Bruce Bongar

With over 400 types of psychotherapy available, ranging from the highly effective to the highly questionable to the downright fraudulent, the task of choosing a therapist can be daunting. Now, Am I Crazy Or Is My Shrink? gives you all the information you need to get the most effective help and to know when your therapy is working--or when it's time for a change. Drawing on years of practical experience and the most up-to-date research, the authors give you expert guidance on all the issues you should consider, whether you're seeking therapy or uncertain about the therapy you're receiving: What questions should I ask my therapist about a recommended treatment? What personal qualities and professional qualifications should I look for in a therapist? What do research studies say about the effectiveness of a particular therapy? How do I recognize when a therapist is not right for me? How can I tell when my therapist's behavior is unethical or unprofessional? What strategies can I use to evaluate my progress? The authors also provide an overview of the main branches of psychotherapy and suggest which approaches are best suited to the most commonly occurring problems, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders, relationship and sexual difficulties, and many others. Finally, the authors stress that because therapies don't come with warning labels, and because a therapist will typically apply his or her theory to whoever walks through the door, regardless of their unique symptoms and circumstances, it is essential to choose your therapist wisely, with as much forethought as possible. Am I Crazy Or Is My Shrink? empowers you to make that choice with confidence and to be a knowledgeable participant in your own treatment.

From initial consultation to termination of treatment, psychologists and other mental health practitioners make a series of crucial decisions to determine the progress and therapy of the patient. These decisions have varied implications such as the clinical course of the patient, the efficacy and efficiency of the treatment, and the cost of the sessions. Thus, the decisions made by mental health professionals need to be accurate and consistent, respecting a series of guidelines that will ultimately benefit the patient. This is the first in a series of guidebooks that is designed to do just that by providing practitioners with some structure in the development of treatment programmes. Previous guidelines have been based on consensus panels of experts or on the opinions of membership groups, causing guidelines to be very far off from the findings of empirical research. Here, guidelines are presented in terms of treatment principles rather than in terms of specific treatment models or theories, and they do not favour one theory of psychotherapy over another. Instead, they define strategies and considerations that can be woven into comprehensive treatment programmes. The entire series of guidebooks will cover numerous topics, including anxiety disorders, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and treatment of serious mental disorders. This volume will cover in detail the nature of depression, issues in treatment research, contemporary treatments, and implications for education and training. It is ideal for postgraduates and professionals in the mental health field and is intended to provide important background on treatment of non-bipolar depressive disorders.

The Suicidal Patient provides an overview of the legal landscape, evaluates evidence-based assessment methods, and reviews treatment and management strategies for both outpatients and inpatients. Bongar and Sullivan propose practical risk management strategies for suicide prevention and postvention, emphasizing the importance of effective evaluation and documentation. Significant new material has been included on firearms, veterans and the military, diversity, and sexual minority status. This practical resource will help clinicians, supervisors, and administrators provide compassionate care for suicidal patients, and help better serve all patients - with the ultimate goal of saving lives.