Assessment & Treatment
Focused on the critical aspects of assessment and treatment in psychotherapy, this section offers resources, guidelines, and discussions on effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to improve client outcomes.
277 articles found
A Clinician’s Guide to the Understanding and Therapeutic Treatment of Incest
Healing the Incest Wound, originally published in 1988, was a landmark achievement in the modern era of trauma psychiatry and psychology. Christine Courtois, PhD is one of the pioneers who helped rediscover the long-neglected effects of pandemic childhood sexual abuse and to introduce treatment models that could help incest victims reclaim their lives. The original […]
James A. Chu, M.D.
August 26, 2010
Is there a Duty to Warn When Working with HIV-Positive Clients?
Stephanie Chervenak Asks I am curious about ethical considerations when treating individuals who are HIV positive. What are my responsibilities as a clinician if I know that my client (HIV positive) is engaging in risky/unsafe sexual practices with someone? In this case, the other person’s life is endangered. This issue always stumps me, thank you […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP
August 8, 2010
Translating the Abstract Emotions of Everyday Life into a Happy Marriage
This is a relationship road map; a manual for relationships that leads to successful communication, listening skills, and ultimate connection between two people. Illustrating twenty-five crucial turning points, the author raises the reader’s consciousness about critical individual and relationship decisions. Readers learn how to translate the abstract emotions of everyday life into concrete expressions, making […]
Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy
July 28, 2010
Couples Therapy in an Abusive Relationship
Question by Faith Prelli I have a client (18yr female) who I have seen twice a week for 8 months who is currently in a relationship plagued with intimate partner violence. This has been dubbed “mutual combat” by several of my co-workers, but in exploration with her, it appears as though the severity of his […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP
July 1, 2010
Conceptual Skills Needed for Evidence-Based Practice of Psychotherapy
Key ingredients needed for training of evidence-based practice are summarized by Ken Critchfield and Sarah Knox: scientific-mindedness, critical thinking, integrative ability, and relational skill.
Kenneth L. Critchfield, Ph.D. + 1 more
June 29, 2010
The Ethics of Making or Not Making Medication Referrals
Question By Jennifer Weinstein Currently, there is a push for people to be on medication, and clients often come in stating that they want medication. This is especially true in multidisciplinary environments where psychiatrists and APRNs work alongside psychotherapists. However, some people do not have this mindset. For therapists who believe that medication only needs to […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP
June 17, 2010
ISTDP for the Treatment of Somatization Complaints
Summary Abbass et al. (2009) examined the preliminary efficacy of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) in the treatment of patients with medically unexplained symptoms (i.e., somatization complaints) presenting to the emergency department (ED). ISTDP is a brief, although not time-restricted, approach that targets the unconscious emotional processes underlying patient’s manifest symptomatology (e.g., panic, back pain, […]
Michael J. Constantino, Ph.D. + 1 more
March 29, 2010
Phone Therapy
Question by Dr. Betty Scott Noble I have a female client I have seen for several years (abusive marriage then divorce and a very recent re-marriage). She has moved with her new husband about two hours away and does all her work by computer, so she doesn’t come to Atlanta anymore. She asked if I […]
Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP
January 7, 2010
Culture in Psychotherapy Practice and Research
Introduction As the people of the United States become even more culturally diverse, psychotherapists are required to develop their cultural competence. Health disparities persist with regard to many cultural identities including race, class, sexual orientation, and ability (Gehlert, Mininger, Sohmer & Berg, 2008; Smeldy, Stith, & Nelson, 2003; Sue & Dhindsa, 2006). Furthermore, treatment offered […]
Mamta Dadlani, Ph.D. + 1 more
November 13, 2009
Cultivating Cultural Competence
In today’s rapidly growing multicultural society, psychotherapists are faced with the complex task of working effectively with clientele whose psychosocial dynamics include increasingly diverse cultural values, beliefs and attitudes that the psychotherapist is either not aware of or not prepared to engage as part of the therapy.
Saunia Ahmad, Ph.D. + 1 more
October 25, 2009
The Implications of Attachment Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy
Over the past decade, researchers have found that Bowlby’s attachment theory (1973, 1988) has important implications for counseling and psychotherapy (Cassidy & Shaver, 1999, Lopez, 1995; Lopez & Brennan, 2000; Mallinckrodt, 2000). Attachment theory is a theory of affect regulation and interpersonal relationships. When individuals have caregivers who are emotionally responsive, they are likely to […]
Meifen Wei, Ph.D.
October 15, 2008
Working with Autobiographical Memory Narratives in Psychotherapy
Within psychotherapy, client storytelling is fundamental to the development of the therapeutic relationship and allows a shared context of meaning and understanding to emerge between client and psychotherapist, typically based on personal memories of past experiences (Angus, Lewin, Bouffard, & Rotondi-Trevisan, 2004). When clients provide narrative accounts of personal experiences in psychotherapy, they disclose information […]
Tali Z. Boritz, Ph.D. + 2 more
June 1, 2008