Written exposure therapy: how do you do it?
27th October 2012
(This post on "Written exposure therapy" is downloadable both as a PDF file and as a Word doc) Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. James Hollingworth In yesterday's post - "One of the most exciting therapeutic writing …
One of the most exciting therapeutic writing studies for years
25th October 2012
Denise Sloan, associate director at the US National Center for PTSD, has produced many fine publications on therapeutic writing. However I think she has surpassed herself with her most recent: Sloan, D. M., B. P. Marx, et al. (2012). "Written exposure as an intervention for PTSD: A randomized clinical trial …
Some suggestions for giving and receiving helpful feedback
21st October 2012
(this blog post is freely downloadable as a Word doc and as a PDF file) "Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor." Dr. Alexis Carrel "It is a puzzling thing. The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm …
Lessons from a personal multi-source feedback project
19th October 2012
"A friend is someone who sees the potential in you and helps you to live it." W. B. Yeats (adapted) "Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger." Franklin Jones A few months ago now, I initiated a personal feedback project. …
Compulsory multi-source feedback is coming or has already come to the health professions & to many other jobs as well
17th October 2012
"O wad some Power the giftie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, an' foolish notion." Rabbie Burns "He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise." Lao-tzu Compulsory revalidation begins for British medical doctors on the …
Five recent research studies on the worrying variability both in psychotherapist effectiveness and also in willingness to change
15th October 2012
I have written a good deal in the past about variability in the effectiveness of psychotherapists - see, for example, "What shall we do about the fact that there are supershrinks and pseudoshrinks?", "Psychotherapists & counsellors who don't monitor their outcomes are at risk of being both incompetent & potentially …
Recent research: articles from September journals
11th October 2012
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 18,400 abstracts. Every few weeks I scan through all the articles I've found interesting in the previous month (in the general areas …