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
When Should My Suicidal Patient Go to the Hospital?
At one time, hospitalization was considered the standard of care when working with patients with suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. However, almost all suicidal patients can now be treated effectively as outpatients. Several outpatient interventions can substantially reduce the risk of a suicide attempt (see, for example, reviews by Jobes & Chalker, 2019; Nuij et […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
January 18, 2024
The Differences Between Borderline Personality and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorders
Why do Borderline Personality Disorder and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Get Confused? The World Health Organization’s 11th revision of the International Classification of Disease defines Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) as meeting full criteria for PTSD plus symptoms of disturbances in self-organization. Disturbances in self-organization can best be categorized as experiencing strong emotional dysregulation, negative […]
Simona Stoian, MS + 1 more
January 1, 2024
Evaluating the Impact of Digital CBT Lesson Completion on Clinical Outcomes
Abstract This paper reports the latest results from a series of studies investigating predictors of outcomes for users of an online, self-guided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) platform. Each disorder-specific module on the platform consists of lessons with educational slides that include interactive exercises. This study investigates the number of slides completed for each lesson and […]
George (Jeb) S Brown, Ph.D. + 1 more
December 31, 2023
The Role of Humility in Treating Suicidal Patients
Seasoned psychotherapists have all had the experience of sitting in a room with patients who have serious thoughts of killing themselves. Some may have already had a suicide attempt or multiple attempts and continue to have access to the means to kill themselves. They may feel like others would be better off if they were […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
December 17, 2023
Religion, Spirituality, and Suicide
When evaluating suicidal patients, it is often indicated to ask them about their religious beliefs about suicide because many patients believe that their spiritual or religious beliefs1 are closely linked to their mental health (Yamada et al., 2020). For example, some patients in significant emotional distress say they would not kill themselves because their religion […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
October 27, 2023
Examining goop by Gwyneth Paltrow through a Disordered Wellness Lens
Celebrity, actress, and touted “wellness guru” Gwyneth Paltrow has been active in Hollywood for the past 34 years. Since opening her online storefront, goop, in 2008, the company has cultivated a net worth of 200 million, produced a popular podcast, and created a Netflix documentary. Gwyneth was a very successful actress prior to opening goop, […]
Katarina Williams + 1 more
October 22, 2023
Loving Others Loving Others
When I wrote about extra-relationship affairs years ago, I didn’t have a lot of experience treating couples who were struggling with an affair. The written work was more journalistic than clinical, but it made quite a splash in the media as sex frequently does, especially if it touches a nerve, as infidelity is bound to […]
Joel Block, Ph.D., ABPP
October 8, 2023
Brief Psychotherapy of Two Cases with Very Different Outcomes: Success and Failure
Abstract This article demonstrates the digital assessment of two clients over the course of five psychotherapy sessions with very different outcomes. One was very successful and the other minimally successful or possibly a “failure.” Both clients experienced ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) in session four before terminating. They also did the exercises in chapters one, two, […]
Philip H. Friedman, Ph.D. + 1 more
September 3, 2023
Value as a construct for comparing psychotherapy with digital therapeutics
Introduction Estimating the value of medical and behavioral services has received an increasing amount of attention in recent decades (Happell, 2008; Rocco, 2019; Porter & Teisberg, 2004; Porter & Teisberg, 2006; Porter, 2010, Teisberg et al., 2020). Porter and Teisberg (2006) compared methods for evaluating value in their book Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition […]
S. (Jeb) Brown, Ph.D. + 2 more
July 9, 2023
Contingency Management for Stimulant Addiction: The Most Effective, Evidence-Based Treatment You’ve Never Used
America’s drug overdose crisis is one of the greatest public health concerns of our time with significant loss of life and economic burden. Over 109,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2022 (Ahmad, Rossen, & Sutton, 2023)—roughly one-third of which were attributed to stimulants—and the estimated annual stimulant-related cost to U.S. hospitals alone (emergency […]
Steven L. Proctor, Ph.D. + 1 more
July 9, 2023
Thoughts About Relating to Clients in an Atheoretical Way
This author’s article titled Two Aspects Are Preventing Psychotherapy from Being More Effective was posted on the SAP website in 2022. The first aspect proposed that psychotherapy does not have an effective enough of an understanding of its subject matter. This author further proposed that (a) the typical client’s presenting problem has (until shown otherwise) […]
Jeffrey Von Glahn, Ph.D.
April 16, 2023
Measurement-Based Care Professional Practice Guideline
Abstract Question: Does the professional practice guideline (PPG) presented by Boswell et al. (2022) outline a clear path for MBC’s implementation in routine practice? Findings: Although thoroughly summarizing findings from the extant literature, the PPG fails to provide therapists and clinical administrators with actionable and practical suggestions. Meaning: To foster the implementation of MBC, an […]
Matteo Bugatti, Ph.D. + 4 more
April 10, 2023