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This paper describes a 6‐month period of compassion‐focused therapy (CFT) for a client who has a 35‐year history of hearing voices that are threatening, derogatory, and abusive. In this intervention, the client is encouraged to develop compassionate motives toward herself and to her voices, recognizing that her voices may have been functional in the context of difficult early experiences. The client develops a compassionate self‐identity, which becomes the vehicle through which she approaches therapeutic tasks, such as listening and talking to voices, engaging with traumatic childhood pain, and resolving emotional conflicts. The client is an author on this study, so is able to provide valuable first‐hand insights into the experience of working compassionately with her voices, and of experiencing CFT techniques for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Positive psychotherapy (PPT) stems from the positive psychology movement and is a multicomponent model promoting therapeutic change by developing engagement, pleasure, and meaning. There is some evidence it is effective for depression. PPT is recommended as a flexible model that can be applied to other patient groups alongside other treatments approaches. However, it remains unclear which of the many components are applied. The study aimed to identify how PPT is applied in mental health care. Method We systematically searched online databases, including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, British Nursing Index, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Applied Health, and Cochrane registers (CENTRAL), and completed complementary hand and citation searches. Narrative synthesis was used for analysis. Results A total of 12 papers (from 9 studies) widely applied some PPT components (e.g., blessings journal, character strengths) and scarcely applied others (e.g., satisficing plan or family strengths tree). However, papers poorly described the intervention and rationale for applying components. Conclusion Given the lack of rationale for applying PPT, further research is needed to establish which components are acceptable and feasible for use in different patient groups and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this case study is to illustrate the importance of collaborative care as part of Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA). Mothers are often at the foreground of providing support within the family. However, fathers have the potential to play a profound role. In this paper, we describe a patient with anorexia nervosa treated with the MANTRA. The formulation of this case included autistic spectrum traits in both the father and daughter leading to social isolation. We describe how the family members were engaged into treatment and how paternal support was used to promote social connection and an improved quality of life in the daughter. Some details of the case have been altered to maintain confidentiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A failure to maintain improvement achieved during acute treatment, followed by a "revolving door syndrome," is a common phenomenon in eating disorders (EDs). As a result, many patients develop a chronic course that is difficult to treat. To target these difficulties, we established a novel rehabilitation treatment model in Israel for patients with severe and enduring EDs, based on the "recovery theory" in mental health treatment. This paper describes the process of conceiving this model and specifies the components of this rehabilitation house, "Zeida Laderech" (Provisions for the Journey), that aims to provide a home‐like environment, while assisting in developing a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Finally, the model is discussed in light of other residential programs established in the world. With the hope to improve the overall prognosis of individuals with EDs, it is suggested that the similar programs and ongoing innovation will continue to emerge internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In eating disorders, the denial of the illness is a central phenomenon. In the most severe forms of anorexia, compulsory treatment may be necessary. The professional acceptance of involuntary treatment is controversial due to the fact that the autonomy of the patient is juxtaposed with the obligation of the health care practitioner to save lives. This paper discusses the major practical and ethical considerations surrounding this controversy. In addition, case vignettes are used to illustrate various strategies to diminish client resistance and enhance motivation toward treatment. Involving the family is nearly always essential for the treatment of patients with eating disorders. In some cases, parental consultation (i.e., treatment without the client) can also be an option. Home visits, though rarely used, can reframe the therapeutic relationship and provide information about family functioning. In general, a lower level of treatment coercion can be achieved through transparent client‐parent and client‐therapist communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper addresses how musical metaphors can be useful in understanding the substructure of psychotherapy by considering how our patients resonate inside us, what that resonance does to and for us, and how these acoustic properties seem to be foundational in the construction of the therapist as an instrument of healing. From this perspective, psychotherapy involves “living music” with another person, as the process of psychotherapy always involves the passing of sound back and forth across an interpersonal divide. This requires both psychotherapist and patient to step into the roles of performer and audience member. Additionally, psychotherapists can be meaningfully thought of not only as an “instrument” of healing, but also an “instrumentalist” who produces unique “therapeutic music.” Moreover, the patient and therapist cocreate the concert space in which treatment is performed. This concert space has unique “architectural,” and thus acoustic, properties within which we hear and remember one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The physical spaces in which we conduct psychotherapy are an important yet underacknowledged aspect of psychotherapeutic work. Although a few contemporary publications have provided suggestions for the creation of welcoming, comfortable, and efficient practice spaces, considerations of what it means to transform a room into a therapeutic space have remained largely absent from recent literature. This paper reviews the existing literature on this subject and describes the ways in which the therapist's office is intimately tied to several processes of the therapy itself, by way of creating an adaptive environment that is able to meet the needs of both therapist and client over the course of their work together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue on recent conceptual, practical, and research developments relevant to men and therapy. The paper reviews the considerable shifts that have emerged in our understanding and measurement of masculinity as it pertains to men's health and therapy. In addition, this introduction outlines the primary focus of each article in this special issue and describes the general guidelines offered to the contributors. Collectively, these special-issue articles describe promising paradigms, provide useful examples, and stress the need for further research on men, masculinity, and the therapeutic process. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 61: 627–631, 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the development and validation of an automated referral system. While a complete answer to the question posed earlier requires a demonstration that treatment gains are maximized, the current study only considers the efficacy of an automated procedure relative to clinical staff assignment. In short, the hypothesis examined is that treatment assignment of inpatient alcoholics can be accomplished via automation without a loss of effectiveness and with greater efficiency, when compared to assignment by a clinical treatment team. Establishing the efficacy of an automated referral system is an initial step toward the maximization of treatment benefits and, consequently, is the focus of the discussion.

The article reports on the interaction effects of internal vs. external locus of control and directive vs. nondirective therapy. It examines critically studies that claim that internals are more successful in nondirective therapy and externals in directive therapy. One purpose of the present paper is to review these studies to show that deficiencies either in design, method of statistical analysis, or measures of outcome raise questions as to the real support they lend to the interaction hypothesis.

This article presents information on the application of role playing, as a research technique, in a test of Sarbin's self role congruency theory. The present study attempts to provide further confirmation of Sarbin's congruency theory, in this case within a setting analogous to psychotherapy. It was believed that by using Ss who were playing the roles of therapist and clients it would be possible to obtain information relevant to the effects of self-role congruency and incongruency in the psychotherapeutic interaction. A secondary purpose of the study was to provide data on the validity of pencil and paper tests that purport to measure role-playing aptitude. Forty nine male Ss from various undergraduate classes volunteered to role play either a therapist or a client in a half-hour role-playing session designed to simulate psychotherapy.

The present paper attempts to clarify further the meaning of life style from an Adlerian perspective and to elucidate the manner in which one's life style develops. During therapy the life style becomes the focal point for understanding present behavior. Since Adlerian theory is a here-and-now approach, little time is spent with past history. However, the life style can be used to make educated guesses as to the client's pattern of movement in the future. One whose need is to control will attempt to get into situations in which he can control; he will interact with others in a controlling manner. One of the here-and-now aspects of Adlerian therapy is the therapist's skill in pointing out to the client the manner in which his life style is manifesting itself with the therapist.

The paper offers a case study with a defective delinquent who was rehabilitated through intensive individual psychotherapy. The subject was selected by the staff of a large colony for male defectives as belonging to the group of "incorrigible" defective delinquents. The procedure of selection and the results of a large scale counseling and psychotherapy program have been described elsewhere. One to three therapeutic sessions of 20-50 minutes each were held weekly for 18 months except for vacation.

The article informs that the selection and validation of criteria to measure psychotherapeutic experience are important problems in current research. In an increasing number of studies the utility of psychological tests as guides to selection of suitable patients for psychotherapy is being investigated. Although the validation of such tests rests, to a large degree, upon the adequate measurement of the success or failure of the patient's therapeutic experience, insufficient research has been directed towards this area. The present paper reports on an empirical investigation of the relationship between the manner in which therapy is terminated and length of treatment and training and experience of the therapist.

The article reports that in the field of psychotherapy, there has been practically no progress in the matter of evaluating the relative efficacy of various methods because of failure to quantify the nature and malignancy of the clinical case materials under study. Adherents of various schools of psychotherapy have made a large number of claims and counter claims which cannot be proved or disproved until the exact nature of the clinical material on which the findings are based has been established. It is the purpose of this paper to outline a method for quantifying the malignancy of case materials by the use of a rating scale which has been called the prognostic index.

This article discusses directive psychotherapy. The purpose of, this paper is to discuss the nature, indications and contraindications of methods of therapy involving pressure or coercion. Pressure is defined as the bringing to bear upon the client of stimulation tending to direct action toward specific goals. Coercion involves restraint or regulation by force, usually by law or authority, compelling or constraining the! client to comply with directions. Pressure will usually involve influences which leave ultimate responsibility for conformance up to the client himself, while coercion requires mandatory conformance.

The article reports on a self-directed approach to the treatment of a complex neurosis with implosive therapy (IT). It demonstrates or investigates the effectiveness of IT in the treatment of psychological disorders typically have dealt with relatively simple, identifiable fears. This paper describes the self-directed treatment of a "complex" and debilitating neurosis, in which identification of the conditioned stimuli was based upon dynamic inferences. The results of the study support the use of dynamic formulations to develop a behaviorally oriented treatment program.

This article focuses on the book "Psychotherapy of the Adolescent," by Benjamin H. Balser. This is a collection of papers and interpretations on the treatment of adolescents at different levels of psychiatric practice with special emphasis on the role of the school.