Today, under pressure from managed care companies as well as from patients who are demanding briefer and more focused treatments, therapists are creatively combining cognitive and psychodynamic approaches and obtaining unprecedented therapeutic results. In this volume, Robert Leahy describes Aaron Beck's seminal model of depression, anxiety, anger, and relationship conflict and shows how each of these problems is handled by the cognitive therapist in the context of an interactive therapeutic relationship. Leahy demonstrates how uncovering resistance to change and using the therapeutic relationship enhances recovery and promotes rapid change. With concrete examples he shows how to implement all of the basic cognitive techniques, including: —activity scheduling —graded task assignments —exposure hierarchies —response prevention —challenging underlying schemas —thought monitoring Drawing from cognitive and dynamic orientations and taking into account the complexity of countertransference and resistance, this book is for today's clinicians who, rather than being wedded to a specific approach, are committed to a quick and successful therapeutic outcome. Reviews: This volume–the first of its kind–is a treasure trove for clinicians, scholars, and researchers. Its vast scope includes the theory, technique, assessment, and treatment of cognitive therapy. — Aaron T. Beck M.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Dr. Leahy has provided a thoughtful, scholarly portrayal of cognitive therapy and its underpinnings. The chapter on the historical context of cognitive therapy is especially pleasing. This text will satisfy those who wish to connect therapeutic principles to basic research in psychology, as well as practitioners who seek concrete, sensible advice on how to implement cognitive therapy to help their patients. — Robert J. DeRubeis A wonderfully practical guide to state-of-the-art practice of cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment. Grounded in the author's substantial clinical experience, as well as a coherent theoretical base and current research findings, the text provides rich detail about clinical interventions and rationales for their use with depression, anxiety disorders, and couple relationship problems. Among the strengths of the book is Dr. Leahy's description of how short-term cognitive-behavioral approaches can easily be integrated into the work of therapists with differing theoretical orientations. Going far beyond a cookbook approach, Dr. Leahy demonstrates how the complexities of case formulation are addressed through developmental assessment of the patient and careful attention to issues of resistance and countertransference. This book is an excellent resource both for therapists who want to focus on the practice of cognitive therapy and those who want to broaden their repertoires with a variety of effective, relatively short-term therapeutic strategies. — Norman B. Epstein About the Author: Robert L. Leahy was educated at Yale University (B.A., M.S., Ph.D.) and at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School where he worked with Dr. Aaron Beck. He has taught at the New School for Social Research, New York University, Hofstra University, and is currently Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College. In 1985 he founded the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City where he and his staff provide training and services in cognitive therapy. Dr. Leahy has been Director of the Institute since its inception.
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