Does the name Barry Marshall ring a bell? Probably not if you are a mental health professional. For decades, the Australian physician was persona non grata in the field of medicine -- or perhaps stated more accurately, persona sciocca, a fool. Beginning in the early 1980's, Marshall, together with colleague Robin Warren, ...
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So, you're out for a walk.  It's a beautiful day but you're caught up in your thoughts, feeling a bit discouraged and concerned. For whatever reason, some of the people you are working with aren't improving.  You're no novice clinician.  You know impasses are a common feature of therapeutic work.  ...
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Which of the following are bad for health and longevity? A. Smoking; B. Consuming too much alcohol; C. Being overweight; D. Not flossing regularly. If you answered "yes" to any or all of the items, you are WRONG--that is, at least, if you are determined to rely on evidence ...
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I don't know if you feel the same way I do.  Looking back, I'm pretty sure its been going on for a while, but somehow I didn't notice. Professional books and journals fill my bookshelves and are stacked around my desk.  I am, and always have been, a voracious--even compulsive--reader.  In the last ...
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So, what contributes to a living a long, healthy life? Clean Air?  Being lean versus overweight?  The absence of depression or anxiety?  Exercising regularly?  Getting a flu vaccine?  Abstaining from smoking?  Minimizing alcohol intake?   Personal sense of meaning?  Close interpersonal relationships?  Social integration? OK, I'll come clean: all contribute--but not equally.  Far from it.  Some are more important ...
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While you were celebrating the Holidays--shopping and spending time with family--government officials were busy at work.  On December 28th, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) sent a formal termination notice to the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Ho, ho, oh no...! Briefly, NREPP is "an evidence-based repository and review system ...
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The Joint Commission has recently revised their standards of care.  To maintain accreditation, organizations are now required to assess outcomes with a standardized measurement tool.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is moving in the same direction. Two scales I developed met the new standard.  Both are ...
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The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was once interviewed by comedian George Carlin.  When asked why, at age 93, he continued to practice three hours a day, Casals replied, "I'm beginning to show some improvement!" Hard not to feel inspired and humbled by such dedication, eh?  And while humorous, Casals was ...
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Being human means being conscious.  Being conscious means knowing, "reality bites." Little wonder evidence shows people have sought to alter their consciousness since the Stone Age.  Whether its music, dance, the ingestion of psychoactive plants, or the modern pharmaceuticals, humans evince a strong desire to move beyond their present reality--to ...
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A couple of weeks ago, the American Psychological Association (APA) released clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  "Developed over four years using a rigorous process," according to an article in the APA Monitor, these are the first of many additional recommendations of specific treatment methods for particular ...
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Ending psychotherapy. Whether formal or informal, planned or unplanned, it's going to happen every time treatment is initiated. What do we know about the subject? Nearly 50% of people who start, discontinue without warning.  At the time they end, half have experienced no meaningful improvement in their functioning or well-being. On the ...
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Something is happening.  Something big. Downloads of the Outcome and Session Rating Scales have skyrocketed. The number of emails I receive has been steadily increasing. The subject?  Routine outcome measurement.  The questions:

• Where can I get copies of your measures?

Paper and pencil versions are available on ...
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Does diagnosis matter? What about the treatment approach? Applying particular therapeutic methods to specific psychiatric diagnoses is the considered by many a "best practice"--the core of what some label, "empirically-supported" (EST) or "evidence-based psychological treatments" (EBPT). Now, imagine a place where diagnosis and prescriptive protocols are not required or even ...
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It was just a little over a month ago.  I was doing a workshop somewhere in the States.  My topic?  Using formal client feedback to guide and improve the quality and outcome of psychotherapy--our SAMHSA-approved, NREPP listed evidence-based practice. At the first break, I was approached by one of the ...
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Chances are your are carrying a smartphone--maybe you're even reading this post on your Android or Iphone!  One thing I'm almost certain of is that the device you own--can't live without--is not a Nokia. The nearly complete absence of the brand is strange.  Not long ago, the company dominated the mobile ...
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