The Teaching and Learning of Psychotherapy by Rudolf Ekstein and R. S. Wallerstein

The homogeneous group has been the most common form of group therapy for chronically physically ill children and adolescents. The goals of these groups have included the provision of peer support, adaptation to the realities of physical illness, and acceptance of and cooperation with the medical management of the disease. The refinement of the theory of developmental ego psychology suggests that the heterogeneous group has potential for aiding the emotional maturation of the chronically physically ill. This paper presents examples of groups of latency-age children, early adolescents, and middle adolescents that included chronically physically ill with physically healthy peers. The groups were planned under the assumption that despite external differences, children and adolescents of a similar age identify with peers in terms of normal age-specific developmental needs and conflicts.     

SAwSu: An Integrated Model of Associative and Reinforcement Learning

Successfully explaining and replicating the complexity and generality of human and animal learning will require the integration of a variety of learning mechanisms. Here, we introduce a computational model which integrates associative learning (AL) and reinforcement learning (RL). We contrast the integrated model with standalone AL and RL models in three simulation studies. First, a synthetic grid‐navigation task is employed to highlight performance advantages for the integrated model in an environment where the reward structure is both diverse and dynamic. The second and third simulations contrast the performances of the three models in behavioral experiments, demonstrating advantages for the integrated model in accounting for behavioral data.     

Hofmann,S. G. (2012). An Introduction to Modern CBT: Psychological Solutions to Mental Health Problems Malden,MA: Wiley-Blackwell

This paper reviews Hofmann’s (2012) An Introduction to Modern CBT: Psychological Solutions to Mental Health Problems. Hofmann’s book is a new tool in the struggle to disseminate CBT to the uninitiated and to train new clinicians in the basic elements of cognitive behavioral treatments. This book is an accessible introduction to basic cognitive behavioral models and techniques across a variety of conditions, with ample hypothetical case material to illustrate the approaches described. The book provides a theoretical introduction to CBT, discusses the general processes and procedures used in treatment, illustrates the approach in 10 specific problem areas, and summarizes empirical support for the approaches described. Particularly helpful are the clinical examples, learning objectives, suggested exercises, and sample dialogues that are provided. While the book tends to give less attention to the behavioral tradition in CBT, and is not intended to illustrate the use of CBT in complex cases or diverse populations, it achieves the author’s goal of providing a primer on both traditional CBT techniques and emerging CBT technologies. Students, new clinicians, allied health professionals, and patients can benefit from this important work.     

Randall,Fiona and Downie,R.S. Palliative Care Ethics: A Good Companion

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics -