The CTCM is led by Dr. Baruch Fishman and Dr. Rebecca Hand. They are expert psychologists with many years of leadership experience as clinicians, teachers and supervisors at Weill Cornell Medical center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital. They have also led several major clinical research and innovation projects related to CBT.

Rebecca Hand, Ph.D.
  Executive Director

Dr. Hand completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Payne Whitney Clinic in 1997 in cognitive therapy and in traumatic stress, then  was trained and certified in Cognitive Therapy by the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy in 1998-1999.  She is a founding member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.  Dr. Hand was the Associate Director of the Cornell Cognitive Therapy Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical college in Manhattan from 1997-2001, when she developed and implemented an original cognitive therapy program for an all women’s inpatient unit at Payne Whitney-Westchester Division.  Dr. Hand specializes in the treatment of anxiety and stress disorders, with specific focus on women and adolescents Mental health. She currently serves on the voluntary faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College where she trains psychology fellows and psychiatry residents in cognitive therapy, and she is a trainer/consultant in an unprecedented initiative in the United States to train mental health professionals in Cognitive Therapy.

Baruch Fishman, Ph.D.
  Senior Supervisor

Dr. Fishman received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984, where he also trained for three years at the Center for Cognitive Therapy under the direction of Dr. Aaron T. Beck.  In 1994, Dr. Fishman founded the Cornell Cognitive Therapy Clinic at the Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan, and served as the Executive Director for for 19 years.  Dr. Fishman is a certified cognitive therapist and a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

Jessica Diller Kovler, Ph.D.
  Clinical Associate

Dr. Jess Diller Kovler completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive therapy at Weill-Cornell Medical Center and trained at Bellevue Hospital, the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Behavioral Health Center, and Lincoln Hospital/New York City Health & Hospitals. A scholar-practitioner, Dr Kovler specializes in the implementation of evidence-based, cognitive approaches to mental health care, with expertise in medically-based trauma, hormonal disorders, depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. Dr Kovler also performs forensic and neuropsychological assessment services. Named a 2021 Distinguished Fellow of the New York State Psychological Association for her commitment to the service of psychology, Dr. Kovler chairs the NYSPA Disaster Relief Network, coordinating pro-bono trauma-informed care for New Yorkers impacted by Covid-19. She is also a member of the adjunct forensic psychology faculty at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Dr. Kovler has been published in The New York Times, Forbes, and Reader's Digest, and maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Scarsdale, NY.