Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: An Alternative Approach to Addictions

P. Denning (2000). Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: An Alternative Approach to Addictions.     

Multi-Family Group Therapy: A Multidimensional Approach

The procedures, dynamics, and process of multi-family group therapy are presented with case examples from the authors' practice.     

Group Processes in Family Therapy: a Psychoanalytic Approach

This paper describes a model of family therapy that draws on experiences and theories of psychoanalysis as applied to individuals and groups. It suggests concepts that help to understand and work with the family as a system. A brief example is given to illustrate the effort to engage with the patients' immediate feelings in the session in relation to each other and the therapist.     

Evaluating Training Needs for Home-Based Family Therapy: A Focus Group Approach

Therapists and supervisors engaged in the delivery of home-based services participated in two rounds of focus groups. Participants discussed the challenges they face doing home-based therapy, and how an accredited family therapy program could modify its curriculum to better prepare trainees to meet these demands. Eight topic areas considered necessary for home-based practice were identified and the implications for training reviewed. The focus group methodology is described in detail and is recommended as a useful tool to assess training needs and as a way of promoting improved collaboration among training sites.     

Group Therapy, 1976: An Overview

This article discusses short-term group psychotherapy with individuals suffering from an adjustment reaction or reactive depression precipitated by genital herpes. The authors describe their experience in conducting and supervising six such therapy groups and describe several therapeutic factors that emerged as central in the treatment of this population. Among these factors are relief from isolation, the exchange of information, a challenge to defensive denial, exposure to new ideas and behaviors, an opportunity to explore the developmental issues that typically emerge, and the discussion of ethical issues.     

Cognitive and Interpersonal Vulnerabilities to Adolescent Depression: Classification of Risk Profiles for a Personalized Prevention Approach

Despite interest in psychosocial vulnerabilities to depression, little is known about reliable and valid individualized risk profiles that can be used to match individuals to evidence-based interventions for depression. This study investigated well-established cognitive and interpersonal vulnerabilities to depression among youth to discern an evidence-based risk classification approach which is being used in a personalized depression prevention randomized clinical trial. Data were drawn from a general community sample of adolescents (N?=?467; ages 10–16, mean 13.14, SD?=?1.62; 57% females) who were followed prospectively for 3 years. Youth completed measures of cognitive (negative cognitive style, dysfunctional attitudes, rumination) and interpersonal (support and conflict with peers and parents, excessive reassurance seeking, social competence, co-rumination) risks to depression, and then were followed longitudinally for onset of depression. Principal axis factor analyses showed that three latent factors--cognitive vulnerability, interpersonal support, and interpersonal conflict--optimally represented the structure of these risk factors. Clinically practical and meaningful cutoffs, based on tertile cut-off scores on cognitive and interpersonal risk measures, were used to categorize youth into relatively balanced high and low cognitive and interpersonal risk groups. These risk classification groups exhibited validity (AUC?>?0.70) by predicting prospective onsets of depressive episodes at 18-months follow-ups. These findings demonstrate a reliable and valid approach to synthesize psychosocial vulnerabilities to depression, specifically cognitive and interpersonal risks. Results are discussed in terms of using these risk classifications profiles to test personalized prevention of depression during adolescence.     

Bulimia: Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment and Relapse Prevention

The authors review the assumptions about processes that maintain bulimic behavior. Specific treatment package recommendations are made on the basis of selected outcome literature. Special issues, such as Axis II diagnosis, hospitalization, and psychopharmaceutics, are addressed.     

Addictions and the family: An introduction

The editors of this special issue would like to express their appreciation to William C. Nichols, editor ofContemporary Family Therapy, for his support and encouragement in putting together this issue. We would also like to acknowledge and thank H. Allan Dye, Joan Jurich, Kevin R. Kelly, Richard M. Loughead, Nancy Shook, and Paul H. Wright for their patience, assistance, and editorial reviews.     

Addictions Counseling Certification: An Emerging Counseling Specialty

This article summarizes the national standards for addictions counseling of 4 different professional groups or boards. The new addictions specialty certification standards that are being developed jointly by the National Board for Certified Counselors and the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors (a division of the American Counseling Association) are compared with the standards of 3 other groups.     

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Managing Interpersonal Relationships

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment designed for individuals having borderline personality disorder (BPD), patients having binge eating disorder, co-morbid substance dependence and BPD, and depressed older adults. This paper aims to explore the use of DBT and to ascertain the status of DBT education in treating difficulties in handling interpersonal relationships among clients seeking counseling and psychotherapy. The skills training mode can be employed for teaching skills to solve relationship problems. Validation and acceptance strategies can lessen rejection sensitivity and negative feelings that make interpersonal situations chaotic. Black and white thinking can be resolved by finding a middle path through acceptance and change. This paper suggests the possible utility of DBT for enhancing psychological well-being in clients.