This book provides a clear and concise description of the multifaceted notion of psychotherapeutic competencies, building on years of research and training and informed by a systemic approach. Psychotherapeutic Competencies clearly describes methodological principles to guide both trainees and experienced therapists through the definition of four levels of systemic competencies and illustrates each principle with compelling clinical case material. The book emphasises the need for therapists to develop relational skills, which allow for the consolidation of a trusting relationship in which change can take place, as well as acquiring a set of methods and techniques. Psychotherapeutic Competencies encourages therapists of all levels of experience and therapeutic backgrounds to develop epistemological competency and to deepen their awareness of the extended contexts in which they operate and of the possible effects of their practice at a social and cultural level. This book will be essential reading for psychotherapists of all therapeutic backgrounds, in practice and in training, who wish to enhance their understanding of competency, context, and clinical skill. It will also be a key text for systemic and relational psychotherapists, trainers, trainees, clinical supervisors, and researchers.
Core Competencies in Counseling and Psychotherapy addresses the core competencies common to the effective practice of all psychotherapeutic approaches and includes specific intervention competencies of the three major orientations. The book provides a research-based framework to aid clinicians in applying these competencies in their own practice. It begins by identifying and describing the core competencies and skills of expert therapists, then elaborates six core competencies and related supporting competencies and skill-sets. Instead of a review of psychotherapy theory and research or a cookbook of methods and techniques, Core Competencies in Counseling and Psychotherapy is a highly readable and easily accessible book that can enhance the knowledge and skill base of clinicians – both novice and experienced – in all the mental health specialties.
What is it that makes some therapists so much more effective than others, even when they are delivering the same evidence-based treatment? This instructive book identifies specific interpersonal skills and attitudes--often overlooked in clinical training--that facilitate better client outcomes across a broad range of treatment methods and contexts. Reviewing 70 years of psychotherapy research, the preeminent authors show that empathy, acceptance, warmth, focus, and other characteristics of effective therapists are both measurable and teachable. Richly illustrated with annotated sample dialogues, the book gives practitioners and students a blueprint for learning, practicing, and self-monitoring these crucial clinical skills.
The domain of supportive psychotherapy has expanded in recent years, reflecting changes in how psychotherapy is conducted and the role psychotherapy plays in caring for individuals facing difficult life experiences or living with diverse mental and physical disorders. This new, thoroughly revised and up-to-date edition of Learning Supportive Psychotherapy: An Illustrated Guide (first published as Introduction to Supportive Psychotherapy) instructs beginning psychotherapists in the fundamentals of this treatment modality, which focuses on patients' overall health and well-being and their ability to adapt constructively to their life circumstances. The linchpin of supportive psychotherapy -- and, indeed, all psychotherapy -- is the establishment of a true therapeutic alliance. Accordingly, the authors provide readers with skills aimed at instilling trust and establishing a productive therapeutic relationship, including techniques for alliance building, enhancing ego functioning, and reducing and preventing anxiety. In addition, the authors explore the general framework of supportive psychotherapy, including indications, phases of treatment, initiation and termination of sessions, and professional boundaries; explain how to perform a thorough patient evaluation and case formulation; and describe the process of setting realistic goals with the patient. The following features and areas of focus enhance the book's utility: Integral to the text's practical approach are the video case vignettes that accompany several of the chapters. These videos model effective psychotherapeutic techniques and strategies, which readers can incorporate into their skill sets. The chapter on crisis intervention has been thoroughly revised to integrate recent research findings on posttraumatic stress disorder, suicide, and critical incident stress management, and the illustrative multipart case vignette provides a therapeutic narrative that is compelling, relatable, and instructive. The material on the therapeutic alliance focuses on skill building, including how to anticipate and avoid disruption in treatment, how to discuss the therapeutic relationship with the patient, how to modify distorted perceptions using clarification and confrontation, how to deal with negative transference and therapeutic impasses, and how to reframe statements in a supportive manner. Outcome research receives its own chapter, in which the authors review the robust evidence base for the efficacy of supportive psychotherapy, including a number of outcome trials, bolstering the necessity of learning the techniques outlined in the book. The book concludes with 75 questions and answers to test the reader's comprehension and identify areas for further study. This new edition of Learning Supportive Psychotherapy: An Illustrated Guide builds on the well-earned reputation of previous editions. Beginning clinicians first learning the techniques of psychotherapy and veterans who must assess competence in the psychiatry residents they supervise will find the help they need in this down-to-earth, clinically rich guide.
Mental health professionals and accrediting bodies have steadily been embracing competency-focused learning and clinical practice. In contrast to a skill, a competency is a level of sufficiency evaluated against an external standard. Learning to be clinically competent involves considerably more than the current emphasis on skill and micro skill training. While there are now a small number of books that describe the various clinical competencies of counseling and psychotherapy, none of these books focus on how to learn them. Highly Effective Therapy emphasizes the process of learning these essential competencies. It illustrates them in action with evidence-based treatment protocols and clinical simulations to foster learning and competency. Highly Effective Therapy is a hands-on book that promotes learning of the 20 competencies needed for effective and successful clinical practice.
"This new edition continues the tradition of exposing beginners to the basic features of the psychodynamic approach while also challenging them to think in a sophisticated way about the complexities of their patients. Each chapter has been revised to reflect advances in the field and the new data relevant to the practice of dynamic therapy. Therapeutic topics are brought to life through accompanying videos, which have been expanded for this edition, providing students and residents a visual reference to the text through case study vignettes of a senior clinician at work. In addition to trainees, training directors will find this edition helpful in evaluating competency in their educational programs. " -- Publisher.
This book shows how Interpersonal Psychotherapy has been taught, implemented, and adapted for different populations and settings across the world. Providing practical guidance and experience, experts from 31 different countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, and Oceania describe challenges and facilitators of implementing IPT in their settings, share templates of training and adaptation, and provide practical case examples.
An examination of how novice psychiatrists come to understand the workings of the mind—and the nature of medical expertise—as they are trained in psychotherapy. While many medical professionals can physically examine the body to identify and understand its troubles—a cardiologist can take a scan of the heart, an endocrinologist can measure hormone levels, an oncologist can locate a tumor—psychiatrists have a much harder time unlocking the inner workings of the brain or its metaphysical counterpart, the mind. In From Skepticism to Competence, sociologist Mariana Craciun delves into the radical uncertainty of psychiatric work by following medical residents in the field as they learn about psychotherapeutic methods. Most are skeptical at the start. While they are well equipped to treat brain diseases through prescription drugs, they must set their expectations aside and learn how to navigate their patients’ minds. Their instructors, experienced psychotherapists, help the budding psychiatrists navigate this new professional terrain by revealing the inner workings of talk and behavioral interventions and stressing their utility in a world dominated by pharmaceutical treatments. In the process, the residents examine their own doctoring assumptions and develop new competencies in psychotherapy. Exploring the world of contemporary psychiatric training, Craciun illuminates novice physicians’ struggles to understand the nature and meaning of mental illness and, with it, their own growing medical expertise.
CBT as an Integrative Psychotherapy explores the current key themes, approaches, and interventions in psychotherapy. Developed and based on a dialogue between trainee psychotherapists, colleagues, collaborators, and scholars, this book integrates theoretical and technical aspects of psychological interventions. Chapters link theory and practice and provide philosophical insights in an accessible and discursive manner. The authors conduct a thoughtful analysis of psychotherapy and cover several topics including conflict, acceptance, self-esteem, and pseudo psychology. This book is discursive in nature and essential reading for novice and more experienced therapists. The integrative approach used throughout will allow trainees and practitioners to discover a coherent theoretical and practical framework for helping a diverse range of clients.
