Meichenbaum, Donald

Donald Meichenbaum (1940– ) is known as one of the founders of cognitive-behavioral therapy and in a survey of clinicians was voted “one of the ten most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century.” Born in the Bronx, New York, Meichenbaum attended New York City public schools and eventually attended the City College of New York (CCNY) from 1958 to 1962 for his undergraduate degree in psychology.

Meichenbaum tells the story of how he entered CCNY with the desire to become a chemical engineer. On his arrival at CCNY, all incoming freshmen attended a meeting with the Dean of Engineering, who told the incoming students to look around the room, because in 4 years only one in four would graduate as an engineer. Meichenbaum’s reaction was to ...