Professor Agnieszka Popiel from SWPS University has been selected as the Global CBT Ambassador for 2025 by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT). This prestigious appointment is part of an esteemed ambassador program organized by the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT).
About the Global CBT Ambassador Program
The Global CBT Ambassador Program is an international initiative launched by the WCCBT to promote cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) worldwide. Each year, the organization invites its regional members to nominate individuals whose work deserves global attention—mental health professionals who have made significant, innovative, or sustained contributions to the field of CBT.
The program aims to:
- support the development and profile of CBT and therapists across the globe
- advocate for mental health, evidence-based therapies, and psychological well-being
- promote the effective implementation of CBT through professional training
Ambassadors engage in various educational events—such as lectures, panel discussions, clinical round tables, workshops, and master classes—reaching a wide range of audiences from healthcare professionals to students and the wider public.
International recognition for substantial contribution to CBT
Professor Agnieszka Popiel’s nomination is a testament to her long-standing commitment to the development of CBT. As the founder and former President of the Polish Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (PTTPB)—which will celebrate its 25th anniversary as a member of the EABCT in 2025—she has played a vital role in fostering a vibrant CBT community in Poland.
It is a great honor and privilege to join the ranks of outstanding psychotherapy researchers such as David Barlow, Susan Bogels, Paul Gilbert, and Robert Leahy, who have served in this role in recent years. I am excited to have the opportunity to talk about psychotherapy research conducted in Poland, which contributes to the vast body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of cognitive and behavioral therapy in treating a wide range of disorders. Our research through the TRAKT program has specifically focused on treating PTSD. I view the decision by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies—representing 54 organizations from 40 countries—to entrust me with this role as a recognition of the Polish Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy and its over six thousand members. On a personal level, I see it as an acknowledgment of our experience in establishing training and supervision standards, as well as promoting psychotherapy as an evidence-based treatment approach supported by a wealth of research and knowledge.
dr hab. Agnieszka Popiel, prof. Uniwersytetu SWPS