The last decade has seen a renewed recognition of the interconnection of the mental and physical wellbeing of people living with mental diseases. Research has assessed the impact of exercise and psychological interventions as monotherapy and complementary treatments to usual care and found considerable benefits to reduce psychiatric symptoms and improve quality of life. Questions remain on the effectiveness and on the best practices to deliver such interventions. Combining Exercise and Psychotherapy to Treat Mental Health evaluates the effects of psychotherapy and exercise interventions in individuals with mental health diseases. The book also addresses psychotherapy and exercise interventions for mental health followed by combined psychotherapy and exercise interventions and provides strategies for maintaining exercise involvement. Covering key topics such as anxiety disorders, psychology, exercise, and mood disorders, this premier reference source is ideal for therapists, mental health specialists, psychologists, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

An in-depth look at a much misunderstood practice, offering a fresh viewpoint on how this science can be a universally effective route to our better selves.

This therapist guide provides guidance for care providers who want to apply exercise-based interventions to their treatment of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. The interventions described can be applied in a variety of settings ranging from primary care to specialty care in the context of psychological, psychiatric, nursing, or social work settings. Treatment is organised around a weekly prescribed activity programme, with an emphasis on teaching patients strategies for staying motivated and organised in order to ensure adherence to the programme.

Exercise has long been touted anecdotally as an effective tool for mood improvement, but only recently has rigorous science caught up with these claims. There is now overwhelming evidence that regular exercise can help relieve low mood-from feelings of stress and anxiety to full depressive episodes. With Exercise for Mood and Anxiety, Michael Otto and Jasper Smits, well-known authorities on cognitive behavioral therapy, take their empirically-based mood regulation strategy from the clinic to the general public. Written for those with diagnosed mood disorders as well as those who simply need a new strategy for managing the low mood and stress that is an everyday part of life, this book provides readers with step-by-step guidance on how to start and maintain an exercise program geared towards improving mood, with a particular emphasis on understanding the relationship between mood and motivation. Readers learn to attend carefully to mood states prior to and following physical activity in order to leverage the full benefits of exercise, and that the trick to maintaining an exercise program is not in applying more effort, but in arranging one's environment so that less effort is needed. As a result readers not only acquire effective strategies for adopting a successful program, but are introduced to a broader philosophy for enhancing overall well-being. Providing patient vignettes, rich examples, and extensive step-by-step guidance on overcoming the obstacles that prevent adoption of regular exercise for mood, Exercise for Mood and Anxiety is a unique translation of scientific principles of clinical and social psychology into an action-based strategy for mood change.

Life is stressful, and that’s not always a bad thing. A certain amount of stress actually helps us work more productively and take action in a crisis. But recurrent and prolonged stress can paralyze us or lead us to feel exhausted, angry, or overwhelmed. The skills presented in The Stress Response can dramatically change the way you process stress. And they don’t take much time to learn. Drawn from a technique therapists use called dialectical behavior therapy, these powerful strategies can help you manage the slings and arrows of life more gracefully and effectively. After learning the skills in this book, you’ll: • Respond quickly to early signs of stress • Approach, not avoid, stressful tasks and events • Cope effectively with life events that contribute to stress • Change the catastrophic thoughts and biases that make stress worse • Practice soothing strategies for calming your body’s stress response

Mental health among African Americans historically has been kept secret, and often has been subject to intense denial from both the individuals with mental health concerns and their communities. Thus, African Americans have remained shielded from treatments that are currently available, which may allow them to become mentally healthier and find a sense of psychological homeostasis. Recognizing mental illness treatment as a strength and not a weakness is key to mitigating existing issues of mental health in the African American community today. Changing the Stigma of Mental Health Among African Americans: Moving From Denial to Acceptance provides the history of mental health in the African American community and how denial has hindered and hampered treatment within this community. Covering topics such as bipolar disorder, dementia, and disruptive behavior, this book is ideal for educators, researchers, practitioners, the African American spiritual community, and all individuals concerned about psychological care for African Americans.

Mental health practitioners often overlook initial stabilization strategies and interventions when providing evidence-informed approaches in order to get to the so-called “important” or “interesting” part of treatment. For many mental health practitioners, the “important” or “interesting” component of treatment includes insight and therapeutic processing work. Some mental health practitioners are not implementing vital stabilization strategies before entering the so-called deeper components of therapeutic interventions. Proponents of a stabilization approach maintain that a level of stabilization, prior to therapeutic insight or processing-based interventions, increases the likelihood of an individual benefiting from therapeutic processing, exposure, and insight-based work. Further, individuals who have achieved a level of stabilization prior to therapeutic insight or processing-based interventions have been identified as being less likely to drop out of treatment. Stabilization Approaches That Empower Clients Through Mental Health Crises is a critical reference source that educates mental health practitioners in a range of trauma-informed approaches and resources that promote stabilization, provides a guide for the practical application of stabilization-based therapy, and offers insights into stabilization as it is applied across a variety of therapeutic approaches. Providing readers with explanations of key concepts, strategies to overcome barriers in the safe application of a range of therapeutic techniques, and resources that can be used across a variety of treatment settings and clinical diagnoses, this book is ideal for psychiatrists, counselors, psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health professionals, researchers, academicians, and students who seek to provide a safer therapeutic intervention when providing evidence-informed mental health care.