Review of Cognitive-behavioral therapies for trauma (2nd Edition).

Reviews the book, Cognitive-behavioral therapies for trauma (2nd edition) by Victoria M. Follette and Josef I. Ruzek (see record 2006-02767-000). This humbly titled text actually provides exhaustive coverage of several important trauma-related areas. As suggested by the book cover, this second edition seems to go beyond updated references and leading-edge changes. The book does indeed appear to be a radical revision without departing from the core intent, which was to provide a one-stop shop for practitioners working with trauma survivors. Functioning more as a compendium than a standard text, this book acts as a single resource for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In appropriate fashion, a historical review serves to contextualize the subsequent sections and associated chapters. The majority of the book is then divided into three sections: Assessment, Interventions, and Specialized Populations and Delivery Considerations. The final chapter serves as direction for the future of applied cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in several diverse settings. Overall, the text is a comprehensive desk reference for many practitioners treating PTSD. As noted in this review, some chapters are presented in a manner that is accessible to a broad readership, whereas others are geared more towards the experienced practitioner. Notwithstanding, the sound empirical foundations provided for the assessments, interventions, and tangential issues related to PTSD make this volume a valuable compendium resource for clinicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychophysiological disorders: Research and clinical applications.

Reviews the book, Psychophysiological disorders: Research and clinical applications by Robert L. Gatchel and Edward B. Blanchard (see record 1994-97036-000). This text assumes the approach of the selective presentation of diseases and disorders with a high morbidity rate. Headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis are discussed by contributing authors, and the reader is provided with concise overviews of salient literature and access to adequate reference sections for expanding clinical and empirical interest. The reader is immediately impressed not only with the expertise and efforts of editor and contributors but also, inevitably, with critical areas which are not covered in this text. This is a useful resource for any clinician treating medically ill patients, and some would justifiably argue that since the disorders and conditions are endemic to the human organism, no patient can be treated without an awareness of the incidence, prevalence, and presentation of the disease processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Discussion and Group Methods: Theory and Practice.

Reviews the book, Discussion and Group Methods: Theory and Practice by Ernest G. Bormann (see record 1970-06652-000). The author, a Professor at the University of Minnesota, in an attempt to deal with the theoretical and practical aspects of group discussion, has adequately explored the task dimension and the social dimension of small-group communication (discussion). This book is divided into two distinct sections. Part 1, The Techniques of Group Discussion, deals with the know-how of evolving, participating in, and moderating various types of discussions. Part II, Group Methods, is concerned with the small-group theory that is necessary if one is to apply group methods to discussion. The author' obviously wrote this book as a text to be used in university courses dealing primarily with small task-oriented groups. Despite the apparent lack of newness, the book is not just another accumulation of the findings of others. Many of the familiar key concepts dealing with group discussion are given new meaning as they are explained and verified in light of the observations of the author as he conducted the Small Groups Communication Seminar over the last eight years at the University of Minnesota. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Comparative Animal Behavior.

Reviews the book, Comparative Animal Behavior by Richard A. Maier and Barbara M. Maier (see record 1970-08060-000). This book was written as a text for basic comparative psychology on animal behavior courses. The text is carefully referenced to an extensive bibliography which makes the book valuable as a reference source to the basic literature of the area. The three part organization of the text covers: Basic Sensory Motor System Biology, Stimulus Control of Naturalistic Behaviors, and Interactive Processes of Organisms and Environment. Within and across sections the text is organized to allow the student progression from simple mechanisms of behavior to the more complex processes. The exemplary studies cited deal with a variety of species appropriate to elucidation of the phenomena under discussion, and profusely supplemented with drawings and photographic plates. An excellent introduction to comparative studies of animal behavior for psychology students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Rehearsals for growth: Theater improvisation for psychotherapists.

Reviews the book, Rehearsals for growth: Theater improvisation for psychotherapists by Daniel J. Wiener (see record 1994-98676-000). This book is clearly written for psychotherapists who might be interested in improv and improv's applications to the psychotherapeutic stage, and not for actors and actresses studying psychotherapy. The style of the book is unique. It is a weave of personal narrative, literature review, interviews with improv teachers, practical ideas, and case material. It is also written so that after a brief introduction one may play with the book as one likes—it can be read cover to cover; one can go directly to practical ideas; another can study the content chapters in any order; and so on. I read the book cover to cover, and the shifts is presentation style felt disruptive, but this might be the very improv principles at work in the author's writing style. Probably the most useful part of the book is the bounty of ideas, games, and exercises. These techniques are described in text and tabulated in an appendix for easy reference and comparison. The games and exercises are playful, thought-provoking, maybe even iconoclastic, and potentially therapeutic with a skilled therapist. The book is worthwhile for almost any psychotherapist from any therapeutic modality. The challenge, though, for those that accept it, doing what it takes to develop genuine and reliable spontaneity. Rehearsals for Growth is one method to achieve that aim. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Occupational health psychology.

Reviews the book, Occupational health psychology edited by Stavroula Leka and Jonathon Houdmont (see record 2010-10988-000). Leka and Houdmont describe their book as the first textbook devoted to occupational health psychology intended for undergraduate instruction in the field. Leka and Houdmont have chosen an interesting strategy in creating an edited textbook with individual chapters written by established experts in the field. In doing so, they have in many cases gotten “the best” people in a particular area to write chapters in their area of expertise. Despite their reliance on multiple authors, the editors have maintained a consistent style throughout the volume—each chapter begins with a chapter outline and ends with a chapter summary. Textboxes throughout are used to highlight individuals prominent in the field (e.g., Tom Cox) or to highlight applications and research issues and to provide definitions of key terms. I would expect that students will appreciate such pedagogical features in addition to the depth of expertise that underlies each chapter. Although not divided into sections, one can intuit a structure to the book that begins with a broad perspective on occupational health psychology and then progressively adopts a narrower focus. When I first heard of this book, I was pleased at the prospect of being able to assign a single textbook that would offer a survey of occupational health psychology. Although the authors met their explicit goal of covering the core education curriculum defined by the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, I am not convinced that they have produced a “stand-alone” text that provides an adequate coverage of the field. In particular, issues of workplace safety are strikingly absent from the text. Personally, I would feel the need to supplement this text with specific readings on issues of occupational safety and occupational disease in order to cover the major topics that comprise the field of occupational health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of pain assessment, second edition.

Reviews the book, Handbook of pain assessment, second edition edited by Dennis C. Turk and Ronald Melzack (see record 2001-05101-000). This book is a comprehensive review of the state of the art of pain assessment. The book consists of 36 chapters organized in six major sections, an introduction and a conclusion. The sections are: measurement of pain, assessment of behavioural expressions of pain, medical and physical evaluations, psychological evaluation, specified pain states, and methodological issues. The Handbook of pain assessment should be in every university and health centre library. All health professionals and students who see patients who have pain (and that is probably all of them) should have this text readily available. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of contemporary group psychotherapy: Contributions from object relations, self psychology, and social systems theories.

Reviews the book, Handbook of contemporary group psychotherapy: Contributions from object relations, self psychology, and social systems theories edited by Robert H. Klein, Harold S. Bernard, and David L. Singer (see record 1992-98341-000). Divided into three large sections, the book addresses recent theoretical developments, the clinical applications to patient care and the role of the therapist, each from the standpoint of object relations theory, self psychological theory and social systems theory. The chapters in this book are intended to clarify and integrate different theoretical perspectives with the business of daily practice and application to the group milieu. The reviewer points out several problems with the text including lack of consistency, minor inaccuracies, redundancy among chapters, occasional outdated references and, perhaps most cogent of these carps, the rather wide variation in quality among the different chapters. Nevertheless, the reviewer highly recommends this book for all practitioners and students of group therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical assessment: The advantage of multiple perspectives.

Reviews the book, "Assessment of Children: Behavioral and Clinical Applications," by J. Sattler (see record 2001-05360-000). A text on clinical assessment may be evaluated according to how adequately it prepares the reader to conduct a comprehensive evaluation. This text, is within the tradition of organizing data around specific diagnostic syndromes that are cast as "children's needs." However, in an effort to be comprehensive, the book also includes information about specific measures and general assessment techniques such as interviews and observational strategies and incorporates intervention planning. The author intends this book to serve as a graduate text and reference for practicing professionals and, thus, includes a cornucopia of useful forms, checklists, and recording templates throughout the various chapters and in the appendices. However, combining a teaching text with a professional reference creates a dilemma-how to manage the needs of the beginner relative to those of the practicing professional. Perhaps as a result of trying to be comprehensive, there is considerable variability within and among chapters in the complexity of the material and in the audience (novice vs. practitioner) that is addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Missing data: A gentle introduction.

Reviews the book, Missing data: A gentle introduction by Patrick E. McKnight, Katherine M. McKnight, Souraya Sidani, and Aurelio Jose Figueredo (see record 2007-06639-000). The authors' goal is to provide a nonstatistical and nonmathematical introduction to the complex topic of missing data. To a large extent, the authors are successful at meeting this goal. As the title suggests, the book provides a gentle introduction to what is known about identifying and handling missing data. For applied researchers, this will be a valuable addition to their collection of statistical reference books. However, adding material about the application of specific missing data procedures using the major statistical packages (e.g., SAS, SPSS), would substantially improve the practical value of this book. Nonetheless, this text is highly recommended as a state-of-the-art introductory book on the topic of missing data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Teaching children with learning and behavior problems.

Reviews the book, Teaching children with learning and behavior problems by Donald D. Hammill, Nettie R. Bartel, and Gary Owen Bunch (1984). This book was published in 1975 and re-edited in 1978 and 1982 as a practical reference book for classroom teachers. The 1984 "Canadian Edition" by Hammill, Bartel, and Bunch essentially consists of the 1982 text with an introductory chapter by Bunch and with additions and deletions aimed at providing a Canadian orientation. The authors seem deliberately to have kept the book's Canadian features separate from the basic text. Not only are there two prefaces and two introductory chapters: all textual additions are referenced in a separate bibliography and separate subject and author indexes. This referencing system is especially irritating because it is not always possible to guess from context whether a citation will appear in the "standard" or the Canadian listing. Finally, a useful list is given of Canadian sources for tests and materials. The overall effect of this format is to emphasize the book's discontinuities and to remind the reader that the preexisting text has not undergone a major revision or re-integration. This text begins with a general statement on special education needs and continues with chapters on reading, spelling, handwriting, composition, mathematics, language, behaviour problems, and perceptual-motor training. The traditional subject-area chapters are its strongest feature and include excellent scope-and-sequence charts, useful information on identification, and practical remedial suggestions. this ill-assorted book offers a stimulating Canadian-focused introduction to a worthwhile but rather time-worn text that does not cover Canadian issues in any meaningful way. A better book might have resulted from an updating for the international market rather than from this attempt at Canadianization. Our need for material that addresses the specifically Canadian aspects of special education is as great as ever. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Depression in the medically ill: An integrated approach.

Reviews the book, Depression in the medically ill: An integrated approach by G. Rodin, J. Craven, and C. Littlefield (see record 1991-97973-000). This book provides an in-depth coverage of current issues in the management of depression in the medically ill. The book is balanced in theoretical perspective and quite comprehensive in coverage of the empirical literature. The authors are well known to the area of depression and physical illness. The book is organized into three main sections dealing with 1) Clinical Presentation, 2) Etiology and Pathogenesis, and 3) Treatment. Numerous case examples are provided throughout to highlight different aspects of symptom presentation, diagnostic problems, and therapeutic management. Notably lacking from the review of prevalence studies is the work examining depression and chronic pain populations. In sum, Rodin et al. have drawn on a vast literature to provide a clear and coherent picture of the current state of knowledge and theory dealing with depression and medical illness. Their book joins a number of recent papers attempting to draw more attention to clinical issues in the management of depression in the medically ill. I would recommend the book to all clinicians who work with medically ill populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Attitudes: Their structure, function, and consequences.

Reviews the book, Attitudes: Their structure, function, and consequences edited by Russell H. Fazio and Richard E. Petty (see record 2007-02438-000). Fazio and Pety developed a text of key readings on attitude structure, function, and outcomes. Indeed, the size of the literature under review led the editors to divide the work into two sections: one text targeting attitude structure and function and a second (forthcoming) volume targeting the attitudes and persuasion literature. The text we are reviewing is the first in this two-volume set. Despite the difficulty of the task Fazio and Petty set for themselves, the result is a book that is appropriate for an audience ranging from the advanced undergraduate to the professional academic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cocaine: A clinician's handbook.

Reviews the book, Cocaine: A clinician's handbook edited by Arnold M. Washton and Mark S. Gold (see record 1987-98183-000). Washton and Gold point out that the goal of this text is to provide "clinicians with information that is directly relevant to the treatment of cocaine abusers." I feel they accomplished their goal, by concentrating on various aspects of theory, research, and treatment of cocaine abuse. The book is divided into three major sections: Basic and Biomedical Issues, Treatment Approaches, and Special Topics. Overall, this text examines a range of topics. This book can be extremely valuable to physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors in the drug and alcohol fields, and students. The book is comprehensive in what it covers and well organized. Even experienced professionals in this field will be hard pressed to find flaws with this resource. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents and their families: Coping with ADHD.

Reviews the book, ADHD in adolescents: Diagnosis and treatment by A. L. Robin (see record 1998-06642-000). This is an extremely well-written text that applies research to practice. The book consists of 14 chapters divided into three sections. Section I consists of two chapters that present definitions and diagnostic criteria of ADHD and review the theories and research related to this disorder. Section II focuses on evaluation and diagnosis with four chapters covering various assessment methods and suggestions for integrating data. Section III consists of eight chapters on treatment. This wonderfully crafted text illustrates the variety of difficulties that adolescents with ADHD encounter through the presentation of case studies and personal accounts of experiences by the only ones who truly know what it's like to live with this disorder--the adolescents themselves. Although Robin makes a point of stating that this book is intentionally written for the clinician, this text is an excellent resource for school psychology practitioners and trainers, school counselors, and others who work with this population of students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognition and emotion: From order to disorder, second edition.

Reviews the book, Cognition and emotion: From order to disorder, second edition by Mick Power and Tim Dalgleish (see record 2007-10431-000). In this book, the authors provide a detailed analysis of emotion with an explicit focus on differences and similarities between "disordered" emotion and normative emotional experience. What sets this text apart from other books on cognition and emotion is its attempt to describe the philosophical and historical underpinnings of work on emotion. Another unique feature of this text is that the authors go beyond just describing the various theories of emotion by comparing and contrasting the arguments advanced by the theories and highlighting the strengths and limitations of each theory. This book is divided into two parts: Part 1 is a review of the major theories of emotion, and Part 2 consists of reviews of research on five basic emotions, as well as illustrations of how the SPAARS framework can be used to explain normative and nonnormative variants of these emotions. Power and Dalgleish suggest that readers can choose either to read the book in its entirety or to focus on the sections that are of interest. Overall, this second edition of Cognition and Emotion is a readable and engaging book. This book is not a primer; as noted earlier, some parts of it are conceptually heavy. For this reason, the most appropriate audience for this book is advanced graduate students who already have some background in research on basic emotion or psychopathology and who are looking to enhance their knowledge base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Implicit measures of attitudes.

Reviews the book, Implicit measures of attitudes edited by Bernd Wittenbrink and Norbert Schwarz (see record 2007-01388-000). The editors have produced a very timely volume. The stated goals of Wittenbrink and Schwarz's book are to educate the reader about the value of implicit measures of attitudes, as well as to provide a handbook of sorts for the neophyte wanting to learn how to use the variety of implicit attitude measures available. In addition, the editors want to provide a critical assessment of the state of implicit attitude measurement in terms of the very definition of an implicit measure, as well as the general reliability and validity of these measures. Finally, the editors want to provide directions for future research in the area of implicit attitude measurement. As such, Wittenbrink and Schwarz hope that this text will be a resource book for both new graduate students and established researchers in the field. In general, I believe the editors have accomplished their goals. After the editors' introductory chapter, which gives an overview of the development of implicit attitude measurement as well as an overview of the rest of the volume, the book is broken down into two sections: "Procedures and Their Implementation" and "Critical Perspectives". Overall, I believe this is a very well written book, and that even readers familiar with implicit attitude measurement will learn a great deal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Connectionism: A Hands-On Approach.

Reviews the book, Connectionism: A Hands-On Approach by Michael R. W. Dawson (see record 2005-05691-000). This book is intended to be a practical introduction to connectionist models and neural networks. The book uses, as examples, simple connectionist models that have been studied over the years, with each chapter dedicated to a slightly more complex model or problem than the previous. The author also provides links to a web page where sample programs can be downloaded, allowing the reader to use these programs as they progress through the book. Although the book is well written, it falls short of its objective of being an introduction to connectionism. The book does not claim to be focused on connectionist theory, but its lack of a theoretical basis makes it difficult to follow. Throughout the book, there are references to another work by the author entitled Minds and Machines, which the reader can reference for the theoretical basis and background of connectionist models, and this may indicate the preferred use of the current book. This book falls short as a stand-alone text, but could make a decent workbook to supplement a theoretical text on connectionism. Those who are looking to expand into actually implementing these algorithms would be better served by packages such as PDP, SNNS, or even Matlab, but the book could still be useful to those who want to get a taste of how these algorithms work. The niche of this book seems to be for professors who want a "hands-on" supplement for their main text, but want to avoid too much depth on the math or implementation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Women and group psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Women and group psychotherapy by Betsy DeChant (see record 1996-98407-000). In the introduction to this book, Editor Betsy DeChant describes the "myth of the cave." This myth is based on the concept that from the beginning of time, men and women have had radically different modes of expression and communication. Women invented spoken language and men, written language. But because women's language was not seen as equal to men's, women have had to learn the male's format for telling their story and gaining respect. The author uses 523 pages of "men's language" to describe a process that, if we trust this myth, is inherently female, but was usurped for generations by the male-constructed creation of psychotherapy. The book has 18 chapters together with commentaries. It is divided into three sections: Section I, Philosophical Perspective on the Feminist Approach, Section II, Theoretical Perspectives on the Treatment of Women in Groups; and Section III covers Guidelines for the Therapist: Leadership and Training Issues. To read this book from start to finish, one must have patience and a serious academic bent. The busy clinician will not find a "quick fix" and must be prepared to read selectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)