* Do you feel that no matter how hard you try it is never good enough?
* Do you spend too much time trying to get things exactly right in order to avoid criticism?
* Does it seem that at any minute people will find out that you are not really what you seem to be?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be struggling with perfectionistic tendencies. They can serve a positive purpose in your life. But having extremely high standards for yourself and others can leave you feeling let down -- over and over again -- when these expectations aren't met. As psychologist and researcher Monica Ramirez Basco explains, uncontrolled perfectionism can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, fear of failure, and broken marriages and friendships.

In Never Good Enough Dr. Basco helps you understand why you feel driven to get things "just right" and shows you how to make the best of your perfectionism. Filled with practical advice, encouragement, and strategies for self-discovery, this invaluable guide includes Dr. Basco's own thirty-question self-test that will help you recognize and manage the negative side of your perfectionism. You will learn how to stop the struggle with yourself and others, how to evaluate your worth and performance in life, and how to replace the pursuit of perfection with peace of mind.

How should we understand transgenderism, especially as it affects children and adolescents? Psychiatric manuals include transgenderism among mental illnesses (Gender Identity Disorder). Such inclusion is relatively recent, and even the words transsexual and transgender were coined only a few decades ago. Yet stories of children with an in-between gender have always been, albeit symbolically, a part of popular culture. Drawing on fairy tales, as well as from personal narratives and clinical studies, this book explains how "Gender Identity Disorder" manifests in children, critically evaluating various clinical approaches and examining the ethical and legal issues surrounding the care and treatment of these youths. The book argues that Gender Identity Disorder is not pathology, and that medicine and society should assist children in expressing themselves, without attempting to force them to adapt to a gender that does not match with their perceived identity.

Living Psychoanalysis: From Theory to Experience represents a decade of work from one of today's leading psychoanalysts. Michael Parsons brings to life clinical psychoanalysis and its theoretical foundations, offering new developments in analytic theory and vivid examples of work in the consulting room. The book also explores connections between psychoanalysis, art and literature, showing how psychoanalytic insights can enrich our lives far beyond the clinical situation.

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Living Psychoanalysis "comprises four main sections:

Life and Death - asks what it means to be fully and creatively alive, and introduces the concept of "avant-coup"

Sexuality, Narcissism and the Oedipus complex - develops fresh ways of understanding these key concepts

How analysts listen - explores links between psychoanalytic listening and the way artists look at the world, and introduces the concept of the internal analytic setting

The Independent tradition in British psychoanalysis - considers the theoretical foundations of Independent clinical technique, and discusses from various perspectives the role of training in developing the identity of analysts and analytic therapists

With fresh theoretical concepts and a focus on specific aspects of clinical practice, "Living Psychoanalysis: From Theory to Experience" will be a valuable resource for analysts, therapists and professionals who wish to extend their vision of psychoanalysis. It will also be of great interest to general readers concerned to deepen their understanding of the links between culture and the mind.

This book is an articulate, concise, contemporary introduction to the study of important variables underlying cardiovascular reactivity. Its strength is in the combination of a scholarly but nonpedantic approach to cardiovascular psychophysiology and a solid understanding of be havioral medicine approaches to the study of hypertension. The topics covered are central to the study of relationships between behavior and cardiovascular reactivity; the list of suggested readings at the end of each chapter provides excellent guidance for more detailed study of specific issues. It has now been more than a dozen years since Plenum Press published Paul Obrist's seminal monograph Cardiovascular Psycho physiology. The volume had a major impact in relating cardiovascular regulation to behaving individuals and in developing thoughtful hy potheses concerning such factors as they might pertain to hypertension. The impact of that work extended across scientific disciplines as well as aross continents. At the time the Obrist book was published, a young psychologist, J. Rick Turner, was completing his Ph. D. thesis in psychol ogy at the University of Birmingham, England, on heart rate reactions to psychological challenge. After continued collaboration for the next several years with his former Ph. D. mentor, Douglas Carroll, Turner joined the Obrist laboratory at the University of North Carolina. Al though Obrist unfortunately died during Turner's tenure in the labora tory, collaboration continued with Kathleen Light and Andrew Sher wood. The enlightened legacy of the North Carolina laboratory can clearly be seen in this text."

Quickly acquire the knowledge and skills you need to confidently administer, score, and interpret the most popular neuropsychological assessment instruments

Neuropsychological testing can identify changes in cognition, behavior, and emotion; aid in determining the cause of a disorder or developmental problem; and assist clinicians in planning treatment and rehabilitation. To use these tests properly, professionals need an authoritative source of advice and guidance on how to administer, score, and interpret them. Now fully revised and in a second edition, "Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment" is that source.

Completely updated to include the most current instruments, including the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV), Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition presents an overview of the assumptions, logic, knowledge base, and skills underlying the practice of neuropsychological assessment. Neuropsychological experts Nancy Hebben and William Milberg describe how clinical history, behavioral observations, and formal test results are used to make inferences about the contribution of brain dysfunction to psychological functioning.

Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, this book is designed to help busy mental health professionals quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make optimal use of major neuropsychological assessment instruments. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered.

"Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment," Second Edition provides comprehensive instruction on neuropsychological test administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. It also addresses practical and conceptual issues related to neuropsychological assessment in geriatric, pediatric, forensic, and other specialized settings.

Other titles in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series:

Essentials of Assessment Report Writing

Essentials of WAIS-IV Assessment

Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment, Second Edition

Essentials of WIAT-II and KTEA-II Assessment

Essentials of WJ IIITM Cognitive Abilities Assessment

Essentials of WJ IIITM Tests of Achievement Assessment

Essentials of School Neuropsychological Assessment

Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, Second Edition

Essentials of KABC-II Assessment

Essentials of NEPSY Assessment

Essentials of Executive Function Assessment

Essentials of Processing Assessment

This book provides a chronology of the 68th Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, which is focused on contemporary research knowledge about sexual violence and alcohol use. This book is more specific to dating and intimate partner sexual violence in young adult populations. The target audience is researchers, prevention agencies and policymakers within academia and military settings.  Alcohol use has long been recognized as a major contributor to sexual assault, with an estimated 50% of sexual assaults in the U.S. involving drinking by the victim, perpetrator, or both. Beyond the usual harmful effects, alcohol-involved assaults are associated with unique sequelae for female victims, including increased self-blame, stigma, and greater alcohol use to cope. Moreover, heavier drinking on the part of the perpetrator is associated with more serious incidents of assault (e.g., involving physical force) that result in more severe outcomes for victims. The purpose of this Symposium on Motivation is to bring together a group of experts in the areas of alcohol and sexual aggression to articulate the causes, consequences, and mechanisms of alcohol-involved sexual assault. Speakers will talk about classic and contemporary research and theories on these issues using cutting-edge approaches (e.g., virtual reality, neuroscience, laboratory-based alcohol administration) from a variety of perspectives (perpetrators, victims, bystanders).

This open access book offers an exploration of delusions-unusual beliefs that can significantly disrupt people's lives. Experts from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including lived experience, clinical psychiatry, philosophy, clinical psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, discuss how delusions emerge, why it is so difficult to give them up, what their effects are, how they are managed, and what we can do to reduce the stigma associated with them. Taken as a whole, the book proposes that there is continuity between delusions and everyday beliefs. It is essential reading for researchers working on delusions and mental health more generally, and will also appeal to anybody who wants to gain a better understanding of what happens when the way we experience and interpret the world is different from that of the people around us.

For decades, health professionals have asserted the importance of public participation in interventions for health. Medicine has pursued patient participation in clinical decision-making. In the public health realm, target groups have been asked to assist in the design and implementation of initiatives for health. In practice, however, patients and populations expect health professionals to give advice and - in some cases - to make decisions on their behalf. This implies limits to the ideal of participation. In this innovative work, the author contrasts public and professional understandings of health and the best ways to achieve health. The result is a model of lay participation in the structuring of medical and public health activity. The book is unique due to its policy-applicable, quantitative studies and its theoretical analysis of works by RenA(c) Dubos and Aaron Antonovsky. It will be of value to professionals in health promotion, health education, medical anthropology, and social epidemiology.

Contemporary Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Evolving Clinical Practice covers the latest applications of psychodynamic therapy for a range of clinical issues, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, borderline personality and trauma. It discusses psychodynamic practice as an evidence-based therapy, providing reviews of outcome and process research. Covering a wide array of treatments tailored for specific disorders and populations, this book is designed to appeal to clinicians and researchers who are looking to broaden their knowledge of the latest treatment strategies, novel applications, and current developments in psychodynamic practice.

Case Studies in Forensic Psychology offers the reader a unique insight into the often-hidden world of psychological assessment and intervention with people who have committed serious crimes. The book contains a breadth of forensic case studies, and each chapter details the real forensic work that psychologists do in their clinical practice in prison, psychiatric, and community settings. Assessment and therapeutic approaches used in each case study are discussed, as well as the state of the literature in each area (e.g. sexual violence risk assessment, schema therapy). Each chapter will take the reader through a variety of offender profiles, their personal background, any relevant psychiatric or psychological diagnoses, and assessments and/or treatment completed. Case studies offer valuable insight into the clinical practice and day-to-day role of a forensic psychologist, demonstrating the work undertaken that empirical research does not offer. Uniquely, Case Studies in Forensic Psychology brings together treatment models and forensic research, demonstrating how theory translates into practice and considering whether it is effective at an individual level. It is ideal for students of forensic psychology and forensic mental health, as well as practitioners at any stage of their career in this rapidly expanding field.

Recent progress in brain science has been remarkable, especially with regard to advances in the area of neuroscience. Particularly in the past decade, there have been many important discoveries about signal transduction in the brain. With this background, biological research in affective disorders has become well developed in relation to neural signaling. However, this field is fairly hard to understand comprehensively, and there is relatively little integrative work with clinical psychiatry in spite of the involvement of a wide variety of scien tific disciplines. This monograph brings together up-to-date reviews from several young Japanese scientists who work in basic and clinical neuroscience. The intention is to explain in plain language the information that has evolved on signal transduction in terms of the biological abnormalities and mechanisms of anti depressants. The model shown on the cover (and on page 24) is intended to help the reader understand signal transduction in the brain and the patho physiology of affective disorders as well as the mechanisms of antidepressants.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Etiology, Assessment, and Treatment provides a complete overview on this disorder, focusing on its etiology, how the disorder presents, and the clinical assessment and treatment methods currently available. The book presents the history of the disorder, discusses the rationale for its inclusion in the DSM, and includes diagnostic considerations, comorbidity, epidemiology, intervention, and how treatments have evolved. Each section is bolstered by clinical case material that provides real-world context and clinical lessons on how to distinguish intermittent explosive disorder from other presentations of aggression.

This book presents a critical analysis and examination of the major theories and social issues in the social construction of aging and death. It is concerned with the impact of death and places how our experiences of death are transformed by the roles that truth and discourse about aging play in everyday life. A major element of the book is an examination of the way in which groups and individuals employ specific representations of mortality in order to construct meaning and purpose for life and death. To accentuate this, the book provides an investigation into the social construction of death practices across time and space. Special attention is given to the notion of death as a socially accomplished phenomenon grounded in a unique sociological introduction to the meaning of death throughout history to the present. The purpose of this book is to critically inform debates concerning the abstract and empirical features of death examined through the lens of sociological perspectives. This book explores the emergent biomedical dominance relating to ageing and death. An alternative is advocated which re-interprets ageing for Graduate schools. This innovative book explores the concept, history and theory of aging and its relationship to death. Traditionally, many books have focused on older people dying of 'natural causes', a biomedical explanatory framework. This book looks at alternative social theories and experiences with aging and relate to death in different countries, victims, crime, imprisonment and institutional care. Are these deaths avoidable? If so, what are the solutions the book addresses. This is one of the first books that re-interprets aging and its relationship of examples of death. It will be of essential reading for graduate students and researchers in understanding these different examples of aging and death across the globe.

The Clinician's Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Symptoms, Assessment, and Treatment uniquely focuses on practical strategies for assessing and treating Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in youth. After briefly reviewing clinical characteristics of ODD and known causal factors, the book reviews brief and easily administered assessment measures of ODD. It further describes efficacious treatment elements across different treatment protocols that can be personalized for young children, older children, and/or adolescents that are based on unique clinical and family characteristics. Assessment and treatment tips for addressing commonly co-occurring problems, such as difficulties with toilet training, lying, problems with peers, and aggression are included. Finally, the book includes practical tools, such as therapeutic handouts, sample rating forms, and psychoeducational materials for parents and clinicians, along with links to online materials for ease of use in applied clinical settings.

Over the past two decades, a widening gulf has emerged between illness presentation and the adequacy of traditional biomedical explanations. Currently, the UK is experiencing an "epidemic of common health problems" among people in receipt of State incapacity benefits and those who consult their general practitioners. Most do not demonstrate a recognisable pathological or organic basis which would account for the subjective complaints they report. As a result, the causes of many illnesses remain a mystery for both patient and physician, with the result that increasing numbers of people are opting for alternative or complementary medicines. To bridge this gap between illness and its explanation, without abandoning the clear benefits of the biomedical approach, many healthcare professionals have begun to consider a biopsychosocial approach. Central to this approach is the belief that illness is not just the result of discrete pathological processes but involves and can be meaningfully explained in terms of personal, psychological and socio-cultural factors. In particular, the beliefs held by patients about their health are considered central to the way they behave and respond to treatment. However, such beliefs are not specific to patients only - they can greatly influence the behaviour and reasoning of health professionals as well. Psychosocial influences such as beliefs are also relevant when considering society's views regarding the aetiology of illness, recovery and potential for treatment. At a time when public trust in doctors and science is undoubtedly diminishing, a better understanding of patients' beliefs is clearly a priority for clinical practice and research. The Power of Belief brings together a range of experts from neuroscience, rehabilitation and disability medicine and provides a unique account of the role and influence that belief plays in illness manifestation, medical training, promising biopsychosocial interventions and society at large.

This significant volume brings together noted clinicians to offer practical ways of using narrative and other discursive methods of therapy. The innovative ideas presented build upon the social constructionist thinking that has influenced the field for the past decade. A range of timely topics are covered including sections on addressing violence, discursive research, and "dialogues" with the authors to demonstrate how these therapies are carried out. Both clinicians and graduate students alike will find this book of great value.

Juvenile justice centers have a long tradition as an unfortunate stop for young offenders who need mental health care. Reports estimate that as many as 70% of the youth in detention centers meet criteria for mental health disorders. As juvenile justice systems once again turn their focus from confinement to rehabilitation, mental health providers have major opportunities to inform and improve both practice and policy. The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry explores these opportunities by emphasizing a developmental perspective, multifaceted assessment, and evidence-based practice in working with juvenile offenders. This comprehensive volume provides insights at virtually every intersection of mental health practice and juvenile justice, covering areas as wide-ranging as special populations, sentencing issues, educational and pharmacological interventions, family involvement, ethical issues, staff training concerns, and emerging challenges. Together, its chapters contain guidelines not only for changing the culture of detention but also preventing detention facilities from being the venue of choice in placing troubled youth. Key issues addressed in the Handbook include: Developmental risks for delinquency. Race and sex disparities in juvenile justice processing. Establishing standards of practice in juvenile forensic mental health assessment. Serving dually diagnosed youth in the juvenile justice system. PTSD among court-involved youth. Female juvenile offenders. Juvenile sex offenders. The Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry is an essential reference for researchers, professors, allied clinicians and professionals, and policy makers across multiple fields, including child and school psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, developmental psychology, criminology, juvenile justice, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, social work, and education.

There are three universal experiences that we cannot escape: loneliness, illness, and death. The Psychological Journey To and From Loneliness addresses what was termed the plague of the 21st century--loneliness. Loneliness is stigmatized in our society, so untold number of people walk around lonely, unable to do what is so naturally called for--make their suffering known, and approach others for company and support. Thankfully, loneliness is slowly, but steadily, coming out of the "closet." This book will highlight not only the experience and what can be done about it, but also the experiences that influence it (i.e., our childhood, cultural and religious influences, and our way of life) as well as the effects that loneliness has on various population groups and how it is experienced at different times in our lives. This volume reviews theoretical approaches to the study of loneliness: the (positive) functions that loneliness may serve in our lives; the stages in life when loneliness is quite "visible" and its effects on us; the life experiences that may strengthen the feeling that one is all alone and forgotten; life experiences that we do not commonly connect to loneliness but it is clearly present in them (e.g., pregnancy and childbirth); and the approaches that are available to copy with its pain and limit its negative effects on us. The book closes with a review of how psychotherapy can assist those who need encouragement and support in their struggle with loneliness. The book is particularly suitable for academics, researchers, and clinicians who aim to help clients identify, address, and cope with loneliness.

Decades of research show that psychosocial treatments are effective for psychosis, yet they remain unimplemented as the American healthcare system relies primarily on pharmacological solutions instead. This book reviews the history and current state of research to provide a more nuanced understanding of the evidence for and barriers to psychosocial care for psychosis. It addresses a wide range of mental health research and multi-professional practice domains from historical, personal, societal, professional, and systems perspectives. The varied perspectives presented illustrate factors that limit support for recovery in SMI and psychosis as well as real hope for recovering the US mental healthcare system. With contributions of experts by training and by experience, this book represents an essential resource for students, practitioners and researchers.

The Handbook of Antagonism: Conceptualizations, Assessment, Consequences, and Treatment of the Low End of Agreeableness looks at the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of antagonism, highlighting the consequences of the trait, its role in a number of problem behaviors and psychiatric disorders, and how it exerts itself on externalizing behaviors. Covering the biological and evolutionary roots of antagonism, the book provides clinical insight on assessment strategies, while also outlining a number of treatment techniques, including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychology and psychodynamic treatment approaches. In addition, the book explores the development of antagonism across childhood and adolescence, discussing the societal consequences of the trait, as well as its role in a number of problem behaviors, such as aggression, violence, crime and substance use.

Anger Management Based Alcohol Treatment: Integrated Therapy for Anger and Alcohol Use Disorder is an innovative, hands-on guide that introduces clinicians to research-based anger management skills for treating clients with alcohol use disorder. Research has demonstrated an important infl uence of anger-related emotions on drinking behavior and risk for relapse among individuals with drinking problems. This book will empower clinicians to address clients' alcohol use and anger emotions through an effective blend of cognitive, relaxation, and sober coping skills. This combination of skills offers clinicians a concrete method for helping clients manage anger-related emotions and disconnect the anger-alcohol linkage, thereby improving clinical outcomes. The book also features useful ideas for client self-monitoring and accessible tools for evaluating progress in treatment. Three case studies are presented and followed to illustrate the full course of treatment. Practical therapeutic techniques are explained and demonstrated through clinical dialogue examples. This book is ideal for developing clinicians, for experienced clinicians looking to enhance skills, and as an instructional text in training programs.

This book responds to the needs that arise at the intersection of people and animals, focusing on human-animal interaction, human-animal studies, the emotional work of caring for animals, and animal-assisted interventions and therapies. Unlike many works that focus primarily on issues at the micro level, such as animal-assisted interventions, this volume is unique in its focus on issues arising at the micro, macro, and mezzo levels, encompassing human-animal issues and interactions at the level of individuals and family, groups, institutions, and communities. Accordingly, this comprehensive guide addresses the need to better prepare practitioners to work in interdisciplinary environments, whether in the context of theory, research, practice, or advocacy. The authorship of the volume reflects the interdisciplinary foundations of veterinary social work, with contributions from social workers, psychologists, veterinarians, physicians, anthropologists, and bioethicists. The volume is divided into five parts that examine, respectively: the foundations (history and scope) of veterinary social work (Part I); the practice of veterinary social work with individuals, in the context of community programs, and in social work practice (Part II); veterinary social work and the veterinary setting, including veterinary well-being and conflict management (Part III); veterinary social work education (Part IV); and the future of veterinary social work (Part V). Importantly, the volume addresses not only practice issues in the veterinary, clinical, and community settings, but also examines ethical concerns in the clinical and research contexts and the implications of cultural and societal variations on the practice of veterinary social work. The Comprehensive Guide to Interdisciplinary Veterinary Social Work is the definitive resource for social workers and psychologists new to practice issues relating to animals, social work and psychology students at the graduate and undergraduate levels, veterinarians and veterinary students, hospital administrators (human hospitals), and veterinary hospital managers.

Introduction to Quantitative EEG and Neurofeedback, Third Edition offers a window into brain physiology and function via computer and statistical analyses, suggesting innovative approaches to the improvement of attention, anxiety, mood and behavior. Resources for understanding what QEEG and neurofeedback are, how they are used, and to what disorders and patients they can be applied are scarce, hence this volume serves as an ideal tool for clinical researchers and practicing clinicians. Sections cover advancements (including Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation, photobiomodulation), new applications (e.g. Asperger's, music therapy, LORETA, etc.), and combinations of prior approaches. New chapters on smart-phone technologies and mindfulness highlight their clinical relevance. Written by top scholars in the field, this book offers both the breadth needed for an introductory scholar and the depth desired by a clinical professional.

Interrogating the relationship between women and psychosis from a variety of perspectives, this edited collection explores personal, literary, spiritual, psychological, biological and psychodynamic approaches. Chapter themes include explorations of medieval mystics and witches, postpartum psychosis, disordered eating, art and literature, feminism, and male/female differences in schizophrenia. Women with lived experience of psychosis, psychotherapists, and a shaman provide personal accounts to ground the book in lived experience. Curated with the intent to expand the way we think about women and psychosis, the contributions to this title recognize that 'voices and visions' do not occur in a vacuum but are experienced within, and are influenced by, particular socio-cultural contexts.