Psychology and self-help groups: Predictions on a partnership.

Continued growth and increased legitimacy are anticipated for the American self-help group (SHG) phenomenon. Currently estimated at six and a quarter million participants annually, self-help groups will assume a central role in the nation's mental health delivery system over the next two decades. The first part of this article illuminates the self-help group phenomenon itself. Its scope, characteristics, supporting social climate, and associated research issues are reviewed. The second part is a futuristic examination of its interface with the newly industrializing world of health care. Massive increases in mental health services are predicted, especially via the SHG format. Theory development, research sophistication, changing SHG formats, a place in public policy, and acceptance into graduate curricula are also expected, as are collaborative relationships with a variety of professional disciplines. Psychologists are urged to enhance the relevance of the profession by taking an early leadership role in these developments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the media to foster self-help groups.

Describes a project that consisted of putting ongoing self-help groups on the radio for 1 hr a week. The 1st half hour each week involved an actual session of a self-help group; during the 2nd half hour, calls from the audience were taken and answered by members of the group. The groups were directed at helping women cope wth motherhood, at men who abused their wives or children, and at parents of children with behavior problems. Increases in referral calls to each group were found after the self-help groups went on the air. Process recordings of the shows were useful in documenting the communication patterns employed during the shows. A panel of 12 mental health professionals judged that the programs did not provide unethical, harmful, or inaccurate information. The present project provided a demonstration of how researchers can work collaboratively with media and self-help groups in monitoring change in community-level types of interventions. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subliminal self-help audiotapes: A search for placebo effects.

Subliminal self-help audiotapes to aid weight loss were evaluated to determine if their apparent effectiveness is due to a placebo effect. All Ss were female students or staff who were both overweight and believed in the possible effectiveness of subliminal audiotapes. Three different groups of Ss were tested: 1 group listened to subliminal audiotapes purchased directly from a manufacturer, the 2nd group listened to comparable placebo tapes, and the 3rd group did not listen to any tapes at all. Each S in each group was weighed once each week for 5 wks. All 3 groups of Ss lost weight, and the average amount of weight lost by each group was approximately equivalent. These results provide no evidence that regular use of subliminal audiotapes leads to a placebo effect. Rather, the results suggest that regular use of subliminal audiotapes may simply make Ss more conscious of their weight. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a measure for the study of peer self-help integrity groups.

The Social Integration Measure (SIM) was developed and tests on student integrity groups (73 Ss) at the University of Illinois. This new measure has group members rate each other and themselves on items describing behaviors that lead to satisfying interpersonal relationships and a secure sense of self-worth. Special care was taken to increase the relevance of the testing to group goals. The SIM peer ratings showed very satisfactory levels of generalizability, and SIM did not seem to produce any reactivity-of-testing effects. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sprague's Law: A profoundly simple strategy for counseling and self-help.

Hall T. Sprague (1973, 1977) developed S = R/E, in which satisfaction (S) results from the magnitude of the difference between reality (R) and expectation (E). He called this Sprague's law. Although a simple equation, Sprague's law has been used in counseling and supervision to boil down complex psychological issues and problems in living to 3 simple variables and their interactions. The principles underlying Sprague's law are briefly compared with psychological principles across several psychotherapy theories. The application of the equation is clarified. A variety of clinical applications and examples are presented. Finally, it is suggested that Sprague's law can be given away to make psychology a household word. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological services to Spanish-speaking populations: A model curriculum for training competent professionals.

The competent delivery of mental health services to Spanish-speaking clients requires knowledge of Latino cultures, racial and ethnic identity development, variables that impact service delivery, and the Spanish language. We present the Psychological Services for Spanish Speaking Populations (PSSSP) program as a model for training mental health professionals to deliver services to Spanish-speaking clients. The goals for the program were to improve participants' oral and written Spanish language proficiency in work-related contexts and to improve multicultural competence in service delivery to Latino clients. Recommendations for those who wish to offer similar programs include (a) grouping trainees according to Spanish language proficiency, (b) using Spanish language instructors with expertise in teaching heritage language learners, and (c) developing criterion references or measures to assess program outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding roles: A psychodynamic model for role differentiation in groups.

The basic roles that emerge in groups are described in terms of a typology based on 3 biological imperatives: evaluation (i.e., good or bad), gender, and hierarchy. The mental matrix model based on these imperatives identifies 14 cardinal and emotional deep roles. The author argues that deep roles are born out of a biogenetically explicated mythic (narrative) structure of mind that is modified by early child–family interactions. In interaction with the environment, these primordial role fantasies become features of group reality. Their basis in the evolution of the human species and their imprint in folklore as well as in personality structure are illustrated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A controlled comparison of cognitive therapy and self-help support groups in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

Thirty-four patients with irritable bowel syndrome were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: individualized cognitive treatment (CT), self-help support group (SG), or symptom monitoring waiting-list control (WL). Each of the 3 conditions lasted approximately 8 weeks. Pre- to posttreatment analyses revealed significantly greater reductions in both individual gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and in a composite index for GI symptom change for the CT condition than for the SG or WL conditions. When compared with the SG and WL conditions, the CT condition also showed significant improvement on psychological measures of depression and anxiety. At 3-month follow-up, the results for the CT condition were maintained and revealed further numerical improvements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A self-help approach for high-risk drinking: Effect of an initial assessment.

Aself-help book was offered to persons wanting to quit or cut down on their alcohol use. Study participants (99 men, 56 women) were recruited through advertisements, screened by telephone, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: Book by mail or Assessment?+?Book (30-min telephone motivational interview plus book by mail). At 3-month follow-up, significantly more participants qualified as moderate drinkers in the Assessment?+?Book condition (65% vs. 43%), by this criterion: ≤ 12 drinks/week and ≤ 10% heavy drinking days (5+ drinks if male and 4+ drinks if female; 13.6 g of ethanol per drink). At 12 months there was no effect of condition, but significantly more women than men were rated as moderate drinkers (71% vs. 52%). Collateral informants corroborated the participants' reports of drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary care health psychology training: A collaborative model with family practice.

Are you planning a new postdoctoral training program in health psychology? Are your students seeking postdoctoral training in health psychology? Are you looking for a good formal postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology to continue your training? This article describes in detail the philosophy, educational objectives, and learning activities that make up a 13-year-old fellowship approved by the American Psychological Association in clinical health psychology, a model for clinical training in this specialty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memorizing by individuals and groups: A test of the pooling-of-ability model.

"Sixty-five Ss were given eight nonsense words to learn. Forty-two of the Ss learned the task in groups of three, and the remaining 23 learned the task as individuals… . The data indicate that a concept of group facilitation need not be introduced to explain the groups' performance." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive–behavioral self-help for binge eating disorder: A controlled effectiveness study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 2 methods of administering a cognitive–behavioral self-help program for binge eating disorder. The study was designed to reproduce many of the conditions that apply in settings in which self-help interventions are most relevant. Seventy-two women with binge eating disorder were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions for 12 weeks: pure self-help (PSH), guided self-help (GSH), or a waiting list (WL) control condition (followed by PSH or GSH). They were then followed up for 6 months. Both PSH and GSH had a substantial and sustained impact with almost half the participants ceasing to binge eat. There was little change in the WL condition. Cognitive–behavioral self-help may be of value both as an initial treatment for binge eating disorder and as a form of secondary prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Guiding parents toward helpful resources: A role for professionals.

Examines the usefulness of various kinds of materials (e.g., information regarding community resources, literature about other families, self-help materials) given to parents of children with congenital retardation. Psychologists are encouraged to direct parents toward appropriate action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral bibliotherapy: A review of self-help behavior therapy manuals.

Reviews the current status of self-help behavioral treatment manuals. Organizing concepts and strategies for the development and evaluation of such programs are described. Programs that have been published or empirically tested for the treatment of phobias, smoking, obesity, sexual dysfunctions, assertiveness, child behavior problems, study skills, and physical fitness, as well as general instructional texts, are reviewed. It is concluded that the validation of available self-help behavior therapy manuals is extremely variable at the present time. It is suggested that future research evaluate manuals under conditions of intended usage, recruit clinically relevant Ss, employ follow-through and cost-effectiveness indices, include appropriate controls and follow-up assessments, and attempt to identify S or other clinical predictors of treatment outcome. The clinical and ethical issues raised by self-help programs are also briefly considered. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational enhancement and self-help treatments for problem gambling.

Two brief treatments for problem gambling were compared with a waiting-list control in a randomized trial. Eighty-four percent of participants (N?=?102) reported a significant reduction in gambling over a 12-month follow-up period. Participants who received a motivational enhancement telephone intervention and a self-help workbook in the mail, but not those who received the workbook only, had better outcomes than participants in a 1-month waiting-list control. Participants who received the motivational interview and workbook showed better outcomes than those receiving the workbook only at 3-and 6-month follow-ups. At the 12-month follow-up, the advantage of the motivational interview and workbook condition was found only for participants with less severe gambling problems. Overall, these results support the effectiveness of a brief telephone and mail-based treatment for problem gambling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)