Review of Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents edited by M. Ylvisaker (1985). This is an edited text written by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians that provides a consolidated source of medical, psychological, and educational information pertaining to traumatic head injury (THI) in youth of use to a wide range of professionals. Part I deals with the pathophysiology and outcome of THI in children and adolescents. Part II addresses the family response to THI. Part III deals with the medical management of THI during the acute phase of hospitalization. Part IV addresses the physical rehabilitation of THI youngsters. Part V focuses upon cognitive rehabilitation and "cognitive retraining." Part VI covers behavioral and psychosocial issues and interventions. Finally, Part VII deals specifically with the educational and vocational rehabilitation of THI children and adolescents. This text comes close to painting a comprehensive picture of THI. The inclusion of practical data and specific recommendations makes this text relevant. The text also does a fine job of distinguishing THI youngsters from other classes of exceptional children while clearly pointing out that appropriate educational programs often do not exist for this unique group of learners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology as a profession: Foundations of practice.

Reviews the book, Psychology as a profession: Foundations of practice by W. B. Pryzwansky and R. N. Wendt (see record 1987-98014-000). Pryzwansky and Wendt provide a guidebook on professional issues addressed to both applied psychologists and those in training. The book begins with a general introduction to the topic of psychology as a profession, which is followed by a chapter on each of the following issues: credentialing in psychology, ethics and standards, legal impact in practice, professional development and accountability (including internships), and professional organizations. Many important professional issues are presented by the authors. It is clear that this book is directed to an audience of applied psychologists in general, but school psychologists will find a number of relevant areas not well covered. Psychology as a profession is a handy, small book to supplement a professional practices course. However, its size and purpose limit the depth with which specific topics can be elaborated, resulting in a number of gaps in coverage. In addition, given the vulnerability of several of the topics in this book to ongoing change, the reader needs to be reminded of the possibility that some information will become outdated. However, the book does provide a useful introduction to topics that seem to impact increasingly on the lives of professional psychologists. (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)     

Review of Treatment of late-life insomnia.

Reviews the book, Treatment of late-life insomnia by Kenneth L. Lichstein and Charles M. Morin (see record 2000-03635-000). Lichstein and Morin have assembled an array of researchers and clinicians addressing problems of insomnia in late life. The book is organized into three parts. Part I provides an excellent overview of assessment strategies, and tackles the problems in defining the crucial constructs involved in this book, namely, insomnia and old age. Part II entails clear and authoritative articles presenting the main cognitive-behavioural and pharmacological treatment approaches. Part III presents topics that would be of interest to anyone dealing with insomnia: discontinuation of sleep medications, secondary insomnia, and insomnia in dementia and in residential care. The authors are to be commended for assembling such a wealth of information on both practical and theoretical issues related to insomnia in late life. The book will undoubtedly prove to be indispensable to both clinicians and researchers in the area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Anxiety and stress disorders: Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment.

Reviews the book, Anxiety and stress disorders: Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment by Larry Michelson and L. Michael Ascher (see record 1988-98155-000). In this book, Michelson and Ascher present an up-to-date cognitive-behavioral text with a focus on the theory, assessment, treatment, and research on anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Part I deals with theoretical issues in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety, and cognitive assessment and methodological issues in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Part II of the book will especially appeal to the clinician in that it specifically speaks to the treatment of simple phobias, panic disorders, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, sexual dysfunction, migraine and tension headaches, and hypertension. The range of the book will appeal to the treating clinician, the researcher, and the graduate student as well as the teaching professional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Documenting psychotherapy: Essentials for mental health practitioners.

Reviews the book, Documenting psychotherapy: Essentials for mental health practitioners by Mary E. Moline, George T. Williams, and Kenneth M. Austin (see record 1997-36283-000). Despite the newness of the field, writing about treatment documentation is already a daunting task. Psychotherapy documentation is controlled by both state law and by ethics codes of the various disciplines involved in treatment. Thus, it is not surprising that Documenting Psychotherapy is an uneven book, with significant gaps in the text. The book is divided into four parts, plus a large number of appendices. Each chapter contains brief summaries of selected court cases that highlight the chapter issues. In the first part, Moline et al. cover the importance of record-keeping, giving good arguments in favor of keeping comprehensive records. They address issues of confidentiality in this part as well. Part II outlines what information should go into the record. Part III addresses safety issues and Part IV addresses miscellaneous issues, including treatment of minors, client access to records, and retention of records. Overall, Moline et al. have made a good attempt at an overwhelming project, but they fell victim to the volume of material in the field. Their book gives a good overview of ethical and legal issues in record-keeping, and may be helpful to inexperienced practitioners. Their interpretation of specific legal issues is very good and very clear. However, for those practitioners who are facing specific questions about how to document psychotherapy, how to respond to requests for information, or how to deal with legal issues, this book cannot replace a clear knowledge of one's state and discipline regulations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Foreword: Hearsay testimony in trials involving child witnesses.

Allowing hearsay testimony in child abuse cases represents a dramatic and controversial change to the legal system, yet little scholarly and empirical work has been devoted to the topic. This special theme issue contains 12 articles written by psycholegal scholars from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. It is organized to address 3 basic issues that should be of interest to psycholegal. researchers, as well as police officers, judges, lawyers, and other members of the legal community. (a) How often is hearsay testimony used? How is it used in comparison to other innovations designed to protect the psychological welfare of the child witness? (b) How accurate is hearsay testimony? Is it as accurate as the child's own account? (c) Do jurors believe hearsay testimony? How much weight do or should jurors give to hearsay testimony? Two critical commentaries, one legal and one psychological, follow these articles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Countertransference in psychotherapy with children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Countertransference in psychotherapy with children and adolescents edited by Jerrold R. Brandell (see record 1992-97833-000). Books on child analytic work are rare, and books on countertransference in child treatment are basically nonexistent, despite the proliferation of writing on countertransference in work with adults. Thus, Jerrold Brandell's edited volume is a welcome and long-overdue addition to the literature. Although the book is not strictly about analysis, it is analytically informed. Brandell's stated goal is to advance the principle that "countertransference is a ubiquitous factor in child and adolescent treatment, and that its recognition, understanding, and management are essential to effective psychotherapy." This is indeed a worthy if not essential undertaking, and the collection of articles in Brandell's book advances this goal. Brandell prefaced the chapters with his own thorough historical literature review of countertransference in both adult and child work. He then subdivided the book into two sections, with the first containing two classic articles an countertransference and the bulk of the book devoted to the following "scientific situations" in child psychotherapy: racial and cultural issues, depressed and suicidal children and adolescents, infant-family treatment, severely disturbed adolescents, eating disorders, abused children and adolescents, parent loss and divorce, borderline children and adolescents, life-threatening illness, and substance-abusing adolescents. This book is a very good resource for child analysts and therapists, especially those who espouse a more relational or intersubjective point of view. It is suitable both for inexperienced analysts and as a reminder to more seasoned ones of the importance and pervasiveness of countertransference issues in our work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The consultant as expert witness in school and workplace cases—Part 2.

This article provides a review of both Part 1 and Part 2 of a series of the Consulting Psychology Journal on the consultant as an expert witness in school and workplace cases. Part 1 covered topics such as professional consultants as expert witnesses from a legal perspective, sexual harassment and retaliation cases in the workplace, and special education consultants in due process hearings. In part 2, three articles focus on violence in the workplace and two articles alert the consulting psychologist to the issues related to malingering by clients and how to detect it. These articles are meant to provide a sampling of contemporary issues for which the mental health consultant may provide expert testimony in litigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Professional psychology in transition.

Reviews the book, Professional psychology in transition by Herbert D?rkin and Associates (see record 1986-97926-000). This edited volume is a must for at least two groups of psychologists in Canada: (1) those interested in expanding and strengthening their share of the psychological services market; and (2) those interested in the development of psychology as a profession. The book contains three sections. The first, entitled "Trends in the Profession," documents the nature, scope, and influence of psychology's 45,000 licensed psychologists in the US. Sections 2 and 3 move us closer to the Canadian experience. Section 2 focuses on training and practice issues, and should be read by all those who train professional psychologists. Section 3 deals with economics and competition and presents us with some intriguing glimpses of our future. The book is highly recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Secondary traumatic stress and the child welfare professional.

Reviews the book, Secondary traumatic stress and the child welfare professional by Josephine G. Pryce, Kimberly K. Shackelford, and David H. Pryce (see record 2007-05981-000). This book offers a complete examination of an important and often overlooked issue in the field of trauma work—secondary traumatic stress (STS). The authors appear to have written this book in response to a relative dearth of literature in this area as it affects child welfare workers. The research summarized and cited in this book is current, making the book timely and well developed. The easy-to-comprehend writing style of the authors flows and allows readers to be easily drawn into the case scenarios provided. Any professional working in child welfare as a caseworker, investigator, or supervisor, will benefit from reading this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Children and the law.

Reviews the book, Children and the law by Jeffrey Wilson and Mary Tomlinson (1986). This book is divided into nine chapters focusing on almost all aspects of law that affect children including: custody and access issues, child protection and adoption, family support, property and civil participation, the child in the courtroom, crime and the child, children in education, and the child as an immigrant. The book Children and the Law is indispensible for both lawyers involved with children before the court as well as mental health professionals working with children. I know of no other accounts that are available that delve into the specifics related to legislation that are as highly readable and thorough as this account provided by Wilson and Tomlinson. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective.

Reviews the book Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective by Neil Brewer and Kipling D. Williams (Eds.) (see record 2005-07316-000). This book deals with a wide array of topics selected from the fields of developmental, social, and cognitive psychology that were chosen because of their relevance and applicability to issues in the criminal justice system. As the title implies, forensic practices can be understood (and ultimately enhanced) by research that addresses the scientific foundation of those practices. The editors deliver exactly what they promise, namely, empirical analyses of the various procedures and assumptions within the legal system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Science Game: An Introduction To Research In The Behavioral Sciences.

Reviews the book, The Science Game: An Introduction To Research In The Behavioral Sciences by Neil M. Agnew and Sandra W. Pyke (1982). This revised volume by Agnew and Pyke is a delightfully written, ambitious book that strives for a wide inclusion of topics on research methodology rather than concentrating on the small set of issues and methods that many consider fundamental. Moreover, it endeavors this task in the relatively brief span of 260 pages (not counting references and indexes). The strength of such an inclusive approach is that it introduces the student to the reality of the entire enterprise of psychological research. The book is divided into five parts. Part 1 is "Science and Nonscience"; Part 2 is entitled "Sieves of Science"; Part 3 is "From Laboratory to Life"; Part 4 is "The Magic of Numbers"; and Part 5 is entitled "Being Clear and Being Good". Altogether, reading The Science Game was fun, and that in itself is a heady comment about a methodology text. Further, despite some flaws, which are mostly of an order-of-presentation sort, I think that students will enjoy the book and come away from it with some answers and with better questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A therapeutic jurisprudence approach to the legal processing of domestic violence cases.

Ample research indicates that the laws, policies, and legal actors involved in domestic violence cases can achieve iatrogenic or therapeutic effects on both offenders and victims. This article explores the ways in which the legal system reinforces maladaptive behavior by offenders and victims and how it can influence changes in such behavior through legal mechanisms. The therapeutic jurisprudence perspective is used to examine the psychology of offenders who commit domestic violence crimes in Part I. Part II explores the psychology of domestic violence victims. Part III covers the impact of the arrest and prosecution stages of the criminal justice system. Trials, plea bargains, and sentencing issues are explored in Part IV, and the use of restraining orders is explored in Part V. These issues and the therapeutic jurisprudence perspective can inform law reform efforts, criminal justice policy, and mental health policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Facilitating treatment adherence: A practitioner's guidebook.

Reviews the book, Facilitating treatment adherence: A practitioner's guidebook by Donald Meichenbaum and Dennis C. Turk (see record 1987-98489-000). Any health care practitioner is likely to approach a book on how to increase adherence with interest; it is a topic that touches all professionals involved in clincial practice. As a clinical psychologist, I looked to this book to assist with issues facing me daily with clients--how to get them to do what both they and I agree would be beneficial to them and their overall well being. Meichenbaum and Turk promise a "how-to" guidebook and, generally, have adhered to this undertaking well. The authors begin with a section on the nature of the problem of adherence, including a discussion and definition of treatment adherence (as opposed to compliance, which suggests less of an active role by the client), its incidence and assessment. The second chapter in Part I examines the many possible factors that affect adherence. Part II turns to procedures that could be used to enhance adherence. Section III provides an integration of the procedures and discussion anticipating what may go wrong in applying the procedures. The last chapter is partly written with tongue in cheek--applying what they have stated about clients to health care providers and why they will not adhere to the recommendations made in the book. This book is thorough, practical, and timely, and it balances coverage of the relevant research with application to practices and discussion of clinical concerns. Given such a common problem, this book is long overdue, and in fact, much more research effort and clinical training should be placed in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Essentials of abnormal child psychology.

Reviews the book, "Essentials of abnormal child psychology," by Ernest Harms (see record 1954-06156-000). This is one of the most unorthodox books in the field of psychology the reviewer has seen in a long time. From the title one would expect a systematic treatment of the psychopathology of childhood; what one actually finds is a series of independent articles. Much of the material presented is intriguing because of its novelty. Harms' first major contribution to an original look at this field is the concept of paternus and materna as a substitute for Freud's infant sexuality and Oedipus. They represent the aboriginal relationship of a human child to his parents. The author also discusses childhood schizophrenia and hysteria, the burden of which is that these conditions are frequently misdiagnosed. Another "new concept" presented by Harms is that of ego inflation and ego deflation. "The most important contribution this volume makes to the field," says Harms, is the chapter on the Mignon Neurosis (a one-sided developmental pattern in which the child wants to grow up faster than he can). The work is divided into two parts, and Part II deals with Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures. After detailed discussion of child art as diagnostic means, we find presentations of original therapeutic approaches such as Transitional Therapy, Autogentic Therapy, and Substitution Therapy. There also are chapters on the incorrect diagnosis of feeblemindedness, education of the mentally retarded, and brief child guidance treatment. The book is original, provocative, and provoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)