Why do new psychotherapies work, and then stop?

a post by Cory Doctorow for the Boing Boing blog



On Slate Star Codex, psychiatrist Scott Alexander offers a "book review of All Therapy Books", which is a jumping-off point for asking how it is that psychotherapy is periodically rocked by new therapies that seem to perform incredibly well, but whose confirmed efficacy shelves off over time.

He proposes four different possibilities to explain this: maybe the first people to practice a new therapy are the most plugged-in, best psychotherapists, and then, as mediocre therapists adopt the practice, it dilutes the findings; maybe once the therapy is more familiar, the placebo effect (driven by excitement at trying something new) fades; maybe the underlying ideas in the new therapy get widespread attention so patients show up already having received much of the benefit the therapeutic perspective brings; or, maybe the inventors of the therapy are "true believers" who do quick studies that are countered by wider follow-on studies.

Continue reading

---

Predictors of men's psychotherapy preferences

an article by Brian P. Cole and Michael Baglieri (University of Kansas, USA), Gregory J. Petronzi (Connected Psychology, New York, USA) and Daniel B. Singley (The Center for Men’s Excellence, San Diego, USA) published in Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Volume 19 Issue 1 (March 2019)

Abstract

Aim
The current study examined men's perceptions and preferences for four types of psychotherapy.

Method
Men (N = 315) were recruited by Qualtrics panels to complete a survey that included vignettes describing therapeutic orientations.

Results
Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that gender role socialisation, self‐stigma and attitudes about professional psychological help negatively predicted willingness to engage in psychodynamic, person‐centred, cognitive behavioural and positive psychology positive masculinity therapy. Furthermore, men in the study preferred positive psychology positive masculinity therapy to cognitive behavioural therapy.

Conclusion
Given the role of gender role socialisation, self‐stigma and fear of femininity in the development of barriers to men's help‐seeking, the present study provides support for “man friendly” therapeutic orientations such as the positive psychology positive masculinity model. Implications for clinical practice and future directions for research are discussed.

Full text (PDF 12pp)

---

NIMH's Inaccurate Depiction of Depression Treatments

a post by John M. Grohol for the World of Psychology blog

One of my life-long battles is to ensure that people get the most objective, useful information they can about mental illness and its treatment. It’s painful to me when I come across a popular website that misrepresents these illnesses or their treatment.

So you can imagine my surprise when I reviewed the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) page on depression recently. This is a super-important page to get right, because it often appears as the number one or two search result in Google.

It starts off well enough, but then devolves when it gets to a section entitled “Treatment and Therapies.”

Biases can be in your face, such as when a psychiatrist suggests, “Take antidepressants for depression — it’s the only thing that works!” Or biases can be more subtle, even unintended.

Continue reading

---

The Collaborative Nature of Psychotherapy

a post by Linda Sapadin for the World of Psychology blog



“I don’t believe in psychotherapy.”

“Therapy is for crazy people; you’re not crazy.”

“Therapy is for narcissists who just like to hear themselves talk.”

“Therapy is for weak wimps who can’t solve their own problems.”

“Therapy is for whiners who complain about everything.”

“Therapy is like talking to a friend; why pay someone when you can talk to me?”

These beliefs are what stops many people from seeking out psychotherapy. Too bad. For when therapy is humming, the possibilities for growth are endless.

• Instead of honing in only on your shortcomings, you learn ways to develop your best self.
• Instead of living with a wounded heart, you learn how to heal it.
• Instead of putting up with painful relationships, you learn how to enrich them.

Continue reading

---

A Marriage Counselor Gets Personal

a post by Marcia Naomi Berger for the World of Psychology blog

I think I was put on earth to write about marriage. But no one who knew me when I was single would have guessed it. After a couple of decades of looking for the one and meeting many men, I finally married. At my wedding, a friend said, “It’s the end of an era.”

Long before becoming a wife, I was a marriage expert — for other people. A licensed clinical social worker, marriage counselor and psychotherapist, I helped couples transform their relationships. My clients helped me too, probably without knowing it.

During a session with a husband and wife I saw for couple therapy for some time, they said I must think they were totally messed up. They noticed my eyes tearing up. I blurted out how touched I was by their caring and commitment. I hadn’t grown up seeing that and wished my parents had that kind of connection instead of divorcing when I was 13.

Continue reading

---

Six Ways To Make Psychotherapy More Effective

a post by Rachel Fintzy for the Cultivating Contentment & Happiness blog [via World of Psychology]



Entering into psychotherapy can be the beginning of an impactful journey into a more fulfilling life.

Yet often people complicate this process and sabotage their progress due to misconceptions about what therapy entails. Accepting the following truths can help maximize your chances of making your therapy experience more effective.

1. Accept that growth and change can feel uncomfortable at times.
   
2. Accept that choosing to enter into psychotherapy does not mean that you are damaged.
   
3. Accept that your therapist cannot (or should not) tell you what to do about important decisions.
   
4. Accept that lasting change does not usually happen overnight.
   
5. Accept that not every therapy session will contain “aha” moments.
   
   
6. Accept that your therapist keeps boundaries for good reasons.

Continue reading to get the explanations of those bullet points.

---

Anxiety Symptoms That Many People Overlook

a blog post by David J. Bookbinder for Lifehack

“Anxious” is a word with two faces. Sometimes it means eager excitement. “I’m anxious to see you!” we say, as we get off the phone with a friend who’s coming to visit. The other side of “anxious” is a bit darker: “I’m anxious about that test,” we say, when we’re worried about the results. We call the second meaning “anxiety,” and most of us experience it from time to time.

In common usage, both meanings of “anxious” describe our responses to fleeting, time-limited events. But anxiety can also have a much more powerful grip on many of us. Without the right kind of attention, it can rule our lives.

I’m a psychotherapist in private practice north of Boston, Massachusetts, and I’ve worked with many clients who have anxiety. In this, the first of two articles on a psychotherapist’s views on anxiety, I’ll describe what anxiety is and how you can tell whether you or someone close to you is suffering from it. In Part II, I’ll go into its causes and treatments, as well as the best ways to help heal from anxiety disorders.

Continue reading

and you will find Part II here

I am sometimes quite wary of Lifehack as many of its posts seem to be about should rather than could, must rather may and so on but this one seems OK to me.

---

When Religion Enters the Counseling Group: Multiculturalism, Group Processes, and Social Justice

an article by Marilyn A. Cornish, Nathaniel G. Wade, Jeritt R. Tucker and Brian C. Post (Iowa State University, Ames, USA) published in The Counseling Psychologist Volume 42 Number 5 (July 2014)

Abstract

Religion is a diversity factor that comprises a significant component of identity for many clients. However, little attention has been paid to religion in the context of group counselling, especially process-oriented, non-themed groups with heterogeneous membership.

Using multicultural, process-oriented, and social justice theories of groups, we demonstrate the myriad ways religion is relevant to and influential in group counseling work. Together, these theories provide a solid justification for the need to ethically and effectively attend to religion in group work.

Furthermore, they provide a strong foundation for developing counseling expertise in this area by highlighting typical conflicts, group dynamics, and needs that arise when religion is addressed in groups.

Based on our review, we provide practical and ethical implications to assist group leaders in addressing religion in their group counselling work.