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
Errors in Clinical Treatment Surrounding Perinatal Grief
Spontaneous miscarriage is defined as the loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week of gestation and is the most frequent type of perinatal loss, occurring in approximately 10-25% of all pregnancies (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2015) and frequently leads to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and traumatic grief reactions (Blackmore et al., 2011; […]
Rayna D. Markin, Ph.D.
March 26, 2017
Framing Treatment Goals with Clients
One of the primary goals of most forms of psychotherapy is to reduce the suffering or distress that clients experience. However, various orientations often differ in how they frame that goal – some focusing more on symptom reduction, others on insight, and still others on personal growth. Clients may also differ in the way that […]
Jake Park, Ph.D.
March 5, 2017
Explaining Therapeutic Change in Residential Wilderness Therapy Groups
Residential wilderness therapy or adventure therapy is “the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals, often conducted in natural settings that kinesthetically engage clients on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels.” (Gass, Gillis & Russell, 2012 p.1). The term adventure therapy is used in the literature interchangeably with “wilderness therapy” (Russell, 2001) and […]
Harold L. (Lee) Gillis, Ph.D. + 1 more
February 26, 2017
Noticing Therapeutic Novelty
Many children participate in the classic science project of nurturing a seedling in a Dixie cup and observing the ensuing course of germination. The child’s primary job is to exercise patience with the process, punctuated by subtle manipulation of the seedling’s environment to ensure ideal growth conditions. Hopefully, in time, the seedling pokes out of […]
Melissa A. Smigelsky, M.A., M.S.
February 19, 2017
Increasing LGBTQ Receptivity of Treatment
This article discusses findings of a qualitative study with 13 self-identified LGBTQ individuals who had a previous experience with psychotherapy. Utilizing consensual qualitative research (CQR) methods to analyze narratives from the participants, some important themes emerged which provide insights for clinicians to offer treatment that is sensitive to the needs of this population. The participants […]
Wei-Chun “Vivi” Hua, Psy.D.
February 5, 2017
Is Psychotherapy Integration Always Beneficial?
Evidence-based practice in psychology has been defined as the integration of the best available research, clinical expertise, and the individual client’s characteristics, values, and preferences (APA, 2006). This definition suggests that psychotherapists should be able, and willing, to integrate techniques from different theoretical orientations based on the context. Although integration is important, it is also […]
Joshua K. Swift, Ph.D.
January 29, 2017
Meditation and the Mindfulness Trend in Psychotherapy
Adding to the neurological research findings on the benefits of meditation, a recent study found that long-term meditators who are age 50 and older have a younger brain age than non-meditators (Luders, Cherbuin, & Gaser, 2016). Using a validated approach based on high-dimensional pattern recognition, brains of meditators were found to be 7.5 years younger […]
Steven J. Hendlin, Ph.D.
January 27, 2017
Patient Selection in Group Psychotherapy
The importance of group composition – the particular blend of patient characteristics in a therapy group – is widely recognized by group psychotherapists. Skilled clinicians try to have an ideal composition in mind when selecting patients for group therapy. Notwithstanding such ideals, the task of selecting group members is complicated by the fact that no […]
Joanna Cheek, M.D., FRCPC + 2 more
January 15, 2017
The Case for Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Diverse Populations
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a form of CBT that has been adapted to reduce maladaptive behaviors while changing individuals’ beliefs and perceptions about his or her own depressive thoughts (as cited in Bell, 2015). MBCT may be a useful intervention for diverse populations. Consequently, Bell investigated the effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety, depression, […]
Tameisha S. Hinton
January 10, 2017
Becoming an Effective Art Therapist in the Group Format
Although the existing group art therapy literature focuses on identifying art therapy directives and describing the root of group psychotherapy as being geared toward verbal therapy (Liebmann, 2004; Steinbach, 2014), there has been a gap in the literature when it comes to describing the healing components of art in group work. The second edition of […]
Alexia C. Electris, Ph.D., L-CAT
December 31, 2016
A Bouquet of Experimental Designs in Psychotherapy Research
A Horse Race … Psychological treatments that are intended to be fully therapeutic and that are provided by trained professionals (bona fide psychotherapy; Wampold & Imel, 2015; Wampold et al., 2011) have been found to be effective compared to no-treatment and treatment-as-usual for individuals who suffer from a number of disorders, including anxiety and depression […]
Christine Wolfer, M.Sc. + 1 more
December 31, 2016
Expectations of Psychotherapy
It is well-documented that Millennials—(those born between 1980 and 2000 ± 5 years)—exhibit behaviors and attitudes that are distinct from previous generations (Fromm & Garton, 2013; Smith & Nichols, 2015). For example, compared to the Baby-Boomers constituting their parents’ generation—individuals born between 1946 and 1955 ± 5 years—Millennials are more likely to expect immediate results. […]
Jay Steinberg + 1 more
December 31, 2016