Allen E. Bergin (1934-2024).

Abstract

Memorializes Allen E. Bergin, a leading pioneer in psychotherapy outcome research and cofounder of the Society of Psychotherapy Research, who died at home in St. George, Utah, on February 15, 2024. Bergin began his university education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology but soon became disenchanted with "tech." He transferred to Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and later to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he received BA (1956) and MA (1957) degrees in psychology. For his PhD in clinical psychology, Allen studied at Stanford under his beloved mentor Albert Bandura. He took his first academic position at Columbia University at the age of 26. In 1955 at Brigham Young University, he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), which motivated and informed much of his research and advocacy for integrating spirituality into the mental health professions. Allen earned many awards, including the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge. He published prolifically and is perhaps best known for Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change, now in its seventh edition. The 50-year history of the Handbook speaks to its impact on the field and to the original editor's vision of psychotherapy as a science-based endeavor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).