This book presents the first evidence-based psychotherapy with demonstrated effectiveness for persons with schizophrenia and related disorders. Designed to help patients both achieve and maintain clinical stability, personal therapy combines psychoeducation; internal coping skills training; and enhancement of interpersonal, social, and vocational functioning. The volume describes how to integrate the approach with medical management and provides a practical, three-phase therapy manual, fully documented with findings from the author's influential research program. Detailed information is presented on the application of graduated strategies as the patient moves from a recent psychotic episode, through the process of optimal stabilization, to the resumption of community life outside the home. Also featured are tools for monitoring progress and suggestions for tailoring interventions to the specific needs of each patient.

For those struggling with experiences of psychosis, therapy can be beneficial and even life changing. However, there is no single type of therapy, and a great range and diversity of therapeutic approaches have been developed to help different individuals’ needs, which makes deciding which approach is most helpful for an individual not a straightforward choice. Personal Experiences of Psychological Therapy for Psychosis and Related Experiences uniquely presents personal accounts of those who have received therapy for psychosis alongside professional clinical commentary on these therapies, giving multiple perspectives on what they involve and how they work. Presented in a clear and accessible way, each chapter includes accounts of a variety of different therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, trauma-focused therapy, open dialogue, and systemic family therapy. The reader is encouraged to explore not only the clinical basis for these therapies but also understand what the treatments mean for the person experiencing them, as well as their challenges and limitations. The book also explores the importance of the individual’s relationship with the therapist. As a whole, the perspectives presented here provide unique insight into a range of widely used psychological therapies for psychosis. With its special combination of personal experiences and concise introductions to different therapies, this book offers a valuable resource for academics and students of psychiatry, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, mental health care and mental health nursing. It will also be essential reading for those considering treatment, their friends and families, as well as mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and nurses.

Psychotic disorders are common and important psychiatric conditions, and patients suffering from psychosis can be challenging to assess and manage. In this new monograph, experts in schizophrenia and related psychoses review the current state of science in this area, and provide a practical and readable overview of the how to diagnose and treat individuals presenting with these disorders. This pocket-sized text features call-out boxes, case descriptions, practical tips, and general guidelines that should be ideal for medical students, residents, young mental health professionals, and trainees in other fields. Beginning with a history of psychosis, the authors proceed to explore the phenomenology of symptoms and experiences and how these can be used in clinical assessment. Diagnostic criteria are reviewed, along with common conditions in the differential diagnosis. Subsequent chapters tackle epidemiology, course and prognosis, and the neurobiology of psychotic disorders. The book concludes with chapters on treatment, both somatic and psychosocial, including discussion of novel interventional approaches and service delivery. The authors of this text are a mix of clinician-educators and scientific investigators, all with experience teaching trainees; this pocket-sized book has been developed to help young professionals easily gain a basic understanding of the complexities and challenges of psychotic disorders. Self-assessment questions, resources, and references will assist, but what really sets this book apart is the accessibility and concision of the text, ideal for individuals learning about or reviewing psychosis.

Schizophrenia and related psychiatric disorders can be highly disabling. Deficits in cognition, involving skills such as attention, problem solving and social understanding are core symptoms of many psychiatric disorders, which greatly impact the quality of life of patients. New research demonstrates the evidence for cognitive enhancement therapies, capable of relieving these deficits. This book explores the evidence for cognitive enhancement therapies and their mode of action, making recommendations for individualized implementation strategies. The topics covered include computer-based exercises, psychotherapeutic group activities, and pharmacological interventions. This book is designed to serve the needs of practicing clinicians, researchers, and mental health students. It is packed full of illustrations and case vignettes from the author's own practice and includes an up-to-date bibliography of the major works in this field.

"This book is primarily designed for clinicians and researchers interested in learning how to conduct an empirically supported, Culturally Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia (CIT-S) that integrates core components of evidenced based family therapy. It is estimated that approximately one percent of adults in the United States will be diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Without treatment, prognosis is generally poor. Fortunately, traditional family therapies have shown increasing promise in reducing relapse rates and improving mental health for this population. As more and more societies become multicultural, however, there is an increasing expectation that mental health providers will also be prepared to meet the needs of unique and culturally diverse clients in an efficient, skillful, and culturally relevant manner. CIT-S is a 15-week, family-focused, cognitive behavioral approach for managing schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The intervention draws upon clients' cultural beliefs, practices, and traditions to help them conceptualize and manage mental illness. It aims to improve the quality of clients' lives in a manner that is in line with their values and takes into account their cultural norms when discussing important issues and addressing challenges (such as mental illness) within the family. CIT-S contains five distinct modules: 1) Family Collectivism 2) Psychoeducation 3) Spirituality 4) Communication Training and 5) Problem Solving. For each module, a detailed rationale, background information, therapy instructions, suggested homework assignments, and a sample case vignette is provided in an accessible, easy-to-use, manner"--

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 volume is dedicated to Theodore Lidz and Ruth W. Lidz, as was the conference on the Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia held on April 9 and 10, 1979, at which the materials here published were presented. This 1979 sym posium replicated in some respects the one held at Yale University thirty years earlier, at a time when psychotherapy with schizophrenic patients was viewed with much optimism and enthusiasm. Ruth and Ted Lidz contributed to this earlier symposium also, emphasizing in their paper the intense mother-patient bond as a therapeutic issue. Since then, considerable strides have been made in the treatment of schizophrenic patients. The introduction of psychopharmacologic agents, the development of family therapy, and more sophisticated methods in com munity-based care for such patients, all have had important impacts. Psychotherapy with schizophrenics as such has remained a rather limited practice, partly because it is difficult and demanding of therapists' time and personal investment, and partly because documenting its effectiveness on a statistically or epidemiologically valid plane has eluded us.