Robert D. Friedberg

Dr. Friedberg’s professional passion is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with children, adolescents, and families. He is recognized as one of the leading experts in applying Aaron T. Beck’s model of cognitive therapy to children. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Cognitive Therapy-Newport Beach under the mentorship of the noted cognitive therapist, Dr. Christine A. Padesky. Following his postdoctoral fellowship, Friedberg joined the staff of Mesa Vista Hospital (MVH) where he was the lead clinical psychologist on the Adult Cognitive Therapy Unit, developed the inpatient CBT program for children and adolescents, and collaborated on the launch of CBT programming in the residential treatment program. While at MVH, he began a successful clinical and research partnership with Raymond A. Fidaleo, MD which led to many publications and the formation of the Cognitive Therapy Institute of San Diego. After leaving MVH in 1992, Dr. Friedberg became the Clinical Director of the Brief Therapy Program (BTP) at Methodist Hospital of Indiana. The BTP was a computer-assisted therapy program which was embedded in an Internal Medicine Clinic. Pursuing interests in integrating clinical practice, training, and research, Friedberg joined the faculty at the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology (SOPP). From 1994-2003, Friedberg directed the APA-accredited predoctoral internship program and the Preventing Anxiety and Depression in Youth (PANDY) program receiving the Omintha Petrie Diversity award in 2001 and the teaching excellence award in 2003.

Immediately prior to coming to PAU, Dr. Friedberg was an Associate Professor in the Division of Child Psychiatry, Penn State University Milton Hershey Medical Center/College of Medicine. At PSU-Hershey, Friedberg built the first Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Clinic which cared for young patients and their families. Moreover, he launched the initial Psychology Post-doctoral Fellowship Program in Division history. He is especially proud to have been awarded the teaching excellence prize twice from the Child Psychiatry Division-the first psychologist to be so honored. In 2005, Dr. Friedberg was invited to be an Extramural Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research where he has remained on training faculty supervising professionals from all over the world. During the course of his tenure at PSU, he co-authored Child and Adolescent Therapy: Science and Art, Cognitive Techniques for Children, a follow up from the best-selling and widely adopted Clinical Practice of Cognitive Therapy with Children and Adolescents, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Busy Child Psychiatrist and other Mental Health Professionals