What Works for Whom?, First Edition: A Critical Review of Psychotherapy Research

This volume synthesizes information on the efficacy of the major models of psychotherapy for commonly encountered mental health problems. Maintaining a balance between empirical considerations and the role of clinical judgement, the authors examine how research evidence can be used to improve the structure and planning of services to specific patient groups. The book is enhanced by a comprehensive disorder-by-disorder approach and careful attention to the methodological strengths and limitations of available research. The text should be of use to practitioners, students and researchers of clinical and counselling psychology, psychiatry and social work, as well as health care administrators and planners.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. Defining the Psychotherapies. Translating Research into Practice: Methodological Considerations. Psychotherapy Research, Funding and Evidence-Based Practice. Depression. Bipolar Disorder. Anxiety Disorders I: Phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder with and without Agoraphobia. Anxiety Disorders II: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Anxiety Disorders III: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Eating Disorders. Schizophrenia. Personality Disorders. Alcohol Dependency and Abuse. Sexual Dysfunctions. Counseling and Primary Care Interventions. The Psychological Treatment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders. Effectiveness of Psychological Interventions with Older People. The Relationship between Outcome and Therapist Training, Experience and Technique. Conclusions and Implications.

About the Author :
Anthony Roth, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in the application of psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions across the full range of client presentations. The focus of his clinical work has been with adults suffering mental health problems in both hospital and community settings. His research interests lie in the evaluation of psychological therapies and the application of research findings to clinical practice. He combines a clinical role in the National Health Service (UK) with an academic appointment at University College London, where he is Clinical Tutor with the Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. Peter Fonagy, PhD, is Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis at the University of London and Director of the Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology at University College London. He is Director of Research at the Anna Freud Centre, London, and Director of the Child and Family Center at the Menninger Foundation in Kansas. He is a clinical psychologist and a training and supervising analyst in the British Psycho-Analytical Society. His research interests include the study of the outcome of psychoanalytic psychotherapy and the impact of early parent-child relationships on personality development. He is the current Chair of the International Psychoanalytic Association's Standing Committee on Research, and serves on the Executive Council of the World Association of Infant Mental Health.

Review :
Given that 'what works for whom' is the perennial question asked by psychotherapy trainees, this superb book should be required reading in any psychotherapy course or seminar. Roth and Fonagy underscore not only the importance of understanding the answer to this question, but also the importance of asking the question in the first place. - Wendy K. Silverman, Florida International University