Resource activation: using clients' own strengths in psychotherapy and counseling - background (1st post)
20th May 2015
A bit over two years ago I wrote a sequence of three blog posts starting with "New research suggests CBT depression treatment is more effective if we focus on strengths rather than weaknesses". This was triggered by the fascinating paper by Cheavens & colleagues "The compensation and capitalization models: A …
How to WOOP
14th May 2015
WOOP is an acronym for Wish-Outcome-Obstacle-Plan. This sequence is based on the very impressive body of research on how to boost motivation, goal setting & goal achievement assembled over many years by professors Gabrielle Oettingen & Peter Gollwitzer. I have written extensively about their work in previous blog posts (and …
WOOPing along: an excellent way of helping us achieve our goals
9th May 2015
Gabrielle Oettingen has recently published her new book "Rethinking positive thinking: inside the new science of motivation". It's already available in hardback & Kindle, and is due out in paperback later this year. WOOP is an acronym for Wish-Outcome-Obstacle-Plan and is a facelift for the less catchily named (but highly …
Recent research: articles from early 2015 journals
28th April 2015
I read a lot of research. When I find an article of particular interest I download it to my bibliographic database - Endnote - which currently contains over 21,800 abstracts. I also regularly tweet about emerging research, so following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ (click on the relevant icon …
If you see a therapist, how many sessions are you likely to need?
14th April 2015
Is this one question or many? If you see a therapist, how many treatment sessions are you likely to need? Sometimes that's a little like asking "If I go on a journey, how long should I travel for?" Happily though, we do now have enough research evidence to be able …
A project to change long-term interpersonal patterns: building & maintaining commitment
8th April 2015
"Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was but vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible." T. E. Lawrence Our lives …
A project to change long-term interpersonal patterns: post-group reflections
4th March 2015
In a recent post - "A project to change long-term interpersonal patterns: at a residential group" - I described a fairly classic example of the sort of tangle I can sometimes get into interpersonally (probably especially in group therapy environments), where others may see me as judgemental, a bit condescending, …
A project to change long-term interpersonal patterns: at a residential group
28th February 2015
"A friend is someone who sees the potential in you and helps you to live it." W. B. Yeats (adapted) "Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor." Dr. Alexis Carrel I wrote a post a couple of days ago - "A project …
A project to change long-term interpersonal patterns: background
25th February 2015
I have just got back from a rather wonderful two week holiday in Kerala with my wife, Catero. It was very special ... and one of the interesting spin-offs was the perspective one can get looking back at one's everyday life typically played out over 5,000 miles away. I'm immensely …
Recent research: articles from winter journals
24th February 2015
I read a lot of research. When I find an article of particular interest I download it to my bibliographic database - Endnote - which currently contains over 21,600 abstracts. I also regularly tweet about emerging research, so following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ (click on the relevant icon …