Psychology Professor Receives Early Career Achievement Award

The Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR) has awarded clinical psychology associate professor Joshua Swift its Outstanding Early Career Achievement Award.

Swift received the award at the SPR international conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in July. The honor reflects the awardee’s contributions, productivity and promise in making scientific contributions to psychotherapy research.

“I entered the field of clinical psychology because I wanted to help people who were experiencing mental health concerns,” Swift said. “This award is evidence that my research may be doing that on a global level.”

Swift’s research addresses the effectiveness of psychotherapy as an intervention for mental health concerns. In his research, Swift develops and tests methods for increasing treatment seeking in people with mental health needs and improving overall treatment outcomes for clients. 

His research has been supported by the excellent undergraduate and graduate students with whom he has collaborated, Swift said. He also credited research and travel awards from the College of Arts and Letters and Office of Research with helping fund and disseminate his research on an international level. 

The Outstanding Early Career Achievement Award has the potential to lead to additional research collaborations and brings recognition to research taking place in the Department of Psychology, Swift said. 

“The professional organization that granted the award is composed of the most prolific leaders in the field of psychotherapy research,” he said. “So to have them recognize my work as having made a significant contribution to the field is very meaningful to me.”