"[This is] the doctrine that we cannot accept the command of an authority, however exalted, as the ultimate basis of ethics. For whenever we are faced with a command by an authority, it is our responsibility to judge whether this command is moral or immoral. The authority may have power to enforce its commands, and we may be powerless to resist. But unless we are physically prevented from choosing the responsibility remains ours. It is our decision whether to obey a command, whether to accept authority. "


Posts tagged with 'questionnaires'

Psychotherapists & counsellors who don't monitor their outcomes are at risk of being both incompetent & potentially dangerous

1st November 2011

I find the recent paper by Kraus & colleagues a bit scary - "Therapist effectiveness: Implications for accountability and patient care" - with its abstract reading "Significant therapist variability has been demonstrated in both psychotherapy outcomes and process (e.g., the working alliance). In an attempt to provide prevalence estimates of …

A better way to measure mindfulness: a short form of the five facet questionnaire

25th October 2011

A short 24-item version of the Five facet mindfulness questionnaire - the FFMQ-SF - is downloadable both as a Word doc and in PDF format. Mindfulness is currently a real focus for research, therapy and general interest. To help discussion be constructive it's very important that we're clear what we're …

Self-control, conscientiousness, grit, emotion regulation, willpower - how do you measure it?

27th June 2011

(the "brief self-control scale" is downloadable as either a Word doc or a PDF file; the "grit scales", assessing ability to commit to longer term projects, are downloadable as PDF files; assessment of the broader quality of "conscientiousness" as part of the big five personality assessment is downloadable as a …

Psychotherapy & positive psychology: the assessment 'dashboard'

11th March 2011

Last week I wrote on "Psychotherapy & positive psychology: why psychotherapists should pay attention". This week I look at positive psychological assessment. The very widely used DSM system classifies mental disorders on five axes - clinical disorders, personality disorders/retardation, medical conditions, psychosocial/environmental problems, and global functioning. The US DSM and …

Two new, easily usable scales for assessing wellbeing

23rd January 2011

The two scales described are downloadable as "Flourishing scale" Word doc and "Flourishing scale" PDF, and also "SPANE" Word doc and "SPANE" PDF. This post, which provides background advice on using the FS and SPANE, is available to download both as a Word doc and as a PDF. For completeness …

A new book: "Assessing mindfulness & acceptance processes in clients"

6th June 2010

Ruth Baer's new book "Assessing mindfulness & acceptance processes in clients: illuminating the theory & practice of change" has just been published. The dust jacket description states "How does mindfulness work? Thousands of therapists utilize mindfulness-based treatments and have witnessed firsthand the effectiveness of these approaches on clients suffering from …

A better way to measure self-compassion

15th April 2010

(this short form of the self-compassion scale is downloadable both as a PDF file and as a Word doc) It's still early days, but there's an encouraging groundswell of research emerging on compassion and especially self-compassion. See for example this website's recent post on Willem Kuyken et al's "under review" …

Exercise 3: US Department of Health & Human Services, resources for assessment & advice

18th January 2010

Last week I wrote about the helpful GPPAQ exercise screening questionnaire in "Exercise 2: UK Department of Health, resources for assessment & advice". This week I'd like to go "over the pond" to visit the excellent advice on exercise provided by the US government. One of the most useful resources …

Exercise 2: UK Department of Health, resources for assessment & advice

11th January 2010

Last week I wrote a blog post "Exercise 1: checking it's safe to start". In today's post I talk about resources provided by the Department of Health (for England & Wales). They have an excellent webpage on Physical Activity with links to a series of important initiatives including its publication …

Exercise 1: checking it's safe to start

4th January 2010

I've talked a lot on this blog about the tremendously worthwhile gains we can make for our physical health by exercising regularly. See for example the posts "Does healthy lifestyle really make a difference?" and "Common sense isn't common". Now the recent national depression guidelines "Updated NICE guidelines on treating …