Assessing Experience In Psychotherapy

This book focuses on the importance of understanding the experience of the person as the primary task of psychology and psychotherapy. It uses phenomenologically based, qualitative research methodologies to understand the experiences of four persons being seen in psychotherapy. It compares hypotheses generated from phenomenologically based assessment instruments to detailed analyses of psychotherapy sessions. Thus, therapists, students, and clients can see the relationship between the holistic understanding of the experience of persons and avenues for therapeutic movement. The book is divided into four sections. Part I discusses the clinical theory on which the study is based. A chapter on qualitative research methodologies includes both the philosophical bases of this form of research and the compatibilities between qualitative psychology and personal construct theory. Part II deals with the process of assessing experience within personal construct psychology. It describes the two techniques--the role construct elicitation technique and the interview technique--that are used to elicit verbal meanings. In many ways, Part III consisting of four chapters, forms the heart of the volume. Each deals with a special person--a client being seen in experiential personal construct psychotherapy. After discussing clinical hypotheses derived from the constructs, each chapter presents an intensive interpersonal process analysis of the client's second therapy session. Each chapter then compares the clinical hypotheses generated from the client's personal meanings to the actual struggles in the therapy room. Part IV attempts to draw implications from the project that will be useful to persons engaged in the struggle to understand the inner meanings of others.

While professional trainings in psychotherapy and counselling vary considerably in the attention they pay to assessment, courses, conferences and workshops devoted to the subject are attracting an audience eager for more demonstration and discussion. In response, The Art and Science of Assessment in Psychotherapy offers an extended symposium on principles and practice. Guided by a belief that comparative study will spur critical reflection and innovation, its presentations encompass a wide range of therapeutic orientations, settings and interests. In the book twelve distinguished practitioners of widely used approaches within psychotherapy describe the methods they use in their assessments and how these have developed. They also discuss the uses and limitations of the therapies they offer. The approaches covered include psychoanalytic psychotherapy, in-patient psychotherapy, family therapy, group psychotherapy, psychodrama, cognitive-behaviour therapy, couple therapy and focal therapy. Additional chapters look at assessment in the light of psychotherapy research, question how far assessment can be separated from treatment, and ask whether the use of questionnaires and special tests aids or detracts from interviewing as a method of assessment. As psychotherapy matures as a profession, both chronologically and in response to public demand, interest in assessment methods is growing, yet to date the published material has been limited and dispersed amongst specialist books and journals. The Art and Science of Assessment in Psychotherapy offer the first comprehensive, practical review of a key professional issue which will be of interest to all practising psychotherapists and counsellors.

First published in 1996. The revised and expanded third edition of the Manual for Clinical Psychology Trainees is directed primarily to graduate psychology students-although it will prove valuable for everyone involved in patient care. This book presents easily understood, brief guidelines for each step in the provision of psycho­ logical services. The authors do not attempt to document every possible approach to every potential issue; instead, their goal is to clear a path through a complex and multilayered field. By targeting the discussion in this way, the format allows for the provision of actual methods that work, thus enabling the newcomer to accomplish a variety of clinical tasks. The authors draw upon their extensive firsthand experience in training to offer essential guidelines for effective clinical work. This concise, easy-to-use edition has been thoroughly updated to take into account the numerous advances that have occurred in the field since the previous edition was published in 1988. New to this edition are chapters addressing supervision in clinical psychology and research in a practicum setting. Plentiful examples of the interviews, reports, and records that the practitioner is called upon to conduct or compile are included throughout the text. In addition, there are extensive tables detailing various syndromes, as well as tests and classes of medication.

Psychoanalytic psychotherapists and psychoanalysts inevitably find themselves doing assessment in their work, both in private practice and in a clinical setting such as the NHS. The authors felt a need for a book that covers this vital aspect of their work, which would be of benefit both to students in training and to practitioners. Amongst subjects covered are the nature of assessments, the setting, consultation, contraindications, and clinical examples. This title contains the distilled wisdom of over twenty years experience in the field.

Research in Psychotherapy is a comprehensive synthesis and assessment of the psychotherapeutic research literature for the use of both researchers and those in clinical practice. It is designed as a general reference work, an instruction guide, and a source of information about specific aspects and problems of research. The book consists of three parts. Part 1 discusses principles and methods of research as they are applied to psychotherapy. It provides general background material and principles to help non-researchers appreciate some of the important problems that are encountered. In Part 2, existing research on the effects of psychotherapy and the determinants and correlates of outcome are clustered and reviewed. Chapters 4 to 7 are concerned strictly with a review and appraisal of controlled studies that were designed to evaluate the effects of psychotherapy. Chapters 8 to 13 deal with a large body of research on various factors associated with therapeutic outcome--method, style, and technique variables; patient, therapist, and time variables. Part 3 is concerned with research on aspects of the therapeutic process and on the effect of many of these same variables on the therapeutic interchange as distinct from the outcome of therapy. Also discussed is research on various therapeutic phenomena and conditions about which so much has been written and so little really known. Research in Psychotherapy was written in the conviction that clinical practice should be influenced by research and that rigorous research that meets acceptable experimental standards can be done on the field of psychotherapy. Julian Meltzoff is a fellow of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Known as an innovator of therapeutic programs, he designed and organized a model milieu therapy setting, which was evaluated in his book The Day Treatment Center: Principles, Application, and Evaluation. He also wrote Critical Thinking About Research: Psychology and Related Fields. Melvin Kornreich is supervisor of research in the Psychology Section of the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Brooklyn, New York. A diplomate in Clinical Psychology of the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology, Kornreich has had extensive experience in clinical work and research supervision; he teaches in the psychology program of Brooklyn College, City University of New York.

This is a thorough and well-structured piece of work, which brings in the recent work of excellent authorities such as Barbara Ingram. It is well arranged, with many examples and case vignettes, which bring the material to life in an engaging way. I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it unreservedly.’ John Rowan, humanistic therapist, private practice ‘This is a must-read book for students on courses in counselling, psychotherapy, clinical psychology and psychiatry.’ Heather Fowlie, Head of the Transactional Analysis Department, Metanoia Institute, London Conducting a competent assessment and case formulation can be a daunting task for trainee therapists engaging in clinical assessment for the first time. This book is designed to help, by unpicking the many aspects involved in assessment and case formulation across modalities, practice settings and client groups. The book: · Explores key elements of clinical assessment including diagnosis, risk assessment, ethical considerations and accounting for difference. · Highlights the necessary skills, techniques and legal requirements at each stage of the process. · Takes into account the impact of culture, context and theoretical and practical considerations. · Uses case studies and reflective questions to illustrate difficult concepts in context. Equipping you with the knowledge and tools to make successful assessments and case formulations, this is an essential read for trainees and for qualified practitioners wishing to brush up on their understanding. Dr Biljana van Rijn, Faculty Head of Applied Research and Clinical Practice, Metanoia Institute.

This book sets out to address the complexities of psychoanalytic assessment. Comprises a comprehensive review of relevant literature and contributions from various psychotherapists on the different aspects of the assessment process.Contributors:Helen Alfiille, Judith Barnard, Ruth Berkowitz, Judy Cooper, Arna Davis, Philip Hewitt, Mira Malovic-Yeeles, Aslan Mordecai, Mary Rosalind Stumpfl, Anne Tyndale and Danuta Waydenfeld.

Research in Psychotherapy is a comprehensive synthesis and assessment of the psychotherapeutic research literature for the use of both researchers and those in clinical practice. It is designed as a general reference work, an instruction guide, and a source of information about specific aspects and problems of research. The book consists of three parts. Part 1 discusses principles and methods of research as they are applied to psychotherapy. It provides general background material and principles to help non-researchers appreciate some of the important problems that are encountered. In Part 2, existing research on the effects of psychotherapy and the determinants and correlates of outcome are clustered and reviewed. Chapters 4 to 7 are concerned strictly with a review and appraisal of controlled studies that were designed to evaluate the effects of psychotherapy. Chapters 8 to 13 deal with a large body of research on various factors associated with therapeutic outcome--method, style, and technique variables; patient, therapist, and time variables. Part 3 is concerned with research on aspects of the therapeutic process and on the effect of many of these same variables on the therapeutic interchange as distinct from the outcome of therapy. Also discussed is research on various therapeutic phenomena and conditions about which so much has been written and so little really known. Research in Psychotherapy was written in the conviction that clinical practice should be influenced by research and that rigorous research that meets acceptable experimental standards can be done on the field of psychotherapy.