A Patient Focused Psychotherapy Quality Assurance System

The wide gap between science and practice in psychotherapy is due in part to the one-way direction that has mostly defined the connection between researchers and clinicians, with researchers generating empirical knowledge with the hope that practitioners will implement it in their working environment. This traditional approach has not been optimal in addressing the day-to-day concerns of clinicians, or in providing easily generalizable practice guidelines in clinical routine. This book offers an alternative approach to psychotherapy research, based on a partnership between clinicians and researchers in different aspects of the decision, design, implementation, and dissemination of studies conducted in day-to-day practice. More specifically, it describes how to conduct practice-oriented research (POR) by presenting studies and lessons learned (in terms of obstacles faced, strategies used to overcome problems, benefits earned, and general recommendations) by eleven groups of who have been involved in POR in different settings around the world. The book provides tools to help clinicians be active participants in conducting clinically relevant studies, and set the agenda for future research. It seeks to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners, generating knowledge that can improve our understanding of the process of change and the impact of psychotherapy. This book was originally published as a special issue of Psychotherapy Research.

In the last 15 years feedback interventions have had a significant impact on the field of psychotherapy research and have demonstrated their potential to enhance treatment outcomes, especially for patients with an increased risk of treatment failure. Current investigations on feedback research are concerned with potential moderators and mediators of these effects, as well as the design and the implementation of feedback into routine care. After summarizing the current state of feedback research, this book provides empirical investigations of contemporary feedback research. These efforts aim at answering three overarching questions: 1) How should we implement feedback systems into routine practice and how do therapist and patient attitudes influence its effects?, 2) How can we design feedback reports and decision support tools?, and 3) Why do patients become at risk of treatment failure and how should therapists intervene with these patients? The studies included in this book reflect the current state of feedback research and provide promising pathways for future endeavours that will enhance our understanding of feedback effects. This book was originally published as a special issue of Psychotherapy Research.

Group psychotherapy in college counseling centers continues to thrive as a popular approach to working with college students, and yet there continues to be a lack of up-to-date, comprehensive resources for group psychotherapists working with this unique population. The College Counselor’s Guide to Group Psychotherapy highlights the role of the group therapist within college counseling centers; provides practical, step-by-step instructions for creating a thriving group program and culture; and unveils some of the opportunities to expand this under-recognized practice setting. This exciting new volume draws on the most current knowledge on group psychotherapy while paying particular attention to issues and ethical dilemmas that are unique to working with college students.

Pattern-Focused Therapy incorporates brief cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for symptom reduction and a step-by-step therapeutic strategy for effectively changing clients’ maladaptive patterns and increasing their well-being. Integrating research, clinical expertise, and client needs and values, Pattern Focused Therapy is a highly effective third-wave CBT approach that can be applied to a wide range of clients. This text guides therapists through the pattern focused approach, facilitating learning through session-by-session transcriptions and commentaries from the first to the final session. Interventions for optimizing treatment and indicators of successful therapy are included along with a chapter on Pattern Focused Therapy in integrated care settings. Seasoned and beginner therapists alike will benefit from this invaluable method for learning and mastering this evidence-based approach.

This book explores the link between the effectiveness of the family therapist and the complexity of the therapeutic relationship. For family therapists the therapeutic alliance is complex because there are different family members and the therapist must have an empathic relationship with each of them. Furthermore, the therapist is focused on facilitating the development of trust between the family members. The book highlights the family therapist, not as an interventionist, but as someone who is focused on establishing a good relationship with different family members. Centering the person of the therapist, this book includes research, theory, as well as case studies exploring topics such as the therapist’s emotion regulation, the therapist’s inner dialogue, and dealing with client feedback. Rober offers an empathetic perspective and accessible framework for family therapists, encouraging readers to use their intuition and self-supervision to build better awareness and stronger connections in the session. This book is essential for beginning and seasoned family therapists, systemic therapists, and graduate students.

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to deliver psychological services has been emerging as an effective way of increasing individual access to mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment. This Special Issue brings together different contributions focusing on the acceptability and feasibility, (cost-)effectiveness, potentialities, and limitations of ICT-based psychological services for mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment. In each paper, the implications for the implementation of ICT tools in different settings (e.g., primary care services) and for future research are discussed.

Praise for Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change, Sixth Edition "Not only is this a unique resource, it is the only book that all practitioners and researchers must read to ensure that they are in touch with the extraordinary advances that the field has made over the last years. Many of us have all five previous editions; the current volume is an essential addition to this growing, wonderful series." —Peter Fonagy, PhD, FBA, Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis and Head of the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London "As either researcher or clinician living in the contemporary world of accountability, this invaluable edition of the Handbook is a must for one's professional library." —Marvin R. Goldfried, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Stony Brook University The classic reference on psychotherapy—revised for the twenty-first century Keeping pace with the rapid changes that are taking place in the field, Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change, Sixth Edition endures as the most important overview of research findings in psychotherapy for professionals, academics, researchers, and students. This bestselling resource presents authoritative thinking on the pressing questions, issues, and controversies in psychotherapy research and practice today. Thorough and comprehensive, the new edition examines: New findings made possible by neuro-imaging and gene research Qualitative research designs and methods for understanding emotional problems Research in naturalistic settings that capitalizes on the curiosity of providers of services Practice-relevant findings, as well as methodological issues that will help direct future research

The core text for counselor skill development, Becoming a Skilled Counselor prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective helpers. Authors Richard D. Parsons and Naijian Zhang provide an understanding of the essentials of the counseling relationship, the dynamic and intentional nature of the helping process, and the theories and research guiding the selection and application of interventions.