Review of Multiculturalism in Canada: Social and educational perspectives.

Reviews the book, Multiculturalism in Canada: Social and educational perspectives edited by Ronald J. Samuda, John W. Berry, and Michel Laferriere (1984). The editors have managed to put together an impressive collection of contributors and contributions. Their stated aim is "to cover the entire spectrum of potential factors related to multiculturalism" and they "feel sure that this volume will meet the needs of teacher educators...inservice training...and teacher training in the foundations of multicultural education" (p. vii). The volume is divided into five parts. Part one contains chapters under the rubric of Policies of Multiculturalism. Part two contains five chapters under the rubric of Attitudes toward Multiculturalism. Part three contains six chapters under the rubric of Language in a Multicultural Society. Part four contains eight chapters under the rubric of Adaptation to a Multicultural Society. Part five contains six chapters under the rubric of Assessment and Counselling in Multicultural Society. In sum, this volume contains many fine individual chapters. Students and professors can pick through them and find the ones best suited for their unique purposes. When taken as a whole, however, the volume represents an ethos which is probably irreconcilable with a genuine multiculturalism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Person-centred counselling: An experiential approach.

Reviews the book, Person-centered counselling: An experiential approach by David Rennie (1998). In this book, David Rennie gives priority to the working alliance between counsellor and client, and he outlines various ways in which that alliance can be enhanced. This work began as a training guide, which was eventually expanded to include reflections on the way others have approached central issues in the counselling experience. Rennie draws on a range of theorists such as Carl Rogers and Eugene Gendlen, and makes clear his agreements and disagreements with their positions. In some preliminary chapters, Rennie addresses general issues in counselling before embarking on ideas about counselling itself. He emphasizes, in the Rogerian tradition, the importance of empathy for what clients are feeling as they enter the somewhat unusual context of counselling. The remaining chapters are devoted to the therapeutic craft, including such topics as how to listen to clients, the counsellor's reactions to the client's account of his or her experience, openness and transparency in the relationship with the client, identifying process issues, metacommunication, and the working alliance. This book is a refreshing alternative for practitioners and for students students learning the art of therapeutic intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pain: psychological perspectives.

Reviews the book, Pain: psychological perspectives edited by S. Rachman and Jack D. Maser (see record 1988-97293-000). The success of this book lies in its focus on the symptom of panic rather than on the diagnosis of panic disorder. The three main psychological theories discussed in the book are: (a) Clark's cognitive theory of panic, which postulates that panic attacks result from the catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations; (b) van den Hout's Pavlovian theory of panic, which postulates that bodily sensations such as heart palpitations become conditioned stimuli for panic attacks through the temporal contiguity of these stimuli with the first spontaneous panic attack; and (c) Lang's information processing theory, which Lang discusses in relation to phobias but, unfortunately, not to any appreciable extent in relation to panic. Each theory is clearly presented in one of three chapters, each of which is written by the originator of the theory. I hope that this book will get a wide readership. It would act as a stimulant in senior undergraduate and graduate courses. I hope also that it will convince psychopathologists of the value of the symptom-approach in research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Panic: Psychological perspectives.

Reviews the book, Panic: Psychological perspectives edited by S. Rachman and Jack D. Maser (see record 1988-97293-000). This volume's forerunner (1985) was the excellent compilation Anxiety and the Anxiety Disorders, edited by Tuma and Maser, which contained facts and theories from all standpoints. The current volume exemplifies the workings of history's pendulum. Although the 1985 volume enabled "psychological and cognitive investigators to present their points of view in many areas of anxiety research, the topic of panic was still dominated by biological studies." The editors have done much the rational reader would look forward to: develop an area at the cutting edge of science, demand thoughtful reviews, expose the reviews to the hurly burly of a meeting, and finally publish the revised papers. Rachman and Maser have produced a useful volume that exceeds most multiauthored edited publications. However, it could have been even better if it had included more directly critical reviews from those who consider the data analyses and theories presented often weak or tendentious and sometimes just beside the point. The advice to the reader interested in this area is to read this book, but recognize its partiality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Abnormal psychology perspectives.

Reviews the book, Abnormal psychology perspectives by William L. Marshall and Philip Firestone (1999). Marshall and Firestone have chosen to construct an edited text, using Canadian experts for each of the 19 chapters. Aside from the fact that Abnormal Psychology Perspectives is a top notch text, the quality of materials provided for instructors is also excellent. For each chapter, the instructor's manual provides a summary, major issues and key points, resources for lecture material, as well as suggested topics for classroom discussion. There is a hard copy and computerized test bank containing approximately 1,900 multiple-choice and essay questions. A separate study guide is available that will assist students to organize chapters, focus on key concepts, and provide an opportunity to practice answering multiple-choice questions or questions that require short answers, such as filling in missing terms. This is an excellent abnormal psychology textbook, which was constructed with the Canadian mental health context at its core. It is long overdue and has set a standard against which future texts should be measured. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dissociation: Clinical and theoretical perspectives.

Reviews the book, Dissociation: Clinical and theoretical perspectives by Steven Jay Lynn and Judith W. Rhue (see record 1994-98908-000). In this book, the editors' stated purpose was to provide "a book that would be at once authoritative and provide virtually comprehensive coverage of important aspects of the topic," and they have largely achieved their goal. Because Dissociation is so comprehensive, there is in essence "something for everyone"; in turn, there may be sections of the book which are of less relevance to many readers. For example, clinicians who are primarily concerned about issues of diagnosis and treatment may find the discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of hypnosis and dissociation less than helpful. The sections on diagnosis and treatment, in turn, are of an overview nature; a clinician who is interested in more detailed discussions of these issues will have to go to the original sources. Nevertheless, this book might well be recommended as required reading for clinicians and researchers alike because of its very broad scope. The various authors address important questions which clinicians and researchers should consider. Dissociation makes clear that the concept of dissociation is one of the most complicated and misunderstood concepts in psychology. The history of the concept itself is reviewed at length in the book. Nevertheless, Lynn and Rhue have provided a resource in which a wide variety of perspectives of both a clinical and research nature are presented in a comprehensive yet accessible manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychopathology: Contemporary Jungian perspectives.

Reviews the book, Psychopathology: Contemporary Jungian perspectives edited by Andrew Samuels (see record 1991-97962-000). This book is a collection of relevant articles culled by the editor from the Journal of Analytical Psychology. Because the editor has collected what was available rather than having commissioned items specifically to span the topic for the book, the coverage of the range of psychopathology is spotty, although the major topics of depression, anxiety, psychosis, and personality disorders are covered. Several articles on narcissism are included as are also articles dealing with marital pathology and Holocaust victims. Most are from the perspective of Jungian therapy with the only other theoretical input used coming from self psychology. No other approaches are mentioned. Obviously, the book is likely to be a useful compendium to Jungian analysts. It is somewhat difficult to see how it could be useful to practitioners of other points of view. The language is replete with Jungian terms that are not explained and may not be immediately understandable for persons outside that system. There are two additional major flaws that are also apparent: The tone and language are decidedly British and refer to how the British mental health system is organized, which is, of course, somewhat different than ours; also, because of the publication dates, many of the articles have a dated quality. Both of these factors limit the potential audience for this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Children of alcoholics: Critical perspectives.

Reviews the book Children of alcoholics: Critical perspectives edited by Michael Windle and John S. Searles ( 1990-97263-000). This book is divided into nine separate chapters, including introductory and summary chapters and chapters on epidemiology, biochemical markers, neuropsychology and neurophysiology, behavior genetics, personality, family environment, and intervention. On balance, the contributions are up-to-date and scholarly, and they successfully illustrate the methodological issues and shortcomings across the various areas of children of alcoholics (COAs) research and provide theoretical perspectives for integrating the existing data. Throughout the book, biopsychosocial and developmental issues are stressed. The reviewer believes that this in itself is an important contribution because much of the writing in this area overemphasizes either biological or psychosocial factors to the exclusion of the other. Biologically oriented researchers often appear to support overly simplistic, reductionistic approaches, whereas psychosocial theorists (even when paying lip service to biological factors) often fail to appreciate that some of their key "environmental" constructs might be reflecting genetically determined phenomena (e.g., as in the case of gene-environment correlation). In the final chapter, Windle and Searles do an admirable job of integrating and bringing a sense of coherence to the multidisciplinary research literature. The reviewer believes their suggestions for future research are right on the mark and should be heeded by the next generation of COA researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Humor and psyche: Psychoanalytic perspectives.

Review of book: James W. Barron. Humor and psyche: Psychoanalytic perspectives. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press, 1999, xi + 232 pp.. Reviewed by Jeffrey Berman. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian counselling psychologists' contributions to applied psychology.

The goal of this paper is to draw attention to the contributions of Canadian counselling psychologists in three key areas central to the discipline: (a) multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy; (b) health, wellness, and prevention, and (c) career psychology. Accordingly, we have situated our discussion within a historical framework of the discipline followed by a discussion of the Canadian context, definitions, and specific contributions. Finally, we offer a summary of the strengths and current challenges faced by Canadian counselling psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychosocial factors in pain: Critical perspectives.

Reviews the book, Psychosocial factors in pain: Critical perspectives edited by Robert J. Gatchel and Dennis C. Turk (see record 1999-02275-000). This edited volume is divided into three sections. The first presents the biopsychosocial context, the second examines special topics and populations, and the third focuses on prevention and management. The editors have attracted the cream of the crop of researchers in different areas. The coverage of topics is broad and most issues and disorders that one would expect are well covered. Indeed, some areas that are often not included in discussion of psychosocial factors, such as religious and spiritual issues, upper extremity disorders, and pain management in primary care, are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Introduction to psychology and law: Canadian perspectives.

Reviews the book, Introduction to psychology and law: Canadian perspectives by Regina A. Schuller and James R. P. Ogloff (see record 2001-06385-000). The book begins with an introduction by the editors underscoring the breadth of applications of psychology in legal forums and describing the well-known history of this field, along with the inevitable tension that exists between the disciplines of psychology and law. Standard ethical issues facing psychologists in this intersection are also explored. The introduction is followed by a chapter by Gordon Rose, which gives a ready overview of the Canadian legal system and typical procedures in criminal and civil actions. This information is an essential foundation for understanding the environment into which psychology must fit. The subsequent 12 chapters are collected in three sections relating to criminal procedure, forensic clinical psychology, and forensic civil psychology. Most chapters begin with a Canadian case vignette and conclude with four discussion questions that arise from the chapter material. These questions will be very useful as a regular component of class participation. This book presents a balanced balanced mix of experimental and clinical psychological information to be applied to the law covered by the text. With few exceptions, such as in the case of young offenders issues, the range of topics covered is adequate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Alcohol and the family: Research and clinical perspectives.

Reviews the book, Alcohol and the family: Research and clinical perspectives, edited by R. Lorraine Collins, Kenneth E. Leonard, and John Searles (see record 1990-97558-000). Alcohol and the family is divided into three parts. Part I describes the research on genetic influences that may determine whether someone develops a problem with alcohol. Part II focuses on family processes as they influence drinking behavior. Part III discusses various aspects of family-oriented treatment. Although this book does not purport to be a clinician's handbook, parts II and III provide a well-written, concise, and helpful discussion both of the role of family processes in the development and maintenance of drinking problems and of family approaches to their treatment. This book is "intended for both researchers and clinicians who have an interest in alcoholism and/or family related issues. [The editors] hope that the issues raised in the chapters in this volume will stimulate further developments in research and clinical endeavors on alcohol and the family." Indeed they will. This is a book worth reading by those with such interests, despite a few minor shortcomings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian counselling psychology coming of age: An overview of the special section.

This paper provides a brief overview of each of the papers published in this special section on Canadian Counselling Psychology and details how the special section articles further the development of the discipline by highlighting Canadian authored scholarship, mapping out the history and current state of the discipline, and considering how the unique Canadian context shaped the literature reviewed. Specifically, this introduction outlines how the articles to follow cover the following topics: (a) the history of Canadian counselling psychology; (b) professional issues and identity; (c) counselling, training, and supervision; (d) research and scientific issues; and (e) counselling psychologists' contribution to applied psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The nature of truth: Classic and contemporary perspectives.

Reviews the book, The nature of truth: Classic and contemporary perspectives by Michael P. Lynch (2001). This massive compilation is molded around two central questions: Does truth have an underlying nature? And, if so, what sort of nature does it have? In an attempt to address these questions, Lynch has assembled the work of an impressive array of thinkers from a variety of philosophical positions. The anthology is divided into seven major sections with each section being preceded by a detailed introduction that not only discusses the essays in the section to follow but also relates them to other relevant essays in the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychotherapist's own psychotherapy: Patient and clinician perspectives.

Reviews the book, The psychotherapist's own psychotherapy: Patient and clinician perspectives by Jesse D. Geller, John C. Norcross, and David E. Orlinsky (2005). The editors of this book have two aims: 1) "to synthesize and explicate the accumulated knowledge on psychotherapy with psychotherapists," and 2) "to provide clinically tested and empirically grounded assistance to psychotherapists treating fellow therapists, as well as to those clinicians who seek personal treatment themselves." The editors seem to be walking a fine line between asserting their own integrative conclusions and setting the conditions for readers to arrive at conclusions on their own. The tendency is toward the latter. With this propensity in mind, readers might approach the book as a truly encyclopedic collection- best approached in piecemeal (nonintegrative) fashion, focusing on fascinating morsels that can stand alone. In contrast, for those readers who are drawn toward integration, the book may elicit contrasting experiences of deep familiarity and understanding, and disorienting befuddlement about what was just read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychotherapists in clinical practice: Cognitive and behavioral perspectives.

Reviews the book, Psychotherapists in clinical practice: Cognitive and behavioral perspectives by Neil S. Jacobson (see record 1987-98176-000). Behavior therapy is known for, indeed in some circles notorious for, its commitment to procedural specificity. It is thus ironic how little has been written about the concrete, session-to-session work of outpatient behavior therapists. Neil Jacobson, a behavioral marital therapist and a veteran editor of clinical compendiums, has stepped into the breach with this most recent volume. As he notes in his introduction, "The impetus for this book is the belief that there is not enough material in behavior therapy literature to support a practicing clinician working in settings where outpatients must be treated." (p. 4). It is Jacobson's intent to help remedy this deficit. Altogether, Jacobson's latest collection is a worthwhile addition to any clinician's library, whether or not the practictioner is of a behavioral bent. The usefulness of the contributions may vary, but the volume as a whole is likely to serve as a valuable reference for the outpatient therapist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Gambling problems in youth: Theoretical and applied perspectives.

Reviews the book, Gambling Problems in Youth: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives edited by Jeffrey L. Derevensky and Rina Gupta (2004). This book specifically addresses gambling problems in youth, and presents a balanced and comprehensive overview of theory, research, and treatment knowledge. Throughout the book, contributing authors draw valuable conclusions on the major issues of measurement, treatment, prevention and, social policy. This book will be valuable for practitioners, researchers, and academics interested in youth with gambling problems. One of its unintended consequences may be to increase the research capacity of the field. Its broad and compelling overview of problem gambling, as it affects young people, may well entice new researchers to the field, or refocus and draw veteran researchers into this important emerging area of endeavour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)