Shelley Mcmain

This book presents a holistic approach to treating patients with personality disorders that seeks to inspire psychotherapists and encourage innovation. Focusing on core mechanisms of change that span different therapeutic approaches, this book invites clinicians and researchers to join a dialogue with the authors, as they examine personality disorders from different theoretical perspectives, including dialectical behavior therapy, transference-focused therapy, plan analysis, clarification-oriented, and emotion-focused therapies. The authors explore five functional domains that underlie assessment and treatment for personality disorders: emotion dysregulation, disturbed social interaction, identity problems, impulsivity, and cognitive disturbances. Each domain is analyzed through an in-depth case example, with case conceptualizations and the careful evaluation of clinical decisions that must be made at key points in therapy. The authors then compare their different approaches, emphasizing commonalities among them while also pointing out notable differences. They also offer clear and compelling recommendations for maintaining and strengthening the therapeutic alliance. The final chapter synthesizes key takeaways from across the book to create a clear path towards enhancing clinical practice.

While there are many books that describe the theories and research of clinical psychology and psychiatry, there are few resources that provide structured simulations for rehearsal and advancement of the critical skills mental health professionals need in the field. Advanced Therapeutics, Clinical and Interpersonal Skills series aims to fill that gap. Authored and edited by leading experts, each volume in the series focuses on one subfield within mental health, providing concise and practical exercises for professionals. Each volume is based on an empirically based pedagogy that is structured, incremental, and tightly focused on the essential skills mental health professionals must acquire to obtain licensure/registration and work effectively with mental health patients. Practical Exercises for Mental Health Professionals is volume one in the series, focusing on providing concise and practical exercises for clinicians of any theoretical orientation and clinical role. These exercises include repairing alliance ruptures, motivating patients to address barriers to change, suicidal behavior strategies and establishing boundaries and limits. Each of these exercises have been tested by leading experts and clinics in the field.

Deliberate practice exercises allow students and trainees to rehearse foundational dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills and strategies to respond effectively and flexibly to diverse, complex clinical presentations and situations. Each book in the Essentials of Deliberate Practice series contains customized role-playing exercises in which two trainees act as a client and a therapist, switching back and forth under a supervisor's guidance. The trainee playing the therapist improvises appropriate and authentic responses to client statements organized into three difficulty levels-beginner, intermediate, and advanced-reflecting common issues encountered by DBT practitioners. The first 2 exercises each focus on a single skill, such as validating clients, encouraging commitment to therapeutic goals, teaching problem-solving skills, and working with clients in crisis or expressing suicidal ideation. Following these are two comprehensive exercises-an annotated transcript and free-form mock therapy sessions-in which trainees integrate essential skills into a single DBT session. Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.

Developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder that integrates principles of change and acceptance in order to help clients who have severe emotion dysregulation and impulsive behavior. This guide describes the primary tenets of DBT and illustrates some of its essential techniques—namely validation, commitment strategies, behavioral chain analysis, and skills coaching—that can be used with a range of clients. By understanding underlying problems and balancing compassionate acceptance with a push for change, clinicians can use DBT basics in their day-to-day work to help clients manage emotion dysregulation and impulsive urges. Included in this comprehensive guide are a DVD of sample therapy sessions and clinical explication that describe how to implement the protocol, as well as a laminated pocket reminder card. An on-the-go package of practical tools that busy clinicians won’t want to be without.