Review of Counseling and Therapy Skills.

Reviews the book, Counseling and Therapy Skills by David G. Martin (1983). The stated goal of this book is "to communicate more than an academic understanding of the principles of therapy: to give the reader skills that can actually be applied in the counseling setting" (p. vii). The first six chapters focus on the concept of empathy, listening skills, facilitative responding, confrontation, giving control to the client, and relationship issues. The second part book consists primarily of illustrations of therapy by five therapists (including the author). This material is followed by four chapters on the special topics of behavioural interventions, assessment, ethical issues, and how to conduct initial and final interviews. The author concludes with a theoretical section of four chapters in which he briefly discusses contributions by some of the "schools" of therapy, and then addresses the relationship between anxiety and distress, some theoretical principles underlying therapy, and the research evidence on the effectiveness of empathic responding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Counseling in the YMCA.

Reviews the book, Counseling in the YMCA, by Seth Arsenian and Francis W. McKenzie (see record 1955-00851-000). This book "endeavors to provide a sound basic orientation for responsible general and professional counseling and to relate principles and procedures to the administrative framework of the YMCA branch." The book is neither a textbook nor a handbook but a sourcebook written particularly for the YMCA secretary who is concerned with a social need. The reviewer feels that, by and large, this book should serve a very useful purpose. It is hoped that readers will learn the important lessons taught and at the same time avoid the trap of assuming that this book equips them to do counseling. If it arouses curiosity and interest and sensitizes its readers to the problems involved, it will have served its purpose. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Culture, psychotherapy and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives.

Reviews the book, Culture, psychotherapy and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives (see record 2006-00543-000) edited by Lisa Hoshmand. Lisa Tsoi Hoshmand points out in a new book she has edited, Culture, psychotherapy and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives, framing the culture concept in this way trivializes and distorts the significance of "the cultural," both for psychotherapists and for psychologists more generally. In this volume, Hoshmand and her contributors both explicate and perform a much broader understanding of what culture is, and of the ways in which it inescapably does (and should) influence psychotherapeutic and counseling theory and practice. Most notably, she highlights the ways that personal history, sociopolitical context, social change, and globalization all influence an individual's cultural identity; as a corollary of this, she asserts, "the internalized culture and identity of a given individual cannot be presumed on the basis of ethnic origin and cultural tradition". In spite of the limitation, virtually all of the chapters blend personal history, theoretical reflection and clinical material in interesting ways that enhance the reader's appreciation of the many contexts that surround and infuse the therapeutic encounter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Reassessing psychotherapy research.

Reviews the book, Reassessing psychotherapy research edited by Robert L. Russell (see record 1994-98237-000). This book, with its international representation of contributors, attempts to address central issues in contemporary ("fourth generation") psychotherapy research. The main tenet is that much dominant psychotherapy research has focused on outcome, curative factors, and scientific rigor and overlooked the richness of therapeutic process. This book does as the title suggests: addresses content and process issues, balanced with methodological sophistication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of College psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, College psychotherapy edited by Paul A. Grayson and Kate Cauley (see record 1989-97599-000). According to the reviewer, this was an enjoyable and informative book, easily read with helpful suggestions for working with the college population. It is devoid of the pretentious theorizing or condescending didacticism found in many "how-to" books in psychology. Doctors Grayson and Cauley are primarily interested in addressing the needs of those who practice counseling or psychotherapy with college students. Their treatment approach is described as "discriminating eclecticism." They point out that the college population is too heterogeneous to fit a standard treatment orientation. IThis book is highly recommended to all who work with college population, not just those who are in university settings. This is also an excellent sourcebook for graduate students who want to fortify their therapeutic skills and those who supervise these students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Interpersonal psychotherapy of depression.

Reviews the book, Interpersonal psychotherapy of depression by Gerald L. Klerman, Myrna M. Weissman, Bruce J. Rounsaville, and Eve S. Chevron (1984). The authors state their intention to "describe the theoretical and empirical basis for interpersonal psychotherapy of depression," and also "offer a guide to the planning and conduct of the therapy." They do both, and waste no words. The book is organized into three parts. In the first part, the authors present an overview of the theory of the interpersonal approach of the use of interpersonal psychotherapy for depression, objectively offer both favorable and unfavorable findings from completed studies, and outline several studies in progress. The chapters in Part Two clarify how one conducts interpersonal therapy of depression. Part Three addresses the combination of psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy and the professional requirements of the therapist. This book is clearly written, well referenced, and easily understood by beginners who might not have the perspective, as well as by busy veterans who want to learn something new without plowing through mountains of theory and data. It would be useful for students in training, and extremely valuable to the legions of relatively inexperienced front-line mental health center therapists who are required to use time-limited approaches with depressed patients, often without having much structure for what they are doing. More experienced therapists who treat ambulatory depressed patients will add to their clinical skills and enjoy the process. The authors have turned their manual into a useful book that competes most favorably with other texts on short-term approaches to therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of psychotherapy supervision.

Reviews the book, Handbook of psychotherapy supervision by C. Edward Watkins Jr. (see record 1997-08923-000). This book offers a forum for some of the most influential thinkers of our time to discuss what is probably the most critical aspect of learning how to become a therapist: clinical supervision. The book is well organized, comprehensive, and informative. In it, the elusive nature of teaching how to conduct psychotherapy is explored and clarified from a variety of perspectives and across myriad contexts. Overall, the book provides a wealth of information in an organized and readable fashion. Nonetheless, the topics explored include some areas that were not covered adequately. For example, the book would have been further enhanced had the subject of supervisory failures been given more attention, as we know that learning from past errors often provides the most valuable teaching opportunities. Despite a few minor criticisms, the book serves as a wonderful reference for practitioners, students, and teachers of psychotherapy. While extremely useful for the beginning supervisor, the book is also a valuable resource for seasoned supervisors who wish to expand or challenge their ways of thinking about supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change.

Reviews the book, Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change by Sol L. Garfield and Allen E. Bergin (1986). The third edition of the Handbook is an 886-page volume, complete with author and subject indices. It contains 19 chapters divided into six parts; each chapter is written by established authorities. The six divisions into which the chapters have been separated include Historical, Methodological, and Conceptual Foundations; Evaluation of Process and Outcome in Psychotherapy and Behavior Change; Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies; Child and Family Therapies; Special Topics; and Evaluating the Training of Therapists. This volume represents "a critical appraisal of existing empirical research findings with an evenhanded or eclectic attitude toward divergent orientations in the area of psychotherapy and behavior change along with their implication for research and practice." Notably, the editors' critical but even-handed appraisal of the field now includes satisfaction with "an increased sophistication in the design of research on psychotherapy" as well as "the introduction of specific training manuals that allow for a greater specification and monitoring of the operations of specific therapies." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Experiential psychotherapy: Basic practices.

Reviews the book, Experiential Psychotherapy: Basic Practices by Alvin R. Mahrer (1983). What I liked most about this book was its consistent preoccupation with the phenomenology of the patient. This is a topic which never fails to intrigue me, and a sensitivity to another person's world looms large here. However, what frankly disturbs me is a proposition central to most of Mahrer's presentation, and that is the emphasis he places on the futility of assuming two phenomenal worlds in dyadic psychotherapy. The crux of "the method" is the learned skill of reading one's own entrails (my phrase, not his) as a way of verifying the "true" identity of the patient's (therapist's?) reality. The entire book is fundamentally an attempt to illustrate this "merging" of the two into one, and the frustrating "unmerging" which ebbs and flows through the antagonistic process of merging. perhaps the greatest reservation I have about the case Mahrer makes for his practices is the persistent absence in this book of even casual references to outcome events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory.

Reviews the book, Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory by Nancy K. Schlossberg (1984). Rehabilitation psychologists can profit from this book because of its concise contents, its intensive examination of life's transitions, its gerontological perspectives, its insistent "linking" of otherwise linear thinking, and its pervasive implications for work with rehabilitation clients. This statement of the book's value for our field is given to start with, since its title might suggest that it is relevant only to rehabilitation counseling. Schlossberg ably discusses theories and practices of interest to rehabilitation psychologists and reviews research with pertinent heuristic possibilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Short-term dynamic psychotherapy: Evaluation and techniques.

Reviews the book, Short-term dynamic psychotherapy: Evaluation and techniques (2nd edition) by Peter E. Sifneos (1988). The book focuses specifically, if not exclusively, on short-term anxiety-provoking psychotherapy (STAPP). This mode of treatment is restricted to patients whose psychopathology results from an oedipal conflict, who have had meaningful relationships with another during early childhood, who have the capacity to relate flexibly and expressively with the psychotherapist, who have above-average intelligence and psychological sophistication, and who are motivated for change and not simply symptom relief. The book is organized into three sections: four chapters concern the psychiatric evaluation, seven relatively brief chapters review and illustrate techniques for doing STAPP, and two chapters focus on the results of treatment. In general, this is not a volume for the beginning reader of short-term treatment. It does not overview the entire field but details only one specific type of treatment, which is appropriate for only a limited group of patients. Additionally, the reader will need some understanding of dynamic theory in order to appreciate fully the book's sophistication. These points aside, the book affords the reader an opportunity to see one type of short-term treatment in detail with realistic and sound case material presented in a comprehensible and informative manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The complete psychotherapy treatment planner.

Reviews the book, The complete psychotherapy treatment planner by Arthur E. Jongsma Jr. and Mark Peterson (see record 1995-97453-000). The call for documentation of treatment effectiveness and an accountability of process has spawned a genre of treatment guides intended to help psychotherapists develop a practical framework through which they can meet these expectations. This text by Jongsma and Peterson is first quality in that it is both user friendly and has the depth and comprehensiveness necessary for thorough, accurate, and systematic recording. The format of the text is a six step process for developing a treatment plan applied to 34 clinical problem areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Group psychotherapy with addicted populations.

Reviews the book, Group psychotherapy with addicted populations by Philip J. Flores (1988). Dr. Flores has written a handbook which provides a well-documented overview on abstinence-oriented group psychotherapy for chemically (i.e., alcohol and drug) dependent populations. Practitioners, teachers, and students in a variety of disciplines will appreciate this volume's integration of diverse perspectives and also its detailed index. Overall, the reviewer feels that the book has merit. The reviewer found it well written with an admirable combination of conversational and scholarly styles and excellent use of case illustrations. There is information in this volume of value to the novice as well as the experienced group therapist. This book, however, has some flaws and notable omissions. First, the words "addicted populations" in the title may mislead some, who may not realize that the focus is primarily on alcohol and secondarily on illicit drugs, while other habitual or compulsive behaviors (cigarette smoking, eating disorders, etc.) are not mentioned at all. (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)     

Review of Foundations of counseling and psychotherapy: Evidence-based practices in a diverse society.

Reviews the book, Foundations of counseling and psychotherapy: Evidence-based practices in a diverse society by David Sue and Diane M. Sue (2007). This book delivers a broad overview of major theories of mental health practise that is provocative and up to date. Cutting-edge research and a passionate plea for multicultural considerations make this is a unique resource for students, educators, and mental health workers. In addition, the text is clear, well written, and understandable to both novice and advanced students or practitioners. It uses a language that is both reasonable and persuasive. Commencing with a fervent rationale for evidence-based practise and empirically supported theories, the authors show the detailed progression of the discipline of psychotherapy within the context of multiculturalism and diversity. The reader is led on a journey that emphasises employing a scientist–practitioner model “with a solid sense of how the various therapeutic approaches differ—and how each can be applied in clinical practice” (p. 2). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Comprehensive handbook of psychotherapy integration.

Reviews the book, Comprehensive handbook of psychotherapy integration by George Stricker and Jerold R. Gold (see record 1993-97695-000). In the Preface to this text, the editors express their expectation that "this volume will serve as an up-to-date and exhaustive overview of the status of ongoing scholarly and clinical work in the integration of the major schools of psychotherapy" (p. ix). Such introductory comments are commonly found in the "handbook" genre, yet such expectations are seldom met to the satisfaction of many reviewers. Nevertheless, with an open mind I plunged into this 560-page, doubled-columned, 37-chapter volume. I will admit that I was somewhat devilishly compelled to find some topic mat I could consider less than exhaustively reviewed. Well, did I find the volume exhaustive? The answer is yes! This is a marvelous volume. It should be mandatory reading for students in advanced counseling and psychotherapy courses. Initially, one would think its value is as a reference text, and indeed, all practicing psychotherapists should have a copy of this volume on their shelves. But, this volume provides such a useful series of pragmatic chapters, I believe that advanced students would prosper as well. True integration occurs on both the theoretical and practical levels. This is the first book that I have seen that provides the reader with exhaustive perspectives on both. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychopathology and psychotherapy: From diagnosis to treatment.

Reviews the book, Psychopathology and psychotherapy: From diagnosis to treatment, edited by Len Sperry and Jon Carlson (see record 1993-97172-000). Alfred Adler is perhaps the most unjustly overlooked theorist in our field, and deserves wider recognition and greater integration into the clinical mainstream. Such is the admirable goal of Sperry and Carlson's effort. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to achieve that goal. This is an edited text in which a variety of distinguished Adlerians have been asked to address specific DSM categories. In each case the chapters begin with a review of the category in question, typically including a summary of diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, course, associated problems, various etiological positions, and so forth. This non-Adlerian material consumes an enormous proportion of the book. The intent was to produce not only an Adlerian reference source, but also a text for undergraduate and graduate psychopathology courses in all mental health disciplines, as well as interns and residents. It attempts to do too much, and fails to do enough. It attempts to appeal too widely, and fails to appeal at all. In nearly all of the chapters the coverage is insufficiently comprehensive to actually serve as part of an abnormal psychology textbook; this is particularly true in the areas of etiological theory and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dynamic psychotherapy of the borderline patient.

Reviews the book, Dynamic psychotherapy of the borderline patient by William Goldstein (1996). The reviewer notes that The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) defines the essential feature of borderline personality disorder as a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, along with marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. This pattern is observable in many kinds of DSM-IV personality disorders, and as a result: the borderline personality diagnosis overlaps with many other types of DSM-IV disorders. This has led to a plethora of theories, techniques, and suggestions regarding the borderline patient. Goldstein has made an effort in this book to present a primer outlining some of the basic approaches along with his own approach to treatment: of borderline patients. His orientation is said to be pragmatic, much like the reviewer's, except that he has a Kernberg-influenced penchant for distinctions and categories which perhaps will help some beginners to organize the variety of their patients who tend to get labeled as borderline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychotherapy of the elderly self.

Reviews the book, The psychotherapy of the elderly self by Hyman L. Muslin (see record 1992-98107-000). The purpose of this book is to describe the extension of psychoanalytic therapy in the Kohut mode to the elderly. Specifically the author describes the changes the elderly must cope with, the impact these changes have on the elderly self, and the kind of psychotherapy that will best help them cope with these changes. This book has a rather narrow focus, and is likely to be of interest mostly to those engaged in the Kohutian version of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. It does not present much material that is likely to be of help to those engaged in the more general practice of psychology with aged individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)