Client-directed, outcome-informed therapy: a workshop with Scott Miller
14th September 2011
"The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them." George Bernard Shaw Wednesday morning - half way through this two day workshop with Scott …
Six recent research papers on mindfulness: outcome reviews, brain changes, self-compassion, current depression, and overview
12th September 2011
Here are half a dozen interesting recent papers on mindfulness that have caught my eye. Mindfulness research is roaring ahead a bit like a runaway train (probably not an ideal analogy for this subject matter), so it's good to get regular reviews of where we're getting to. The first two …
Health crisis for Britain's middle-aged
10th September 2011
Ouch, a very interesting international health survey, that has just been released, reports: "Middle-aged Britons are experiencing a mid-life health crisis, according to new research from Bupa, which shows that those aged 45-54 are more likely to be obese, more likely to smoke and more likely to suffer from depression …
Orlinsky & Ronnestad's "How psychotherapists develop": what maintains commitment, fascination & care in our work?
9th September 2011
I wrote a few days ago about Orlinsky & Ronnestad's very interesting book "How psychotherapists develop: a study of therapeutic work and professional growth" which reports on their 15 year study of nearly 5,000 psychotherapists in a dozen countries. I said that when describing the main findings from their study …
Recent research: articles from August journals
8th September 2011
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 16,600 abstracts. Every few weeks I scan through all the articles I've found interesting in the previous month (in the general areas …
Orlinsky & Ronnestad's "How psychotherapists develop: a study of therapeutic work and professional growth"
27th August 2011
In my blog post about Barry Duncan's book "On becoming a better therapist", I mentioned three major influences that had helped form that work. I've already written about the first two - "The heart & soul of change: delivering what works in therapy (2nd edition)" and "The Norway feedback project: …
The Norway feedback project: a clear and sensible way to make psychotherapy more helpful
25th August 2011
I wrote a few days ago about Barry Duncan's interesting book "On becoming a better therapist". Duncan cited three major influences that had helped to form the book. The first was his involvement as an editor of the recently published, multi-authored "The heart and soul of change: delivering what works …
"The heart & soul of change: delivering what works in therapy (2nd edition)"
23rd August 2011
I wrote a few days ago about Barry Duncan's recent book "On becoming a better therapist". Duncan cites three major influences shaping the book. One, he said, has been his involvement as an editor in the recently published, multi-authored "The heart and soul of change: delivering what works in therapy". …
15 minutes of exercise daily reduces mortality by 14% - and each additional 15 minutes gives 4% additional mortality benefit
21st August 2011
There has been a ripple of media interest - and rightly so - in the recent Lancet article "Minimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study." The article's abstract reads "The health benefits of leisure-time physical activity are well known, but whether …
Andrew Christensen's "Unified protocol for couple therapy" - the five principles (four & five) and guiding functional analysis
20th August 2011
In yesterday's post I discussed the first three of Andrew Christensen's "five principles" of a "Unified protocol for couple therapy". Today I'd like to talk about his fourth and fifth principles - foster productive communication (develop more adaptive communication skills) and emphasize strengths and encourage positive behavior. The five principles …