Emerging from cognitive behavioural traditions, mindfulness and acceptance-based therapies hold promise as new evidence-based approaches for helping people distressed by the symptoms of psychosis. These therapies emphasise changing the relationship with unusual and troublesome experiences through cultivating experiential openness, awareness, and engagement in actions based on personal values. In this volume, leading international researchers and clinicians describe the major treatment models and research background of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Person-Based Cognitive Therapy (PBCT), as well as the use of mindfulness, in individual and group therapeutic contexts. The book contains discrete chapters on developing experiential interventions for voices and paranoia, conducting assessment and case formulation, and a discussion of ways to work with spirituality from a metacognitive standpoint. Further chapters provide details of how clients view their experiences of ACT and PBCT, as well as offering clear protocols based on clinical practice. This practical and informative book will be of use to clinicians and researchers interested in understanding and implementing ACT and mindfulness interventions for people with psychosis.

There have been exciting new developments in the treatment of schizophrenia and related psychoses in recent decades. Clinical guidelines increasingly recommend that patients be offered evidence-based psychosocial treatments in addition to medications, as such interventions can produce greater improvements and may prevent relapses better compared with medications alone. In parallel with these recent advancements, an evolution in the way cognitive-behavioral therapies are being conceptualized and implemented has occurred due to the incorporation of novel strategies that promote psychological processes such as acceptance and mindfulness. While there are a variety of acceptance/mindfulness approaches being developed to address psychosis, there is not currently a dominant approach. In Incorporating Acceptance and Mindfulness into the Treatment of Psychosis, Brandon Gaudiano brings together the researchers and clinicians working at the cutting edge of acceptance/mindfulness therapies for psychosis to compare and contrast emerging approaches and discuss them within the context of the more traditional cognitive-behavioral interventions. The book includes a section that focuses on six distinct treatment models that incorporate acceptance and mindfulness strategies for psychosis and a section that provides a synthesis and analysis of acceptance/mindfulness approaches to psychosis. It concludes with recommendations for moving the research forward in a constructive and responsible way. This volume will be an important resource for researchers and clinicians interested in gaining a deeper understanding of mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches and newer psychosocial treatments for severe mental illness.

Psychosis can be associated with a variety of mental health problems, including schizophrenia, severe depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. While traditional treatments for psychosis have emphasized medication-based strategies, evidence now suggests that individuals affected by psychosis can greatly benefit from psychotherapy. Treating Psychosis is an evidence-based treatment guide for mental health professionals working with individuals affected by psychosis. Using a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach that incorporates acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and mindfulness approaches, this book is invaluable in helping clinicians develop effective treatment for clients affected by psychosis. The guide provides session-by-session clinical interventions for use in individual or group treatment on an inpatient, outpatient, or community basis. The book features 40 reproducible clinical practice forms and a companion website with additional downloadable clinical forms and tools, guided exercises, case examples, and resources. The therapeutic approaches presented are rooted in theory and research, and informed by extensive clinical experience working with client populations affected by psychosis. The approaches outlined in this book offer clinicians and clients the opportunity to partner in developing therapeutic strategies for problematic symptoms to enable those affected by psychosis to work toward valued goals and ultimately live more meaningful lives. This guide emphasizes a compassionate, de-stigmatizing approach that integrates empowering and strengths-oriented methods that place the client’s values and goals at the center of any therapeutic intervention.

ACT for Psychosis Recovery is the first book to provide a breakthrough, evidence-based, step-by-step approach for group work with clients suffering from psychosis. As evidenced in a study by Patricia A. Bach and Steven C. Hayes, patients with psychotic symptoms who received acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in addition to treatment as usual showed half the rate of rehospitalization as those who did not. With this important guide, you’ll learn how a patient’s recovery can be both supported and sustained by promoting acceptance, mindfulness, and values-driven action. The journey of personal recovery from psychosis is immensely challenging. Patients often struggle with paranoia, auditory hallucinations, difficulties with motivation, poor concentration and memory, and emotional dysregulation. In addition, families and loved ones may have trouble understanding psychosis, and stigmatizing attitudes can limit opportunity and create alienation for patients. True recovery from psychosis means empowering patients to take charge of their lives. Rather than focusing on pathology, ACT teaches patients how to stay grounded in the present moment, disengage from their symptoms, and pursue personally meaningful lives based on their values. In this groundbreaking book, you will learn how to facilitate ACT groups based on a central metaphor (Passengers on the Bus), so that mindfulness and values-based action are introduced in a way that is engaging and memorable. You will also find tips and strategies to help clients identify valued directions, teach clients how to respond flexibly to psychotic symptoms, thoughts, and emotions that have been barriers to living a valued life, and lead workshops that promote compassion and connection among participants. You’ll also find tried and tested techniques for engaging people in groups, particularly those traditionally seen as “hard to reach”—people who may be wary of mental health services or experience paranoia. And finally, you’ll gain skills for engaging participants from various ethnic backgrounds. Finding purpose and identity beyond mental illness is an important step in a patient’s journey toward recovery. Using the breakthrough approach in this book, you can help clients gain the insight needed to achieve lasting well-being.

This book provides a practical framework for using a person based cognitive therapy approach for addressing the range of problems experienced by people with psychosis. Chapters 1-4 provide a context for the approach and chapters 5-12 cover the clinical application of the approach. Key features include; the integration of the author’s work on Mindfulness (simple meditation technique that is similarly creating a lot of interest at present) for people with psychosis; inclusion of the two-chair method; plus a chapter on group therapy.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of first, second, and third wave behavior therapies, comparing and contrasting their relative strengths and weaknesses. Recent discussion and research has focused intently on third wave behavior therapies, in particular Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This is in contrast with first wave behavior therapies (what today might be called applied behavior analysis or clinical behavior therapy) and second wave behavior therapies brought about by the “cognitive revolution”. The editors aim to provide a fuller understanding of this psychotherapeutic paradigm, tracking how behavior therapies have evolved through history and various paradigm shifts in the field. To this end, the book is organized into five sections covering: Introduction to the three waves of behavior therapy Assessment and measurement strategies Comparative issues and controversies Applications of the three waves of behavior therapy to 7 major disorders: anxiety, depression, obesity, psychosis, substance abuse, ADHD, and chronic pain Implications of and future directions for behavior therapies This volume provides a useful perspective on the evolution of cognitive behavior therapy that will inform the study and practice of a variety of mental health professionals.

This book offers a new approach to understanding and treating psychotic symptoms using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT for Psychosis shows how this approach clears the way for a shift away from a biological understanding and towards a psychological understanding of psychosis. Stressing the important connection between mental illness and mental health, further topics of discussion include: the assessment and formulation of psychotic symptoms how to treat psychotic symptoms using CBT CBT for specific and co-morbid conditions CBT of bipolar disorders. This book brings together international experts from different aspects of this fast developing field and will be of great interest to all mental health professionals working with people suffering from psychotic symptoms.