Building and Handling Therapeutic Closeness in the Therapist-Client Relationship in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy
AbstractThe present study unpacks an important dimension of clinical practice from the therapists ’ vantage point. We interviewed 26 therapists in private practice about how the personal relationship with the client works from their perspective and conducted a grounded theory analysis. Three categories emerged. One refers to scope, aims and corollaries of the connection with the client; a seco nd to preventing harm and managing drawbacks; and a third to taking therapeutic advantage of challenges related to closeness. Together, these categories form a model that describes how the close connection modifies therapeutic effe...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - March 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Multi-family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) for Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
This article describes the development and methodology of a novel psychosocial intervention for children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Originally developed as an adjunctive treatment for children with mood disorders, Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) has been adapted for children with ASD (MF-PEP-ASD). Consisting of eight sessions, children with ASD and their parents receive psychoeducation and social support, and learn coping, problem-solving, communication, and symptom-management skills in separate and joint sessions. Core treatment components of MF-PEP-ASD include psychoeduc...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - March 15, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Matching Patient and Therapist Anaclitic –Introjective Personality Configurations Matters for Psychotherapy Outcomes
This study examines the associations between different patterns of patient–therapist matching (in terms of orientation on relatedness or self-definition) and outcomes at termination of psychoanalytic psychotherap y with young adults. Thirty-three patients and their therapists were classified as predominately anaclitic or introjective at baseline. Patients in the convergent patient–therapist dyads (both anaclitic or both introjective) showed significantly greater symptom reduction and increased developmenta l levels of representations of mother than patients in the complementary dyads (opposite personality configuration...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - March 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy Integrated with Rehabilitation on Cognitive Emotion Regulation and Existential Anxiety in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure
AbstractPatients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are faced with various physical and psychological stressful factors, which ‎leads to decreased quality of life. Considering the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation (CER) and existential anxiety with early maladaptive schemas, one of the methods capable of assisting the rehabilitation of the patients with CHF is the schema therapy. The current study aimed at determining the effectiveness of schema therapy integrated with rehabilitation on CER and existential anxiety in patients with CHF. The study was a true experimental with pretest/posttest design and a ...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - March 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Body Image Dissatisfaction and Weight Self-Stigma in Adults
AbstractBody image dissatisfaction (BID) and weight self-stigma are prevalent and associated with physical and psychological ill-health. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is increasingly employed for both, yet little is known about its effectiveness. Searches of 12 databases identified six studies using online, face-to-face or self-help ACT interventions for BID or weight self-stigma, of varying duration and intensity. Their effectiveness and quality were evaluated. Two reported improved BID, three improved weight self-stigma, and one reported no impact on weight self-stigma. Methodological issues (small sample sizes...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - February 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Assimilation Setbacks as Switching Strands: A Theoretical and Methodological Conceptualization
AbstractThis paper offers a theoretical and methodological formulation of setbacks in the process of assimilation of problematic experiences in psychotherapy. It is based on a series of theory-building case studies, in which case observations were used to modify and confirm an evolving understanding. Assimilation typically follows a sawtoothed progression in which advances alternate with setbacks. Research has identified two main types of setbacks, called exceeding the therapeutic zone of proximal development, and the balance strategy, which occur under systematically different conditions. Both types of setbacks can be und...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - February 19, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Emotion-Focused Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Conceptualization Model for Trauma-Related Experiences
AbstractPeople with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report painful experiences through emotional misunderstandings with typically developing peers. There are limited intervention methodologies for ASD on the impact of emotional injuries and how to work with resulting trauma. This paper presents a rational-empirical model of trauma-related experiences with the first presentation of a new case conceptualization model for emotion-focused therapy for ASD. It describes the transformation of problematic emotion schemes through a sequence of emotional processing steps illustrated with a case example. These steps include: overcomin...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - February 17, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Correction to: Current Perspective on MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
AbstractThe original version of the article unfortunately contained a mistake in Abstract and in text under “What Does MDMA‑Assisted Therapy Look Like?” section. (Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy)
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - February 1, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Impact of a  Brief Behavioral Intervention for Insomnia on Daytime Behaviors in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders
AbstractBehavioral sleep education has shown promise in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but has received much less study in adolescents with ASD. A pilot study of a brief sleep intervention was delivered to 18 adolescents, ages 11 –18 years, and their parents. This sleep education, delivered in a two-session format, was associated with improved sleep onset delay, sleep efficiency, and other sleep parameters and sleep hygiene in adolescents with ASD during that time period. In this manuscript, the focus is on the impact this intervention and the sleep outcomes, presented in another manuscript, had on d...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - January 29, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

The Relationship Between Treatment Acceptability and Youth Outcome in Group CBT for Youth with ASD and Anxiety
This study focuses on parent, youth, and clinician acceptability of a well-researched CBT program,Facing Your Fears, for youth with ASD and anxiety. Data was collected as part of a larger multi-site study that compared three different instructional conditions for clinicians learning the intervention. Results indicated that parents rated acceptability as higher for the overall treatment compared to youth. Further, youth and parents rated exposure related sessions as more acceptable than psychoeducation, and higher exposure acceptability ratings were predictive of lower youth anxiety levels post-treatment. Clinicians who rec...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - January 23, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Current Perspective on MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
AbstractThe present paper discusses the current literature with regard to substance-assisted psychotherapy with Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of the paper is to give a comprehensive overview of the development from MDMA ’s early application in psychotherapy to its present and future role in the treatment of PTSD. It is further attempted to increase the attention for MDMA’s therapeutic potential by providing a thorough depiction of the scientific evidence regarding its theorized mechanism of action and potential harms of its application in the clinical setting (e....
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - January 6, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

How People Change: Relationships and Neuroplasticity in Psychotherapy, Edited by Marion Solomon and Daniel J. Siegel
(Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy)
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - December 19, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Token Economies: Using Basic Experimental Research to Guide Practical Applications
We present multiple barriers that encumber practical application of token economies, including insufficient conditioning and pairing of tokens, determining quality of backup reinforcers, unforeseen effects of motivating operations, teaching the token exchange, effects of higher-order reinforcement schedules, ratio strain, and use of response cost procedures. To assist practitioners in implementing more effective treatments, for each barrier we revisit the often overlooked basic research involving features of conditioned reinforcement and reinforcement schedules. It is important to translate the often complex implications o...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - December 12, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

David F. Tolin: Doing CBT: A Comprehensive Guide to Working with Behaviors, Thoughts, and Emotions
(Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy)
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - December 11, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Efficacy of Emotion-Focused Couples Communication Program for Enhancing Couples ’ Communication and Marital Satisfaction Among Distressed Partners
This study investigated the efficacy of ‘Emotion-Focused Couples’ Communication Program’ for enhancing marital communication and satisfaction among distressed couples. It used a ‘two-group randomized control trial’ with 32 couples who belonged to the urban, middle class society of Maharashtra, India. ‘Primary Communication Inv entory’ and ‘Dyadic Adjustment Scale’ were used to measure the level of communication and marital satisfaction. The program lasted five weeks and the results showed significant effects elicited by the program. Two-way ANOVA was used for data analysis and Cohen’s d test measured ef...
Source: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - November 25, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research