Nicholas A. Cummings - Böcker

The best health practices are a synthesis of science and art. Surgery is a case in point. Although all competent surgeons follow scientific protocols, the best surgeons are masters of the art of surgery and produce better outcomes: e.g., smaller incisions; lower mortality rates. Psychotherapists are in exactly the same position. Psychotherapy is both a science and an art. There are excellent resources that convey information about empirically supported practices - the science of psychotherapy. However, this scientific information is incomplete in two important ways. It does not cover key matters that come up in psychotherapy (e.g., building a therapeutic relationship, resistance, termination), and it often does not fully cover the "art" of implementing these techniques, the nuances, the creative ways, the problem solving strategies when difficulties arise. This book is an attempt to have high profile, expert, "master" therapists discuss the art of handling these key issues.

Adjunctive treatments, in which patients are provided additional modalities that can assist in their behavior change or the maintenance of their behavior change (i.e. telehealth, psychoeducation, consumer-driven treatment planning), have a useful role in addressing problems that can't be solved by face-to-face meetings. The adjunctive therapies covered in this book are all based on improving patient’s self management of their problems or the factors that exacerbate their problems. The book is broadly organized into two sections. The first gives a broad overview of the major adjunctive modalities and the second concentrates on a systematic description of their role in the treatment of a number of special populations while providing practical suggestions for the timing and coordination for the use of the adjunctive therapies discussed in the book.

The Essence of Psychotherapy traces the common thread in all psychotherapy approaches--behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, strategic, and humanistic--and defines this "essence" as a set of fundamental principles and ultimate objectives that must be preserved in the face of increased standardization in the field. While today's therapist is guided by protocols and manuals, psychotherapy, in practice, remains an art. Nicholas and Janet Cummings have gathered case studies of master therapists to illustrate the essential process of successful therapy and to show that, as an art, it is both teachable and verifiable.

Understanding the Behavioral Healthcare Crisis is a necessary book, edited and contributed to by a great variety of authors from academia, government, and industry. The book takes a bold look at what reforms are needed in healthcare and provides specific recommendations. Some of the serious concerns about the healthcare system that Cummings, O’Donohue, and their contributors address include access problems, safety problems, costs problems, the uninsured, and problems with efficacy. When students, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers finish reading this book they will have not just a greater idea of what problems still exist in healthcare, but, more importantly, a clearer idea of how to tackle them and provide much-needed reform.

Written by father-daughter psychologists Nick and Janet Cummings, this text provides proven patient-responsive interventions by practitioners who together have nearly a century of hands-on practice and innovation between them. Refocused Psychotherapy responds directly to the recent decline of psychosocial services and helps to put psychotherapy back as the first line intervention in mental health. The authors teach psychotherapists how to work side by side with primary care physicians to provide efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency—the standards psychotherapeutic intervention is held up to. Detailed case studies are followed up by discussions of diagnosis, personality type, homework, and therapeutic techniques that show readers how to form their own case conceptualizations. The authors also teach readers how to treat their patients individually and to diagnose effectively through their onion/garlic conceptualization. Finally, they provide lists of common abbreviations that are helpful to know when reading prescriptions, and lists of drugs, drug interactions, dosage, and side effects that expand readers’ vocabulary and allow them to be more knowledgeable as they work with primary care physicians. These innovative and revealing techniques will help readers develop the skills necessary for cost-effective therapeutic results.

Integrated care is arguably one of the most important developments in the delivery of health care over the last few years. This new approach to health care, roughly defined as the provision of behavioral or mental health care in a way that is more coordinated with the primary medical healthcare setting, has the focused goal of providing a more complete care for the patient. This book focuses on three main content areas. Firstly, the treatment of psychological problems in the context of primary medical care will be addressed in several chapters. Secondly, several chapters address co-morbid psychological factors that play a key role in the effective medical management of physical diseases, either acute or chronic. Finally, several chapters address issues relevant to the overall practice of integrated care. This book is intended to extend and bridge the existing literatures of integrated care, behavioral medicine, consultation-liaison psychiatry, medical cost offset, and healthcare economics, by providing a comprehensive and current handbook of the clinical protocols that might be applied to the practice of integrated care.

This book takes as its inspiration the assumption that the atmosphere of intellectual openness, scientific inquiry, aspiration towards diversity, and freedom from political pressure that once flourished in the American Psychological Association has been eclipsed by an "ultra-liberal agenda," in which voices of dissent, controversial points of view, and minority groups are intimidated, ridiculed and censored.Chapters written by established and revered practitioners explore these important issues within the contexts of social change, the ways in which mental health services providers view themselves and their products, and various economic factors that have affected healthcare cost structure and delivery.In short, this book is intended to help consumers, practitioners, and policy makers to become better educated about a variety of recent issues and trends that have significantly changed the mental health fields.

After a period of economic success and high regard in society, clinical psychology has fallen onto hard times, assert authors Nicholas Cummings and William O’Donohue. In the 1960s, clinical psychologists with doctorates were well paid in relation to comparable professions; today, starting salaries are lower than many jobs that require only a bachelor’s degree. Clinical psychology in the 1960s was preferred and valued over other fields as a profession; today it is not even on the list of top 20 fields for graduates to enter. Psychologists’ opinions on social issues are disregarded by the public. What was and continues to be the reason for the decline and continuing descent of clinical psychology? The authors posit that the profession blundered and has not adapted to the profound changes that have taken place in American society over the past 40 years. Psychotherapy practice is based on a 50-minute hour, yet mental health treatment must operate at a much briefer, more efficient pace. Clinicians ignore the findings of scientific research for effective treatments and favor the overblown pronouncements of gurus who preach without substance. Clinicians failed to adapt their practice to the needs of the healthcare industry and do not recognize that psychotherapy is health profession. An anti-business bias has contributed to training programs that ignore the economic realities of running a practice. The failure to secure prescription privileges, the invention of diagnoses, and political correctness are among the other blunders that pull the profession away from its primary mission -- mental health treatment -- and contribute to the low esteem in which psychologists are held. The authors enumerate and discuss the Eleven Blunders That Cripple Psychotherapy in America and offer remedies to correct the ongoing decline of the field.

It is during the critical first session with substance abusers that clinicians have the first, and all too often the last, opportunity to break through the wall of denial and create an atmosphere of trust that is so crucial to changing behavior. Written by a father-daughter team of clinical psychologists, The First Session with Substance Abusers outlines a proven plan for conducting an initial session that can uncover substance abuse problems with clients no matter how resistant or manipulative they may be. Applying the methods outlined in this book, psychologists and health professionals can use the first session to assess and evaluate the depth and duration of the substance abuse problem and motivate the client to begin the most appropriate form of treatment.

Written by father-daughter psychologists Nick and Janet Cummings, this text provides proven patient-responsive interventions by practitioners who together have nearly a century of hands-on practice and innovation between them. Refocused Psychotherapy responds directly to the recent decline of psychosocial services and helps to put psychotherapy back as the first line intervention in mental health. The authors teach psychotherapists how to work side by side with primary care physicians to provide efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency—the standards psychotherapeutic intervention is held up to. Detailed case studies are followed up by discussions of diagnosis, personality type, homework, and therapeutic techniques that show readers how to form their own case conceptualizations. The authors also teach readers how to treat their patients individually and to diagnose effectively through their onion/garlic conceptualization. Finally, they provide lists of common abbreviations that are helpful to know when reading prescriptions, and lists of drugs, drug interactions, dosage, and side effects that expand readers’ vocabulary and allow them to be more knowledgeable as they work with primary care physicians. These innovative and revealing techniques will help readers develop the skills necessary for cost-effective therapeutic results.

After a period of economic success and high regard in society, clinical psychology has fallen onto hard times, assert authors Nicholas Cummings and William O’Donohue. In the 1960s, clinical psychologists with doctorates were well paid in relation to comparable professions; today, starting salaries are lower than many jobs that require only a bachelor’s degree. Clinical psychology in the 1960s was preferred and valued over other fields as a profession; today it is not even on the list of top 20 fields for graduates to enter. Psychologists’ opinions on social issues are disregarded by the public. What was and continues to be the reason for the decline and continuing descent of clinical psychology? The authors posit that the profession blundered and has not adapted to the profound changes that have taken place in American society over the past 40 years. Psychotherapy practice is based on a 50-minute hour, yet mental health treatment must operate at a much briefer, more efficient pace. Clinicians ignore the findings of scientific research for effective treatments and favor the overblown pronouncements of gurus who preach without substance. Clinicians failed to adapt their practice to the needs of the healthcare industry and do not recognize that psychotherapy is health profession. An anti-business bias has contributed to training programs that ignore the economic realities of running a practice. The failure to secure prescription privileges, the invention of diagnoses, and political correctness are among the other blunders that pull the profession away from its primary mission -- mental health treatment -- and contribute to the low esteem in which psychologists are held. The authors enumerate and discuss the Eleven Blunders That Cripple Psychotherapy in America and offer remedies to correct the ongoing decline of the field.

This book takes as its inspiration the assumption that the atmosphere of intellectual openness, scientific inquiry, aspiration towards diversity, and freedom from political pressure that once flourished in the American Psychological Association has been eclipsed by an "ultra-liberal agenda," in which voices of dissent, controversial points of view, and minority groups are intimidated, ridiculed and censored.Chapters written by established and revered practitioners explore these important issues within the contexts of social change, the ways in which mental health services providers view themselves and their products, and various economic factors that have affected healthcare cost structure and delivery.In short, this book is intended to help consumers, practitioners, and policy makers to become better educated about a variety of recent issues and trends that have significantly changed the mental health fields.