Ranjan Roy – författare

Chronic pain affects every facet of a patient’s life, and nowhere is this more evident than in the complex arena of family life. Chronic Pain and Family: a Clinical Perspective examines typical family issues associated with prolonged illness, offering realistic ways to approach them in therapy.

Informed by current practice and his own experience, noted author/clinician Ranjan Roy brings fresh insights to common pain scenarios and therapeutic impasses, and provides a framework for assessing marital and family relationships when chronic pain is a defining factor. Clinicians will get not only a clearer understanding of sensitive issues, but also effective strategies for engaging clients without turning them off.

Coverage includes:

- Meanings of pain in relationships

- "Who Does What?": exploring changes in family roles

- Resistance to treatment: why it occurs and how to work through it

- Health concerns and other burdens on well spouses and children

- Sexuality, domestic abuse, and other "silent" issues

- Case examples demonstrating therapy step-by-step with a range of couples and families

For therapists and social workers who deal with this growing population of patients, Chronic Pain and Family: A Clinical Perspective stands at a unique intersection of pain/disability and family resources. Roy’s recognition of the family’s changing demographics together with his synthesis of clinical knowledge make the book suitable for graduate-level courses as well.

Recently, there has been a significant and healthy shift to establish the effectiveness of clinical practice, widely referred to as “evidence-based medicine.” This book fills a major gap in the practice literature for healthcare professionals engaged in providing psychosocial care for their patients suffering from chronic pain or illness. Oxford University, a leader in evidence-based medicine, now has a master’s program in evidence-based social work, the only one of its kind. Much of the practice of medicine is evidence based; however, much of the psychosocial care provided to patients is not. This is not due to the absence of such evidence; rather, practice has traditionally relied on clinical evidence, common sense, and practitioner “wisdom.” However, given the demand for results from governments, from insurance companies, and, most importantly, from patients, psychosocial care must move in the direction of evidence-based practice, for which a great deal of research is available.

This book will (1) provide empirically derived support and understanding of psychosocial problems encountered by patients and (2) explore the efficacy of the interventions available for patient care. Chapter 1 will take a historical view of the development of evidence-based practice in medicine and psychology. Chapter 2 will examine the concept of empirically supported evidence, ie, the extent to which the impact of psychosocial problems on health has been measured. The remaining eight chapters will explore a range of psychosocial issues through case illustration and examine both the problems and their management from an evidence-based approach. This book is a departure from reports on evidence-based practice to the extent that the empirical bases of the problems reported, and not just their treatment, are subjected to scrutiny.