Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Research: Evidence-Based Practice and Practice-Based Evidence continues the important work of the first book published in 2009 by Humana Press (Handbook of Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice). This landmark title presents in one volume significant developments in research, including neuroscience research, in psychodynamic psychotherapy by a team of renowned clinician-researchers. The demand for ongoing research initiatives in psychodynamic psychotherapy from both internal and external sources has increased markedly in recent years, and this volume continues to demonstrate the efficacy and effectiveness of a psychodynamic approach to psychotherapeutic interventions in the treatment of psychological problems. The work in this volume is presented in the spirit of ongoing discussion between researchers and clinicians about the value of specific approaches to specific patients with specific psychiatric and psychological problems. Multiple forms of treatment interventions have been developed over the past fifty years, and this volume makes clear, with firm evidence, the authors’ support for the current emphasis on personalized medicine. Groundbreaking and a major contribution to the psychiatric and psychologic literature, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Research: Evidence-Based Practice and Practice-Based Evidence provides firm grounding for advancing psychodynamic psychotherapy as a treatment paradigm.

The wide gap between science and practice in psychotherapy is due in part to the one-way direction that has mostly defined the connection between researchers and clinicians, with researchers generating empirical knowledge with the hope that practitioners will implement it in their working environment. This traditional approach has not been optimal in addressing the day-to-day concerns of clinicians, or in providing easily generalizable practice guidelines in clinical routine. This book offers an alternative approach to psychotherapy research, based on a partnership between clinicians and researchers in different aspects of the decision, design, implementation, and dissemination of studies conducted in day-to-day practice. More specifically, it describes how to conduct practice-oriented research (POR) by presenting studies and lessons learned (in terms of obstacles faced, strategies used to overcome problems, benefits earned, and general recommendations) by eleven groups of who have been involved in POR in different settings around the world. The book provides tools to help clinicians be active participants in conducting clinically relevant studies, and set the agenda for future research. It seeks to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners, generating knowledge that can improve our understanding of the process of change and the impact of psychotherapy. This book was originally published as a special issue of Psychotherapy Research.

While empirical, scientific research has much to offer to the practice-oriented therapist in training, it is often difficult to effectively engage the trainee, beginning practitioner, or graduate student in a subject area that can often glaze over the eyes of a reader focused on practical work. Most books about psychotherapy focus either on the process of gathering, analyzing, presenting, and discussing research results, or on conducting clinical work. What most of these texts lack is an engaging, accessible guide on how to incorporate research into practice. Research for the Psychotherapist: From Science to Practice fills that niche with an approach that bridges the gap between research and practice, presenting concise chapters that distill research findings and clearly apply them to practical issues. Jay Lebow is an accomplished practitioner and researcher in the fields of marriage and family therapy and integrative psychotherapy. In this book, he offers a focused volume that covers a range of topics. This volume should appeal to psychotherapists and students looking for an accessible, jargon-free guide to utilizing research in practical settings.

The importance of conducting empirical research for the future of psychodynamics is presented in this excellent new volume. In Handbook of Evidence Based Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice, the editors provide evidence that supports this type of research for two primary reasons. The first reason concerns the current marginalization of psychodynamic work within the mental health field. Sound empirical research has the potential to affirm the important role that psychodynamic theory and treatment have in modern psychiatry and psychology. The second reason that research is crucial to the future of psychodynamic work concerns the role that systematic empirical investigations can have in developing and refining effective approaches to a variety of clinical problems. Empirical research functions as a check on subjectivity and theoretical alliances in on-going attempts to determine the approaches most helpful in working with patients clinically. Handbook of Evidence Based Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice brings together a panel of distinguished clinician-researchers who have been publishing their findings for decades. This important new book provides compelling evidence that psychodynamic psychotherapy is an effective treatment for many common psychological problems.

Principles of Change constitutes a new approach to evidence-based practice in psychotherapy that goes beyond the traditional and unidirectional dissemination of research, whereby clinicians are typically viewed as passive recipients of scientific findings. Based on an extensive review of literature, it first offers a list of 38 empirically based principles of change grouped in five categories: client prognostic, treatment/provider moderating, client process, therapeutic relationship, and therapist interventions. Six therapists from diverse theoretical orientations then describe, in rich and insightful detail, how they implement each of these principles. The book also offers exchanges between researchers and clinicians on several key issues, including: how similarly and differently change principles are addressed or used across a variety of treatments; and how clinicians' observations and reflections can guide future research. By presenting together these unique yet complementary experiences, Principles of Change will support synergetic advances in understanding and improving psychotherapy, laying the foundation for further collaborations and partnerships between stakeholders in mental health services.

Practice-Based Research shows mental-health practitioners how to establish viable and productive research programs in routine clinical settings. Chapters written by experts in practice-based research use real-world examples to help clinicians work through some of the most common barriers to research output in these settings, including lack of access to institutional review boards, lack of organizational support, and limited access to financial resources. Specialized chapters also provide information on research methods and step-by-step suggestions tailored to a variety of practice settings. This is an essential volume for clinicians interested in establishing successful, long-lasting practice-based research programs.

Should a therapist ever shake hands with a client, or touch a client's hand or shoulder? There are taboos against erotic touch in psychotherapy, for excellent reasons, but what about nonerotic touch? These latter forms of physical contact are not explicitly taboo and they can be powerful forms of communication. Research and clinical experience indicate that they can contribute to positive therapeutic change when used appropriately. What, then, is appropriate use?