Physician, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, after obtaining a Degree in Medicine, he specialised in Psychiatry at the University of Milan.

He was one of the pioneers in the development of Cognitive Psychotherapy in Italy, publishing his first research in 1976 and obtaining the first Chair, of Cognitive Therapy at University of Catania, in 1980; this chair has been the first one of "Cognitive Therapy" ever set up in Italy! Today this chair is still active, after 32 academic years!

He also teaches this subject,both at the ALETEIA School and ALETEIA International, of which he is the Director (and which was founded by him in 1990) and at the University of Catania, where he is a full researcher and an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology. At the Department of Psychiatry, University of Catania he established and the Unit for Cognitive Therapy duirng Eighties.
Tullio Scrimali is also in charge of teaching Psychiatry at a private University, the Kore University of Enna.

He has been carrying out and still carries out research and didactic activities in several foreign countries, among which: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, England, Spain, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
He is Author of 130 scientific scientific articles  and several monographs.

He founded and directed, at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Catania, of the first Laboratory of Cognitive Psychophysiology and Biofeedback started in Italy. He describes this experience in the monograph he wrote, together with Grimaldi "On the Traces of Mind" (Angeli Editore, Milano 1991), which is currently in Italy the reference text on the subject.

He has been concerned for more than fifteen years about the cognitive approach to the Therapy and Rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients. He published several works on the issue of schizophrenia, among which the first controlled study ever carried out in Italy on a cognitively inspired protocol for the treatment of schizophrenia (Scrimali, & Grimaldi, 1996 "Negative Entropy" A Cognitive and complex approach to therapy and rehabilitation of schizophrenia. Complesssità & Cambiamento, Vol.V, N.1) and an experimental research on a new model for etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia (Scrimali, T. & Grimaldi, L., 1997: Schizophrenia and Cluster A Personality Disorder. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, Vol. 10, N. 4, 291-304).

He was the Chair of the Scientific Committee and of the Organising Committee of the first International conference of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy, named Cognitive Psychotherapy Towards a New Millennium" whic was held in Catania, in June 2000.

He was the founder and still is the Chair of two International Conferences: Volcanic Mind and The Mind in the Clouds held every year in Catania and in Enna (Sicily).

Tullio Scrimali is a founding fellow of the International Academy for Cognitive Therapy.

During 2001 he was an invited speaker at the World Congress of Behaviour and Cognitive Therapy in Vancouver and at the annual meeting of the European Association for Cognitive Therapy in Istanbul.

Tullio Scrimali presented in occasion of the EABCT of Prague on September 2003 an invited keynote lecture, a one day workshop and 3 symposia.

In Kobe, during the World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, held in July 2004, he has been an invited lecturer ad also he held a very successful one day workshop on Schizophrenia (the workshop was overbooked and 46 participant attended).

During the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and until nowadays, he has already been invited lecturer and workshop leader in Serbia, Sweden, Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Poland, Rumania, Spain, Finland and Croatia.

During 2006 and 2008 he presented, as an invited speaker at ALAPCO of Buenos Aires and then of Montevideo. In New York, during the the annual ISPS Congress, held in 2008, he presented his new booh on schizophrenia and its therapy.

 

During 2008 he was invited speaker at the European Congress of Behaviour and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) in Helsinki and in 2009 in Croatia and he was a consultant and supervisor of a training in Cognitive Therapy, held in Kaunas (Lithuania). Recently he lectured in Colombia, Slovakia, Turkey, Korea and Taiwan.
During the 2012 some invited workshops and letures are planned to be held by Tullio Scrimali, in New York, Chicago, Boston, Geneva and Taichung (Taiwan).