Clinical and Counseling Psychology

Biography

Mehmet Z. Sungur is professor of psychiatry and former president of the psychiatry department at the Medical Faculty of Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey. Mehmet Z. Sungur received training in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), sexual and marital therapies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals in London. He was accredited as a cognitive behaviour therapist by the UK Council of Psychotherapy and British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP). He is also a founding fellow member and a certified cognitive therapist/supervisor by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT). He is the president of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACP). He is one of the past presidents of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy (EABCT). Prof Sungur is an executive board member of the European Federation of Sexology (EFS). Mehmet Z. Sungur’s clinical practice covers a wide range of clinical syndromes with a special emphasis on cognitive behavioural treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder and sexual and marital problems. He published numerous articles in national and international scientific journals and presented workshops and keynotes in hundreds of national and international congresses. He played a leading role in the dissemination of the practice of CBT and sex therapy in Turkey. He established the Turkish Association of Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (TACBT) in 1995 and is the president of this Association since its establishment. He is also a founder of Sexual Education, Treatment and Research Association (CETAD) and organised numerous national and international meetings on the assessment and treatment of sexual problems in Turkey and elsewhere. He is also World Sexual Health Country Coordinator of Turkey appointed by WAS. Mehmet Z. Sungur has received some national and international awards, the first one being “Schizophrenia Reintegration Award” and the recent one being “Gold Medal from European Federation of Sexology” which was presented to him at the 16th Congress of the European Society of Sexual Medicine (ESSM) joint by 12th Congress of European Federation of Sexology (EFS) in january 2014. He also received "Julia Heiman Honorary Award" and recently "Lo Piccolo Award" for his contributions in the area of sex therapy. He has published more than 100 papers mainly about Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and sexual disorders. He has also written books and book chapters mainly about CBT. Apart from BABCP, EABCT, TACBT, IACP and ACT Mehmet Z. Sungur is the past coordinator of the CBT Task Force and Couple and Family Therapy Task Force of the Turkish Psychiatry Association. He is on the advisory and/or editorial board of many national and international journals including Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Cognitive Therapy and Research, Journal of Evidence Based Psychoterapies, International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, Sexual and Relationship Therapy (journal of the British Association for Sexual and Marital Therapy), Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and more than 10 journals published in Turkey. He is the co-editor of the Journal of Contemporary Behavioural Health Care. He was a member of the task force on certification and accreditation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapists in Europe (EABCT certification and accreditation task force). He is also a member of the task force of EABCT on ‘Common Language in Psychotherapy’. Mehmet Z. Sungur has currently committed himself to the training of mental health professionals in clinical applications of CBT and sex therapy both in Turkey and abroad. He has been the president of 8 international congresses including the recent 47th EABCT Congress and many national congresses about CBT and sex therapy. He is running training courses and certified CBT training programmes for a large number of mental health professionals in Turkey and abroad.

Research Interest

Mehmet Z. Sungur’s clinical practice covers a wide range of clinical syndromes with a special emphasis on cognitive behavioural treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder and sexual and marital problems. He published numerous articles in national and international scientific journals and presented workshops and keynotes in hundreds of national and international congresses. He played a leading role in the dissemination of the practice of CBT and sex therapy in Turkey. He established the Turkish Association of Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (TACBT) in 1995 and is the president of this Association since its establishment. He is also a founder of Sexual Education, Treatment and Research Association (CETAD) and organised numerous national and international meetings on the assessment and treatment of sexual problems in Turkey and elsewhere. He is also World Sexual Health Country Coordinator of Turkey appointed by WAS.