Nicholas Cummings’ interest in behavioral health began during World War II, at a time when psychology as a professional practice had only just begun. Building on the premedical degree he earned before being drafted into the Army at age 18, he became fascinated by the psychology of human behavior. He examined people’s emotional responses to the unprecedented horrors of modern warfare and studied the psychological interventions being researched in the field. His fiercely intelligent, independent, and determined nature took hold during these formative years.

After the war, Nicholas Cummings became a pioneer in the young field of professional psychology. He tirelessly pursued undergraduate, doctoral, and postgraduate study that met his exacting standards — no easy task during an era when such training was often lacking. To establish practitioners’ legitimacy in the nascent field, he worked with colleagues to found professional psychological associations. In 1958, Dr. Cummings became Kaiser Permanente’s Chief of Mental Health, a unique opportunity to deliver psychotherapy in a primary care setting. Under his leadership, Kaiser Permanente entered the psychology vanguard, eliminating the psychoanalytic couches and other established yet counterproductive practices, and making treatment more evidence-based, effective, and human.