High-Yield Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Brief Sessions

High-Yield Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Brief
Sessions: An Illustrated Guide breaks entirely new ground in
explaining how to weave together the powerful tools of CBT with
pharmacotherapy in sessions shorter than the traditional "50-minute hour."
Written for psychiatrists, therapists, and other clinicians, the book
details ways to enrich brief sessions with practical CBT interventions that
work to relieve symptoms and promote wellness.

An engaging and
instructive resource of video illustrations included with the book
demonstrates how to successfully implement brief CBT sessions for some of
the most common and important problems seen in clinical practice-depression,
anxiety, psychotic symptoms, suicidality, sleep disturbances, substance
abuse, and coping with physical health issues. Written by practicing
clinicians with extensive experience in combining CBT and pharmacotherapy,
this volume builds on the constructs and techniques described in the
authors' earlier best-selling illustrated guides, Learning
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for
Severe Mental Illness. The authors describe in detail the general
features of CBT that can be applied in less time than the 50-minute hour


* The therapist and patient function as an investigative team; the
power of this collaborative empiricism can be evident in even the shortest
of clinical encounters.
* Clinicians teach patients how to rapidly set
agendas, focus on specific problems, pace sessions, and give and receive
feedback on progress; this structuring approach is especially well-suited to
brief sessions.
* A basic tenet of CBT, psychoeducation can effectively
be delivered in sessions shorter than 45-60 minutes and, in fact, may become
a more dominant aspect of treatment during briefer time frames.
*
Patients can learn practical, high-yield methods for decreasing symptoms
fairly quickly, making these methods highly suitable for application in
shorter sessions.
* Homework extends learning beyond the confines of the
session and encourages self-help in the treatment process, effectively
increasing the value of shortened clinician-patient time.

When
sessions are brief, clinicians must be able to generate succinct and
targeted formulations that include key pieces of information that allow for
full understanding of the patient, while honing in on specific problems
where positive results can be collaboratively pursued. This book, with its
video illustrations and learning exercises, was designed to help readers
achieve incisive formulations while they sharpen their basic CBT techniques
and successfully apply this knowledge in the stimulating and rewarding
domain of brief sessions.

A must-read for working clinicians as well
as trainees, this book offers pragmatic solutions for the challenge of
providing effective psychotherapy in brief treatment sessions.