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The demand for results-driven accountability is pervasive in all aspects of education today. The shift in emphasis from compliance to accountability for closing achievement gaps and improving student outcomes creates challenges and opportunities for school-based professionals. School-based professionals have a significant role to play in supporting school improvement efforts and improving outcomes for students in their role as program evaluators. Despite the need for advanced knowledge and skills in program evaluation, resources dedicated to developing the competencies of school-based professionals in evaluation approaches, methods, and tools are scarce. This book addresses this need by serving as a practical resource for school-based professionals seeking to use program evaluation to enhance data-based decision making and accountability as informed by implementation research and within the context of a multi-tier system of supports framework. Throughout this book, school-based professionals are positioned as change agents guiding their school or school districts in the adoption, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions and systems of support to meet students’ academic and behavioral needs.Less

Assessing Negative Response Bias in Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations provides a comprehensive guide to assessing malingering, feigning, poor effort, and lack of cooperation in competency to stand trial (CST) examinations. It draws on both the author’s extensive experience as a CST examiner and the vast, dynamic professional literature from forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology on assessing response style. The assessment process is considered from beginning to report writing and testimony, with tips regarding interview strategies, fact patterns and behaviors suggestive of feigning, testing, and creative and ethical use of collateral data. Every major validity test used by CST examiners is thoroughly and critically reviewed, as are others that are promising and not yet widely adopted. This includes self-report inventories such as the MMPI-2, MMPI-2-RF, PAI, and SIMS; structured interviews like the SIRS, SIRS-2, and M-FAST; performance validity tests like the TOMM, VIP, 15 item Test, and WMT; and CST-specific tests like the ILK and ECST-R Atypical Presentation Scales. A complete chapter is devoted to means to summarize and combine data from different tests and sources, and another to special populations such as defendants who claim amnesia, are intellectually disabled, or are adolescents. Report writing and testimony considerations are discussed in detail, with implications for the assessment and practice. In Chapter 10, CST examiners’ practices, including preferences for tests and collateral sources, are reported along with the perceived prevalence of various invalid presentation styles. Finally, policy implications of feigning and suggestions for cost-effective practice are provided.Less

This title aims to improve coping skills of older adults. It builds on traditional interpersonal psychotherapy, an evidence-based treatment that has been found useful in treating depressed elders. Cognitive impairment, a common occurrence in the older population due to disease or age-related causes of changes in brain function, calls for additional strategies to optimize functioning. Interpersonal psychotherapy for use with cognitively impaired older adults (IPT-ci) seeks to help older patients and their caregivers manage the effects of cognitive impairment, particularly in the early phase when behavior changes are often misunderstood, as well as to plan for potential future declines in cognitive functioning.Less

This online therapist guide presents an evidence-based group treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of major depression that recurs at the same time every year, in the late autumn-winter months. In 12 sessions over 6 weeks, therapists will help guide their clients in learning the traditional CBT elements of behavioural activation and cognitive restructuring to improve coping with the winter season. It offers guidance on cognitive restructuring to focus on challenging negative thoughts related to the winter season, weather conditions, and lack of light. A relapse-prevention component addresses early identification of negative anticipatory thoughts about winter and SAD-related behaviour changes, how patients can use the skills learned to cope with subsequent winter seasons, and they can develop a personalized relapse-prevention plan. It includes homework exercises, monitoring forms, and other useful components to supplement the patients’ work done in therapy.Less

This online workbook presents an evidence-based group treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of major depression that recurs at the same time every year, in the late autumn-winter months. In 12 sessions over 6 weeks, participants learn the traditional CBT elements of behavioural activation and cognitive restructuring to improve coping with the winter season. Some cognitive restructuring focuses on challenging negative thoughts related to the winter season, weather conditions, and lack of light. A relapse-prevention component addresses early identification of negative anticipatory thoughts about winter and SAD-related behaviour changes, how to use the skills learned to cope with subsequent winter seasons, and the development of a personalized relapse-prevention plan. It includes homework exercises, monitoring forms, and other useful components to supplement the work done in therapy.Less

Couple Therapy for Depression is an integrative 20-session couple therapy designed to treat depression in couples where there is also relationship distress. Following the recommendations of the UK's National Institute for Clinical Excellence for a behaviourally-based couple therapy treatment, it draws on RCT studies of efficacy as well as 'best practice' in behavioural, cognitive, emotionally-focused, systemic, and psychodynamic couple therapies. Sticking closely to the competencies identified for the treatment of depression and relationship distress in couples, it outlines the ways in which couple therapists can reduce damaging interactions between couples, build emotional openness and closeness, improve communication and behaviour, change unhelpful cognitions and perceptions, and help the couple cope with the ordinary and not-so ordinary stresses that arise in the course of everyday relating. It covers the causes and consequences of depression and its impact on the adult couple. Highlighting the particular techniques needed in safe and effective work with distressed couples, it goes through the different ways in which the couple's feelings, thoughts, and behaviours need to be understood and worked with in order to reduce relationship distress. Less

Children at the center of high conflict divorce and/or child protection cases face increased risks to both current and future health and adjustment. There is a growing research base regarding these risks and the coping abilities skills that children need for successful adjustment, but training gaps and poorly structured services continue to be serious problems. The specific characteristics of these families, and risks faced by these children, underscore the importance of treatment, psychoeducation, and other services adapted to this population and directed to minimizing risks and promoting healthy functioning, autonomy, and resilience for these children. This book provides a critical, research-informed analysis of the core factors to include when developing child-centered approaches to therapy and other family interventions, both in the formal treatment setting and promoting healthy engagement with the other systems and activities critical to children’s daily lives. The book addresses common problems, obstacles, and the backdrop of support from other professionals or the court, which may be necessary for successful intervention. An international team of renowned authors provide chapters covering a variety of service models and drawing on a wide range of relevant research and literature, addressing the legal context, central issues for treatment and other services, and specialized issues such as trauma, family violence, parent–child contact problems, and children with special needs. The book assembles in one place the best of what is known about intervention for court-involved families, along with practical guidance for using relevant research, understanding its limitations, and matching service plans to families’ needs.Less

This book presents a unified approach to evolutionary psychopathology, and advances an integrative framework for the analysis and classification of mental disorders based on the concepts of life history theory. The framework does not aim to replace existing evolutionary models of specific disorders—which are reviewed and critically discussed in the book—but to connect them in a broader perspective and explain the large-scale patterns of risk and comorbidity that characterize psychopathology. The life history framework permits a seamless integration of mental disorders with normative individual differences in personality and cognition, and offers new conceptual tools for the analysis of developmental, genetic, and neurobiological data. The concepts synthesized in the book are used to derive a new taxonomy of mental disorders, the fast-slow-defense (FSD) model. The FSD model is the first classification system explicitly based on evolutionary concepts, a biologically grounded alternative to transdiagnostic models based on empirical correlations between symptoms. The book reviews a wide range of common mental disorders, discusses their classification in the FSD model, and identifies functional subtypes within existing diagnostic categories.Less

Family-based Interpersonal Psychotherapy (FB-IPT) for Depressed Preadolescents presents the rationale and basic principles for interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and for interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A), a developmental adaptation that is designed to treat adolescents, ages 12 to 18 years, with depression. The heart of this book introduces family-based interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed preadolescents (FB-IPT), a psychosocial treatment for preadolescent depression for children between 7 and 12 years. FB-IPT is conceptually rooted in an interpersonal model of depression and in developmental research on the antecedents of depression in youth. FB-IPT focuses on improving two domains of interpersonal impairment in depressed preadolescents—parent–child conflict and peer impairment—as a means to decrease preadolescents’ depressive symptoms. Stronger interpersonal skills and relationships buffer depressed preadolescents from stressors that arise during this important developmental period. Research shows that preadolescent depression is an important public health concern because it is often a gateway condition that increases the risk for recurrent depression in adolescence. Preteen depression not only interferes with normative social development at a formative period but also results in residual impairments in interpersonal functioning, which may increase risk for recurrent depression into adolescence and adulthood. Effective interventions for depression in the preadolescent period that target family and interpersonal risk factors may reduce risk for depression recurrence in adolescence. Chapters 5 through 17 of this Therapist Guide describe in detail the steps for conducting FB-IPT with depressed preadolescents and their parents.Less

Feeling Good by Doing Good: A Guide to Authentic Self-Esteem presents a new evidence-based approach to defining, understanding, and increasing self-esteem. The book translates decades of the author’s research and writing in the fields of self-esteem, positive psychology, and psychotherapy into everyday language. Its power comes from tracing the definition of self-esteem back to its very first use, which is based on doing that which is both just and right. Seen this way, self-esteem is not merely feeling good about oneself. Rather, it comes from actually doing something to earn that experience. In addition to distinguishing between low, defensive, and authentic self-esteem, the book helps readers consider the connections between self-esteem and positive psychology in regard to such topics as self-control, how self-esteem operates in domains of life such as school or work, how self-esteem acts as a compass to help us make healthier choices, practical suggestions to increase authentic self-esteem, and the connection between authentic self-esteem, relationships, and well-being. The words, diagrams, and activities in the book are written so that it can be used by clinicians, their clients, and intelligent general readers interested substance as well as practical applications.Less

The use of evidence-based assessment principles is critical in providing contemporary psychological assessment services. Moreover, to ensure that psychological practice is truly evidence-based, scientifically sound assessment results must be incorporated into psychological treatment services. To this end, this volume provides reviews of psychological instruments appropriate for the clinical assessment purposes of (a) diagnosis, (b) case conceptualization and treatment planning, and (c) treatment monitoring and treatment evaluation. Chapters in this volume address the assessment of the most common disorders and conditions among children, adolescents, adults, older adults, and couples. Strategies and instruments for assessing mood disorders, anxiety disorders, couple distress and sexual problems, health-related problems, and many other conditions are covered in depth. Chapters include standardized tables that present ratings of norms, reliability, validity, and clinical utility for clinical assessment instruments. Overall, the volume provides essential information on the most scientifically sound instruments available for a range of psychological assessment purposes.Less

Teachers face a number of challenges when educating students. While tasked with providing effective instruction, teachers are also required to manage student behavior. Prevalence of student problem behavior is a strong indicator of failing schools, with problem behavior being correlated with reduced academic achievement, truancy, bullying, and loss of teacher time. Given the increased focus on school and teacher accountability, there also has been an increased demand for intervention programs that may effectively reduce levels of problem behavior in school settings. Though many practices have been found to be effective in modifying behavioral trajectories, researchers have often found that evidence-based practices are underutilized in applied settings. Given that many empirically supported interventions have failed to be widely adopted, this book provides school-based personnel (in training and practice) with a thorough description of the application of behavioral interventions in schools. Interventions are described in terms of a tiered model of service delivery. For intervention strategies described, case examples are provided to illustrate application of the described strategies. Additionally, book chapters have been developed to align with the Behavior Analysis Certification Board Task List (5th ed.). The book walks trainees and practitioners through the entire process of assessment of problem behaviors to intervention and progress monitoring.Less

Although the perceptions and realities of ageing have changed markedly over the last few decades, for practitioners working with older people, emotional problems remain a major factor of health and happiness in later life. This handbook provides a concise, authoritative and up to date guide to best practice in therapy for older people, for a wide range of mental health professionals. The introductory chapters examine the individual, social, cultural, and physical experience of ageing, and provide an essential background for a caring and professional understanding of related emotional disorders and their effective treatment. Throughout the book, key research and clinical experience is reported as underlying evidence based treatment, but the emphasis is on practical guidance for assessment and interventions, rather than detailed discussion of methodological issues.Less

The Handbook of Evidence-Based Mental Health Practice with Sexual and Gender Minorities represents the first compendium of evidence-based approaches to sexual and gender minority (SGM)-affirmative mental health practice. In the past several years, clinical researchers have begun developing and adapting evidence-based mental health treatment approaches to be affirmative of SGM individuals’ unique mental health. Because these approaches draw on research documenting unique psychosocial processes underlying SGM individuals’ mental health as well as adapt existing evidence-based treatments to impact these processes, these treatments can be considered evidence-based. Because these approaches promote effective coping with stigma-related stress and are often developed with feedback from SGM community members, these treatments can also be considered SGM-affirmative. This handbook compiles these approaches, including evidence-based treatments for specific populations within the SGM community (e.g., youth, transgender individuals, same-sex couples, parents, and bisexuals), for specific mental health problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, substance abuse, trauma, eating disorders, sexual health), and using novel modalities (e.g., group therapy; acceptance-based, dialectical behavior therapy; attachment-based, transdiagnostic therapy). Each chapter includes conceptual background and practical guidance so that mental health practitioners, researchers, educators, and students can both understand how to implement each of these approaches and develop future tests of their efficacy and the efficacy of other SGM-affirmative approaches.Less

Positive body image entails appreciating, loving, respecting, nurturing, protecting, and seeing beauty in the body regardless of its consistency with media appearance ideals. Embodiment reflects a connection between the mind and the body, which have a continual dialectical relationship with the world, and includes positive body connection, body agency and functionality, attuned self-care, positive experiences with body desires, and living in the body as a subjective rather than objectified site. This 38-chapter handbook reviews current knowledge of positive body image and embodiment, as well as future directions for work in these areas, which will be useful for mental health researchers, practitioners, advocates, and activists. Nine chapters review constructs that represent the positive ways we live in our bodies: experiences of embodiment, body appreciation, body functionality, body image flexibility, broad conceptualization of beauty, mindful attunement, intuitive eating, attunement with exercise, and attuned sexuality. Fifteen chapters speak to how we can cultivate positive body image and embodiment by expanding physical freedom (mindful movement, personal safety, connection to agency and desire); mental freedom (resisting objectification, stigma, media images, and gender-related molds); and social power (within families, peers, support systems, and online contexts). Last, 14 chapters address novel ways we can enhance positive body image and embodiment through individual and social interventions that focus on compassion, acceptance, emotional regulation, mindfulness, social justice, movement (yoga), cognitive dissonance, media literacy, and public health and policy initiatives.Less

Psychotherapists have come to realize that, given the complexity of human behavior, no single theory or treatment can ever suffice for all patients, disorders, and situations. The ideological Cold War has abated as clinicians look across single-school approaches to see what can be learned—and how patients can benefit—from alternative orientations. Integrative now constitutes the most frequent orientation of mental health professionals. This volume provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art description of psychotherapy integration by leading proponents. Replete with clinical vignettes, this unique handbook will prove invaluable to practitioners, students, and researchers alike.Less

The overall purpose of this book is to provide a highly practical guide for school professionals to efficiently address cases of youth with school refusal behavior at different levels of severity and complexity. School refusal behavior can consist of full or part-day absences, tardiness, skipped classes, morning misbehaviors in an attempt to miss school, and school attendance under considerable duress. School refusal behavior is a pervasive and difficult problem faced by many types of mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, marriage and family therapists), school officials (e.g., administrators, guidance counselors, school-based social workers, school psychologists), and others (e.g., pediatricians, probation officers). School refusal behavior, even in mild forms, has been shown to be a significant risk factor for social, behavioral, and academic problems in middle childhood and adolescence as well as psychiatric, economic, and occupational difficulties in adulthood. This book provides assessment and intervention strategies along a multi-tiered model that includes systemic approaches to prevent school absenteeism (Tier 1), clinical techniques for emerging or moderate cases of absenteeism (Tier 2), and educational and other procedures for chronic and severe cases of absenteeism (Tier 3).Less

How (Not) to Train the Brain offers a scientifically honest account of brain training. It demolishes unfounded claims often made for brain training programs, offering instead useful, proven, methods for improving mental performance and capacity. It reviews the apps, books, and other products that have emerged in recent years claiming to boost cognitive power and focus emotion, destroying well-established myths and misconceptions about the brain. It offers alternative, easily implementable techniques, including a list of commercially available products that readers may wish to consider. This title includes interviews with leading experts and practitioners working with different brain training and mental optimization approaches. These interviews provide unique insights into the foundations and development of brain training techniques.Less

The private practice of mental health is a vibrant, thriving, and financially rewarding career path. Yet, many individuals who are considering entering private practice may have heard, or believe, a number of “myths” about private mental health practice. Believing these myths may result in not going into private practice and missing out on a wonderful career, or for those who enter private practice, it may result in a number of costly mistakes. These mistakes may have clinical, ethical, legal, and financial consequences. The authors of this book share practical advice based on their decades of clinical experience to address common myths about private practice in an easily accessible manner. Myths addressed fall into the broad areas of preparing for private practice, building your practice, managing your practice, documentation and record keeping, and ethical practice. Each chapter addresses a specific myth that may be believed, describes the myth, explains why the myth exists, and then offers specific guidance for moving beyond the myth. Accurate information is provided to help the reader avoid common pitfalls, and practice ethically, legally, and with clinical effectiveness. In addition to the specific recommendations and strategies provided in each chapter, each section offers a list of key resources available for additional guidance and support. This book is easy to read. It’s as if you are sitting with the authors and getting an in-person and practical consultation that is specific to your practice.Less