Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Making sense of people's problems

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This readable and comprehensive guide to the field provides a clear, up to date and thought-provoking overview of formulation from a number of perspectives, essential for clinicians working in all areas of mental health and social care, psychology, therapy and counselling.

The book sees formulation as a dynamic process which explores personal meaning collaboratively and reflectively, taking account of relational and social contexts. The book encourages the reader to take a constructively critical perspective on the many philosophical, professional and ethical debates raised by the process of formulating people's problems. Exploring the impact of cognitive behavioural therapy formulation in first episode psychosis: A reflexive thematic analysis.

The first edition of Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy caught the wave of growing interest in formulation in a clinical context. The authors also explore the important issue of formulation as a collaborative activity, and consider the ethics of formulation. A case formulation (case conceptualisation) can be thought of as any way of helping a client to understand what their difficulties are, where they originated, and what keeps them going. However, the evidence base supporting formulation and its possible interventive capacity is limited, and there is little empirical evidence exploring how clients perceive formulation as part of therapy. Seeing how therapists from each approach would work with the two clients helped clarify the similarities and differences between models.

Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy places this growing interest in formulation in a clinical and historical context. Drawing on psychological theory, it attempts to examine a client or family's problems in terms of how they arose and what may currently be holding these in place. The editors’ credulous stance in relation to the diatribes of Jeffrey Masson may also undermine some readers’ confidence. Some chapters, such as those on cognitive–behavioural therapy and systemic family work, are exemplary introductions to formulation within these models. Several themes were identified and these relate to decision-making and experience, specific guidelines to aid quality of formulations and a significant lack of understanding of clients' views on the formulation process and its outcome.Other authors are diverted into spending unnecessary words on outlining the principles of their model at the expense of its approach to formulation. It is fascinating to view the case studies through the lenses of each therapeutic approach, and the divergent ways of working that follow. Formulation is widely considered a critical component of psychological therapies, and is thought to have a number of benefits both for the therapeutic process and the client directly.

Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in clinical groups and a community sample.

It demonstrates the richness of ideas which psychologists and therapists contribute to their understanding of clients' problems as well as confronting the complex issues arising from the idea of formulation itself. The right view of your patient: a computer-assisted, individualized module for psychotherapy training. Please list any fees and grants from, employment by, consultancy for, shared ownership in or any close relationship with, at any time over the preceding 36 months, any organisation whose interests may be affected by the publication of the response. Although the former are this book's natural audience, I think it has much to offer inquiring psychiatric trainees. The guidelines have been developed for the Division of Clinical Psychology to promote best practice in psychological formulation, which is a core competence for clinical psychologists.