Paul M. Salkovskis

Paul Martin Salkovskis is an English clinical psychologist. He has primarily worked on treating anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, agoraphobia, and health anxiety. He is also considered a leading expert on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

From 2018 to 2020, Salkovskis served as the president of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies.

Early life Salkovskis attended Kelso High School, earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Reading. He qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1979 at the Institute of Psychiatry of King's College London and the Maudsley Hospital.

He worked as a NHS clinical psychologist in Yorkshire for six years before accepting a position as a research clinical psychologist at the University of Oxford in 1985. He returned to the University of Reading, earning his Ph.D. there in 1990. In 2000, he left the position to serve as Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry of King's College London. At King's College, he was also the Applied Science and Clinical Director of the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, leading the SLaM NHS Trust program. and served as the organization's president from 2018 to 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Salkovskis researched measures to help people curb COVID-related anxiety.

Research Salkovskis's research primarily involves treatment for anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), hoarding, panic, agoraphobia, and health anxiety. He is also considered a leading expert on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), having worked with its creator, Aaron T. Beck. He has criticized OCD treatment and referral in Wales, stating, "The provision of specialist treatment in Wales for OCD is extremely poor."

He is also an expert in health psychology, researching topics such as health screening, health decision making, and identifying and treating psychological issues in both medically unexplained symptoms and long-term health conditions. He has discussed the increases in healthy anxiety and mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognition In 2017, Salkovskis was awarded the MB Shapiro Award by the Division of Clinical Psychology of the British Psychological Society for his work in clinical psychology. He was previously a student of the award's namesake, Monte B. Shapiro, at the Institute of Psychiatry.