribution to the general field of psychotherapy" of that year by the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy which reviewed articles across 81 journals.{{Cite journal|last=Overholser|first=James C.|date=2019-12-01|title="The Nominees for Best Article …": Awards for the Most Valuable Papers on Psychotherapy in 2018|journal=Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy|language=en|volume=49|issue=4|pages=273–281|doi=10.1007/s10879-019-09433-8|s2cid=175642868 |issn=1573-3564|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|title=APA PsycNet|url=https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/pro0000172|access-date=2021-07-18|journal=Professional Psychology: Research and Practice| date=February 2018 | volume=49 | issue=1 | pages=22–30 |doi=10.1037/pro0000172| s2cid=148807068 | last1=Meichenbaum | first1=Donald | last2=Lilienfeld | first2=Scott O. | url-access=subscription }}

The cognitive revolution in psychology, which emphasized the importance of mental processes, emerged in the 1960s. However, the integration of cognitive and behavioral approaches in clinical psychology became more prominent in the mid-1970s.{{Cite web |title=Cognitive-behavior modification : an integrative approach {{!}} WorldCat.org |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/2894019 |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=search.worldcat.org |language=en}} Building on Albert Ellis' rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) and Aaron T. Beck's cognitive therapy, Meichenbaum developed cognitive behavior modification. In 1977, Meichenbaum published Cognitive Behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach, which outlined this therapeutic method.{{Cite web |title=Cognitive-behavior modification : an integrative approach {{!}} WorldCat.org |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/2894019 |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=search.worldcat.org |language=en}}

Cognitive behavior modification is a framework for treatments designed to alter overt behaviors by addressing underlying thought patterns and cognitive processes. While closely related to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), these approaches share similar assumptions and methods but emphasize different outcomes. Cognitive behavior modification focuses specifically on behavioral change as a therapeutic goal, whereas CBT primarily targets cognitive change with the expectation that behavioral change will follow.{{Cite web |title=Cognitive-behavior modification : an integrative approach {{!}} WorldCat.org |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/2894019 |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=search.worldcat.org |language=en}}

Meichenbaum was recognized for his contributions to psychotherapy, being named the tenth most influential psychotherapist of the 20th century in a 1982 survey. His book, Cognitive-Behavior Modification, was also voted as one of the most representative works in counseling and psychotherapy at the time. Among his contributions to the field are self-instructional training (SIT) and stress inoculation training, both of which are described as foundational cognitive behavioral therapies in the Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (4th ed.) (Dobson, 2019).{{Cite web |title=Cognitive-behavior modification : an integrative approach {{!}} WorldCat.org |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/2894019 |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=search.worldcat.org |language=en}}

In addition to his clinical contributions, Meichenbaum explored the role of spirituality in trauma recovery. He described spirituality as a means of finding meaning and direction, emphasizing its role in fostering forgiveness, empathy, and personal growth. He acknowledged, however, that spirituality or religion is not a universal solution but can be a valuable component in helping individuals recover from trauma.{{Cite web |title=Cognitive-behavior modification : an integrative approach {{!}} WorldCat.org |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/2894019 |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=search.worldcat.org |language=en}}

• Cognitive Behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach (1977){{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2894019|title=Cognitive-behavior modification : an integrative approach|date=1977|publisher=Plenum Press|isbn=0-306-31013-9|location=New York|oclc=2894019}}
• Coping with Stress (1983){{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/16022872|title=Coping with stress|date=1983|publisher=Century Pub|others=Mel Calman, Anne Cope, Christopher Fagg|isbn=0-7126-0083-3|location=London|oclc=16022872}}
• Stress Reduction and Prevention (1983){{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8928158|title=Stress reduction and prevention|date=1983|publisher=Plenum Press|others=Donald Meichenbaum, Matt E. Jaremko|isbn=0-306-41066-4|location=New York|oclc=8928158}}
• Pain and Behavioral Medicine: A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective (1983){{Cite book|last=Turk|first=Dennis C.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8554039|title=Pain and behavioral medicine : a cognitive-behavioral perspective|date=1983|publisher=Guilford Press|others=Donald Meichenbaum, Myles Genest|isbn=0-89862-002-3|location=New York|oclc=8554039}}
• Stress Inoculation Training (1985){{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11623852|title=Stress inoculation training|date=1985|publisher=Pergamon Press|isbn=0-08-031596-8|location=New York|oclc=11623852}}
• Facilitating Treatment Adherence. A Practitioner's Guidebook (1987){{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/16091704|title=Facilitating treatment adherence : a practitioner's guidebook|date=1987|publisher=Plenum Press|others=Dennis C. Turk|isbn=0-306-42638-2|location=New York|oclc=16091704}}
• A Clinical Handbook/Practical Therapist Manual for Assessing and Treating Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (1994)
• Nurturing Independent Learners: Helping Students Take Charge of Their Learning (1998){{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38120589|title=Nurturing independent learners : helping students take charge of their learning|date=1998|publisher=Brookline Books|others=Andrew Biemiller|isbn=1-57129-047-8|location=Newton, Mass.|oclc=38120589}}
• Treatment of Individuals with Anger-Control Problems and Aggressive Behaviors: a Clinical Handbook (2001){{Cite book|last=Meichenbaum|first=Donald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48845565|title=Treatment of individuals with anger - control problems and aggressive behaviors : a clinical handbook|date=2001|publisher=Institute Press|isbn=0-9698840-1-X|location=Clearwater, Fla.|oclc=48845565}}
• Roadmap to Resilience: A Guide for Military, Trauma Victims and Their Families (2012)
• The Evolution of Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Personal and Professional Journey with Don Meichenbaum (2017)
• Treating Individuals with Addictive Disorders: A Strengths-Based Workbook for Patients and Clinicians (2020)

Meichenbaum has published extensively in academic journals and conferences. A comprehensive archive of these publications is maintained at the [https://melissainstitute.org/scientific-articles/meichenbaum-d/ Melissa Institute website].

• [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1971-23785-001 "Training impulsive children to talk to themselves: a means of developing self-control"], Journal of Abnormal Psychology (1971)
• [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1971-21049-001 "Examination of model characteristics in reducing avoidance behavior"], Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1971)
• [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1973-20259-001 "Cognitive modification of test anxious college students"], Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (1972)
• [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789473800036 "Training schizophrenics to talk to themselves: A means of developing attentional controls"], Behavior Therapy (1973)
• [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16506073.1977.9626708 "Cognitive behavior modification"], Scandinavian Journal of Behavior Therapy (1977)
• "[https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2005-04336-002 35 Years of Working With Suicidal Patients: Lessons Learned]", Canadian Psychology (2005)
• "[https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-25371-006 Ways to improve political decision-making: Negotiating errors to be avoided]", Psychological and Political Strategies for Peace (2011)

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.donaldmeichenbaum.com/ Dr. Donald Meichenbaum's Website]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meichenbaum, Donald}}

Category:American cognitive psychologists

Category:American psychotherapists

Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni

Category:Academic staff of the University of Waterloo

Category:American expatriate academics in Canada

Category:Scientists from New York City

Category:1940 births

Category:Living people