Synopses & Reviews
Review
"A valuable resource, and important reading for anyone interested in psychotherapy outcome! Patients entering psychotherapy have long been at the mercy of therapists who prescribe a single approach regardless of the problem. In a clear, rational review of the differential therapeutics of psychotherapy,
What Works for Whom? offers useful guideposts for diagnosis-based treatment selection based on research findings. (An alternate title might be:
What Works for Which Illnesses?) Clinicians, managed care health planners, and prospective patients should read this book!" --John C. Markowitz, MD, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center
"Since those who ultimately pay for treatment and those who receive treatment are us--the public at large--it is surprising and regrettable that the demand for greater accountability in services has peaked only now.....We would profit immensely from a thorough, balanced, and incisive review of how research might guide clinical services. This book provides that review." --From the Foreword by Alan E. Kazdin, PhD, Yale University
"Just as psychotherapy research led the way 20 years ago with the development and application of systematic reviews, so now it may be ahead of other fields in its critical appreciation of the limits of current empirical methods and its creative initiation of new ways to build a scientific base for clinical practice. If such is the judgment of future commentators, much of the credit for this will belong to Anthony Roth, Peter Fonagy, and their colleagues for this truly monumental book." --From the Foreword by David A. Shapiro, PhD, University of Leeds, UK
"I want to congratulate you [the authors] and all those involved on an impressive piece of work. The overall quality is excellent. The tone is evenhanded and conveys a commitment to empiricism that is essential in the current political and social climate. I was also impressed with the authors' straightforwardness and 'neutrality' (in the best sense of the word) in drawing conclusions and making recommendations. I have seen and heard many discussions of these issues that are considerably more ideological or doctrinaire and considerably less useful for that reason. I think the manuscript will find a wide readership when published." --Paul A. Pilkonis, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
"The presentation is balanced and cautious throughout....This volume will be useful to a range of readers. For the clinician wishing to inform his or her practice with demonstrably effective treatments, it identifies the specific types of therapies that have been found useful for patients diagnosed with specific disorders. The psychotherapy researcher will appreciate the compilation of empirical studies on a range of disorders and may also profit from the authors' highlighting of therapies that are widely used but underresearched. The volume would also serve well as a text for graduate courses in therapeutic interventions." --Douglas A. Vakoch, PhD, The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
"Comprehensive and thoughtful....this book is extremely valuable because it clearly and succinctly summarizes decades of research and presents a balanced approach to addressing questions related to outcome research....The book's comprehensiveness and clarity make it an excellent resource for those who want to learn about state-of-the-art outcome research without reading a large number of specialized articles....useful for students and clinicians who seek familiarity with the research literature as well as for healthcare providers, economists, politicians, and others whose decisions will ultimately impact the delivery of therapy." --Ilana D. Krakauer and Jacques P. Barber, Psychotherapy Research
Review
"This book is a remarkable feat of scholarship. Not only does the second edition encompass the latest research on treatment for many of the problems commonly seen in psychotherapy, but, like its predecessor, it also provides in-depth consideration of issues critical to research design, evaluation, and clinical practice. For researchers, practitioners, and service providers, this book more than fulfills its aims."--Alan E. Kazdin, PhD, Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
"The best-titled book in the psychotherapy field returns for a triumphant second edition. The original authors have updated their analysis of the literature using an approach that is calm in tone, liberal in outlook, and judicious in evaluation. They are passionate about evidence-based practice and the proper use of clinical judgment, and they anticipate an evolution of existing psychotherapies in ways that respect necessary complexity and creativity. As experienced researchers and clinicians, they clearly describe the limitations as well as the strengths of the different research methodologies and are opposed to privileging one strategy over another. Without doubt, this book is essential reading for all psychotherapy researchers, trainers, practitioners, and students."--Mark Aveline, MD, FRCPsych, Institute of Lifelong Learning, University of Leicester, UK: and President (2003-2004), Society for Psychotherapy Research
"In this era of evidence-based treatment, researchers are proud of their 'significant differences,' and clinicians often find research based on the mean score to be wanting in the individual case. The Roth and Fonagy volume, now in its updated second edition, provides a clinically sophisticated guide to utilizing the existing research with judicious sensitivity to the client who does not fit neatly into oversimplified categories of diagnosis and treatment brands. Simply put, this is the best book on the topic. Researchers will find their work put into a broader context, and clinicians will relish a thoughtful guide through the complicated tasks of assessment and treatment planning."--John F. Clarkin, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Weill-Cornell Medical College
"Given that 'What works for whom?' is the perennial question asked by psychotherapy trainees, this superb book should be required reading in any psychotherapy course or seminar. Roth and Fonagy underscore not only the importance of understanding the answer to this question, but also the importance of asking the question in the first place."--Wendy K. Silverman, PhD, Department of Psychology, Florida International University
"A worthy successor and expansion of the first edition. Readers will find comprehensive reviews of empirical outcome studies on psychosocial treatments and selected medications found helpful in working with clients with specific disorders. In addition, the book discusses methodological considerations in designing and evaluating psychotherapy outcome studies, offering a masterful exposition of this complex topic. This is a clinically useful resource that would make an excellent text for graduate students in the mental health fields. I highly recommend it."--Bruce A. Thyer, PhD, LCSW, School of Social Work, Florida State University
Synopsis
This important volume synthesizes a wealth of information on the efficacy of the major models of psychotherapy for commonly encountered mental health problems. Maintaining a judicious balance between empirical considerations and the role of clinical judgment, the authors examine how research evidence can be used to improve the structure and planning of services to specific patient groups. The book is enhanced by a comprehensive disorder-by-disorder approach and careful attention to the methodological strengths and limitations of available research.
Synopsis
This acclaimed work provides a systematic, comprehensive, and balanced evaluation of the current status of all major psychotherapeutic approaches. With a primary focus on adults, detailed evidence is presented for the efficacy of widely used interventions for frequently encountered mental disorders and specific populations. The book also explains the concepts that underpin psychotherapy research, examines methodological challenges in translating research into practice, and considers the impact on outcome of factors common to all therapies, such as therapist and patient characteristics.
About the Author
Anthony Roth, PhD, is Joint Course Director of the Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology at University College London (UCL). He has contributed to the development of clinical training both in London and at a national level, and has worked in hospital and community settings for over 20 years. Dr. Roth (along with Peter Fonagy) was commissioned by the English Department of Health to identify evidence for the impact of the psychological therapies, a review that emerged as the first edition of
What Works for Whom? His recent research has focused on patient and therapist attachment patterns and the therapeutic alliance, the impact of therapist attachment patterns on therapist behavior, and the application of family interventions for people with schizophrenia.
Peter Fonagy, PhD, FBA, is Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis and Director of the Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology at UCL; Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre, London; and Consultant to the Child and Family Program at the Menninger Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. Dr. Fonagy is also a clinical psychologist and a training and supervising analyst in the British Psycho-Analytical Society. His work attempts to integrate empirical research with psychoanalytic theory, and his clinical interests center on issues of borderline psychopathology, violence, and early attachment relationships. His recent books include Attachment Theory and Psychoanalysis.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Defining the Psychotherapies
2. Research and Practice: Methodological Considerations and Their Influence on This Review
3. Psychotherapy Research, Health Policy, and Service Provision, Glenys Parry, Anthony Roth,
and Peter Fonagy
4. Depression
5. Bipolar Disorder
6. Anxiety Disorders I: Specific Phobia, Social Phobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder with and without Agoraphobia
7. Anxiety Disorders II: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
8. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
9. Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder
10. Schizophrenia
11. Personality Disorders
12. Substance Abuse: Alcohol, Cocaine, and Opiate Dependence and Abuse
13. Sexual Dysfunctions
14. The Psychological Treatment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders, Mary Target
and Peter Fonagy
15. Effectiveness of Psychological Interventions with Older People, Robert Woods
and Anthony Roth
16. The Contributions of Therapists and Patients to Outcome
17. Conclusions and Implications
Appendix I. Converting Effect Sizes to Percentiles
Appendix II. An Illustration of Commonly Used "Clinically Intuitive" Ways of Representing the Outcome of Trials
Appendix III. Contrast between Prevalence Rates from Different Epidemiological Surveys