Chapter 17 Find Out More

Danny Wedding & Raymond J. Corsini (2014). Current psychotherapies (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

This is an excellent source for learning more about the main varieties of psychotherapies in use today. There are chapters on psychoanalysis, Adlerian and analytical psychodynamic psychotherapy, person-centered therapy, rational emotive therapy (by Ellis himself), cognitive therapy (by Beck and Weishaar), behavior therapy, and several others. Each chapter is by a different expert or pair of experts and discusses the therapy’s history, theory, and application.

Irving B. Weiner & Robert F. Bornstein (2009). Principles of psychotherapy: Promoting evidence-based psychodynamic practice (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

If you are thinking of psychotherapy as a career, this highly readable textbook, dealing with all phases of the therapy process, will give you a realistic picture of what the job entails. The book begins with chapters on assessment and initial interviews; continues with chapters on treatment, including chapters on resistance and transference; and ends with a chapter on termination of therapy. The authors represent well the evidence-based, non-doctrinaire spirit of modernday psychodynamic psychotherapy.

James Bailey (2007). Man interrupted: Welcome to the bizarre world of OCD, where once more is never enough. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing.

Bailey has obsessive-compulsive disorder coupled with a terrific sense of humor. His main obsession concerns drugs: He fears constantly that someone has put drugs in his food, and he needs repeated reassurances that they have not. The book centers on his treatment at a center where the primary treatment is exposure; he must expose himself regularly to the conditions that frighten him, and he must learn to accept them without following through on his compulsion. His descriptions of his own reactions and that of his fellow patients are laugh-out-loud funny. Yet, they portray the terror and the extraordinary life restrictions that accompany this very serious disorder.

David Healy (2008). Psychiatric drugs explained (5th ed.). London: Elsevier.

This is a straightforward, balanced account of the uses, benefits, mechanisms of action, and adverse effects of each of the major categories of drugs used in modern psychiatric medicine. It is designed to be used as a handbook for service providers and users, but it can also serve well as an authoritative yet easy-to-read resource for students who wish to know more about current drug therapies.

Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, & Kelly G. Wilson (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT, is grounded in empirical research and practical application. In this second edition of the book, authors Hayes, Strosahl, and Wilson examine new data which support ACT’s usefulness in previously-untested areas of treatment for mental distress. This text is useful for clinicians and researchers alike, and offers the student of psychology an interesting look into a cutting-edge treatment tool.

American Psychological Association. How to Choose a Psychologist. Website: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/choose-therapist.aspx

From the APA Psychology Help Center, this article offer expert advice on how to find and choose a therapist. It explains what psychotherapy is and offers guidelines on what credentials to look for and questions to ask your prospective therapist.

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