A fear of contamination drives the most common manifestation of obsessive compulsive disorders(OCD), compulsive washing. OCD is a distressing anxiety disorder that affects 1-2 percent of the population and can be disabling. Intense and complex forms of the disorder benefit from advanced analyses of contamination and its treatment. This book, part of a series on modern psychological treatments published by OUP, provides a detailed account of the nature and causes of the various forms of a fear of contamination and their consequences. Methods of treatment are described and fully illustrated by case histories. The inclusion of original analyses and explanations of a newly recognised form of the fear, mental contamination, is an important feature of the book and will enable therapists to expand their ability to assess and treat the abnormal fears of contamination. Written by clinicians with extensive experience, this volume is valuable for all clinical psychologists and psychotherapists with an interest in OCD

Overcoming app now available via iTunes and the Google Play Store. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is widely recommended nowadays in the NHS for the treatment of emotional and psychological problems, such as depression, low self-esteem, low mood, chronic anxiety, stress or out-of-control anger. This thorough yet easy-to-read general self-help guide is a must-have for anyone experiencing these common problems. Based on the popular and proven therapy CBT, it is written by two of the UK's leading experts in the field of CBT. It contains: Case studies and step-by-step CBT-based exercises. Based on the very latest research into CBT. Addresses problems associated with depression, anxiety, stress, anger and low self-esteem in individual chapters. Both for those suffering from these issues and clinicians.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has established itself as one of the most effective therapies for treating a wide range of psychological disorders. However, research and treatment in this field typically adopts a DSM driven 'disorder-focused' approach - researchers and clinicians target a specific disorder, try to understand its aetiology and maintenance, and try to develop more effective strategies to treat the disorder. This book proposes an insightful and original approach to understanding these disorders, one that focuses on what they have in common. Instead of examining in isolation, for example, obsessive compulsive disorders, insomnia, schizophrenia, it asks - what do patients with these disorders have in common? It takes each cognitive and behavioural process - attention, memory, reasoning, thought, behaviour, and examines whether it is a transdiagnostic process - i.e., serves to maintain a broad range of psychological disorders. Having shown how these disorders share several important processes, it then describes the practical implications of such an approach to diagnosis and treatment. Importantly it explores why the different psychological disorders can present so differently, despite being maintained by the same cognitive and behavioural processes. It also provides an account of the high rates of comorbidity observed among the different disorders. This book provides a novel review and integration of the empirical literature and gives clinicians and researchers a valuable new theoretical base for assessing and treating psychological disorders.

Many children with mental health problems do not receive support and there are often extensive waiting lists for Children and Young People's Mental Health Services, which are increasingly overstretched. Unfortunately, a large proportion of children with mental health disorders do not access evidence-based treatment. Low-intensity psychological interventions are now recommended by a number of national guidelines and in the UK, are being implemented by a new workforce of Child Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs). The Oxford Guide to Brief and Low Intensity Interventions for Children and Young People provides a comprehensive resource for therapists, services and training providers regarding the use, delivery, and implementation of brief and low intensity psychological interventions within a child and adolescent context. It includes concise, focused chapters from leading experts in the field, combining the most up-to-date research with practical considerations regarding the delivery of low intensity interventions. The first of its kind, this book will be an indispensable resource for practitioners, services, and training courses internationally.

This practical resource provides an evidence-based framework for treating clients struggling with perfectionism, whether as the main presenting problem or in conjunction with depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Using a case formulation approach, the authors draw on their extensive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) experience to present specific techniques and interventions. Coverage spans treatment planning, the therapeutic alliance, key obstacles that may arise, relapse prevention, and emerging research. Reproducible assessment scales and 36 patient handouts are included; purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2 x 11 size.

How to break the circle of 'never good enough' Striving for something can be a healthy and positive attribute; it's good to aim high. But sometimes whatever we do just isn't good enough; we want to be too perfect and start setting unrealistic goals. Such high levels of perfectionism, often driven by low self-esteem, can turn against success and develop into unhealthy obsession, triggering serious mental-health problems, such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), on which this self-help book is based, has been found to be a highly effective treatment and provides relief from that disabling sense of not being good enough. In this essential self-help guide, you will learn: - How clinical perfectionism manifests itself - Effective coping strategies with invaluable guidance on how to avoid future relapse OVERCOMING self-help guides use clinically-proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended under the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme. Series Editor: Professor Peter Cooper

Overcoming app now available via iTunes and the Google Play Store. A highly respectable and authoritative self-help guide on all the anxiety disorders: generalised anxiety disorder, health anxiety, panic, phobias, social anxiety, OCD. Edited by three leading CBT clinicians in the UK, this comprehensive guide offers individual CBT-based treatments for a wide range of anxiety problems. Each individual treatment reflects current the treatment in the UK for that anxiety disorder and is written by the clinician responsible for developing that treatment in the first place. Contributors include: Lars-Goran Ost (phobias) Dr Gillian Butler (social phobia - Gillian is the author of Overcoming Social Anxiety & Shyness) Anke Ehlers & Jennifer Wild (PTSD) Nick Grey & David M. Clark (panic disorder) Heather Hadjistavropoulos (health anxiety) Kevin Meares & Mark Freeston (Generalised Anxiety Disorder) Roz Shafran & Adam Radomsky (OCD) An ideal resource not only for those experiencing anxiety problems, but CBT therapists and IAPT workers.

Parenting and caring for a child who is struggling to cope can be painful and stressful, and can make it very hard to enjoy life yourself. Feelings of blame, guilt, sorrow, despair, fear and frustration may be swirling around alongside a desperate desire to cure their pain. Although parenting a child who is experiencing difficulties is a common problem, we can feel desperately alone when it is happening to us. When someone we love is struggling - for whatever reason - we may become unhappy too. For countless parents and children there are problems with no easy solutions. However, that's where this book comes in. It aims to help understand for ourselves what we can and cannot do; to help us to accept any distress, worry, anxiety, sadness or loss of control in our situations; to see that we can tolerate these things; and to know that there are ways to move forward. This book is packed with stories from real parents, combined with information from psychological research. It will show you how you can manage to obtain comfort from knowing you are not alone, get help from resources and techniques that really work, and find hope that things can and do change for the better.

This practical resource provides an evidence-based framework for treating clients struggling with perfectionism, whether as the main presenting problem or in conjunction with depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Using a case formulation approach, the authors draw on their extensive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) experience to present specific techniques and interventions. Coverage spans treatment planning, the therapeutic alliance, key obstacles that may arise, relapse prevention, and emerging research. Reproducible assessment scales and 36 patient handouts are included; purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2 x 11 size.