One of the challenges the field of clinical neuropsychology faces is to develop an assessment process that is relevant and responsive to the needs of patients. Indeed, it has been suggested that the survival of neuropsychology as a clinical discipline may be threatened due to an overemphasis on diagnosing cognitive deficits as opposed to developing methods that meet patients’ needs. One way to meet this need is for psychologists to extend their services by developing clinical interventions that contribute to enhancing patients’ cognitive and emotional well-being. Providing feedback from the results of neuropsychological tests is one method suggested as a way to enhance patient care and satisfaction with the assessment process while providing a link between clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions. In current practice, providing feedback to patients about the results of neuropsychological assessments has been considered an optional procedure by clinicians and thus received little attention in the literature. Yet there is evidence that when feedback is provided to patients the effects are overwhelmingly positive. Feedback provides a bridge between assessment and treatment by facilitating the development of applicable treatment plans. There is no agreed upon conceptual framework for providing feedback from neuropsychological assessment, although researchers have made recommendations. However, these recommendations have done little to affect clinical practice and training despite the fact that including patient-oriented feedback enhances the likelihood that neuropsychological assessment will remain a relevant and important component of patient care. The purpose of this proposed book is to first describe developments in methods of neuropsychological assessment feedback that involve active collaboration with patients in an open exchange of information and results. Second, we will present a comprehensive model for conducting neuropsychological assessment feedback. The authors of this book are expert clinical practitioners and academic researchers who are at the forefront of the development and implementation of Collaborative Therapeutic Neuropsychological Assessment methods. Table of contents follows.

A guide to conducting Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment to promote client growth Mental health professionals are increasingly enthusiastic about and ready to use psychological test data, research, and theory in life-relevant ways to improve diagnosis, client care, and treatment outcomes. With Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment (C/TA), clients participate actively with the assessor in exploring how their test scores and patterns reflect who they are in their daily lives and how they can learn to help themselves cope with life's challenges. Using a case study approach to demonstrate how to apply C/TA in practice, Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment provides practitioners with a variety of flexible and adaptable case examples featuring adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families from different backgrounds in need of treatment for assorted concerns. Designed for both experienced and novice clinicians, the book begins with a brief history of C/TA, and provides clear definitions of the distinctions among many common approaches. It uniquely presents: Eighteen diverse C/TA assessments covering: depression, multiple suicide attempts, severe abuse, dissociation, an adolescent psychiatric ward, custody evaluation, a couple in crisis, and collaborative neuropsychology Guidance on how both client and clinician can agree on the best course of action through joint exploration of assessment procedures, results, and implications Closely related approaches to psychological testing, including Individualized Assessment, Collaborative Assessment, Therapeutic Model of Assessment, Collaborative/Therapeutic Neuropsychological Assessment, and Rorschach-based psychotherapy Clearly labeled Teaching Points in each chapter Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment provides psychologists in all areas of assessment, and at all levels of experience, with powerful C/TA examples that can dramatically illuminate and improve clients' lives.

In Our Clients’ Shoes conveniently assembles a number of important papers on the Therapeutic Assessment approach in one resource, explicating its history, theory, techniques, as well as its impact on clients and assessors. Author Stephen E. Finn incorporates pieces presented at various conferences over the past 13 years, in addition to previously unpublished work, with the intent to allow psychologists greater insight into their clients’ perspectives. Arranged in three sections, the first set of papers describes the history and development of Therapeutic Assessment, including personal experiences of the author, which ultimately led him to focus on psychological assessment as a potential therapeutic intervention. The second section follows with a variety of essays to illustrate particular techniques of collaborative and Therapeutic Assessment. In this section, readers gain an understanding of how to integrate test findings, engage clients in discussing their experiences of a test, conduct assessment intervention sessions, and teach Therapeutic Assessment to graduate students. Finn concludes by drawing a link between Therapeutic Assessment and two major schools of psychotherapy: intersubjectivity theory and control-mastery theory. He also discusses how assessors grow and change as a result of practicing psychological assessment, and addresses practical matters such as when to apply the approach, how to bill for Therapeutic Assessment sessions, how to market Therapeutic Assessment, and where to find professional support for this kind of work. In Our Clients’ Shoes is appropriate for all clinicians who wish to further impact the lives of their clients and enhance their own wisdom, compassion, and personal and professional development.

The Oxford Handbook of Treatment Processes and Outcomes in Psychology presents a multidisciplinary approach to a biopsychosocial, translational model of psychological treatment across the lifespan. It describes cutting-edge research across developmental, clinical, counseling, and school psychology; social work; neuroscience; and psychopharmacology. The Handbook emphasizes the development of individual differences in resilience and mental health concerns including social, environmental, and epigenetic influences across the lifespan, particularly during childhood. Authors offer detailed discussions that expand on areas of research and practice that already have a substantive research base such as self-regulation, resilience, defining evidence-based treatment, and describing client-related variables that influence treatment processes. Chapters in newer areas of research are also included (e.g., neuroimaging, medications as adjuncts to psychological treatment, and the placebo effect). Additionally, authors address treatment outcomes such as evaluating therapist effectiveness, assessing outcomes from different perspectives, and determining the length of treatment necessary to attain clinical improvement. The Handbook provides an entrée to the research as well as hands-on guidance and suggestions for practice and oversight, making it a valuable resource for graduate students, practitioners, researchers, and agencies alike.

Containing 50 chapters by some of the most prominent clinical neuropsychologists, the Textbook of Clinical Neuropsychology sets a new standard in the field in its scope, breadth, and scholarship. Unlike most other books in neuropsychology, the Textbook is organized primarily around syndromes, disorders, and related clinical phenomena. Written for the clinician at all levels of training, from the beginner to the journeyman, the Textbook presents contemporary clinical neuropsychology in a comprehensive volume. Chapters are rich with reviews of the literature and clinical case material spanning a range from pediatric to adult and geriatric disorders. Chapter authors are among the most respected in their field, leaders of American Neuropsychology, known for their scholarship and professional leadership. Rarely have so many distinguished members of one discipline been in one volume. This is essential reading for students of neuropsychology, and all others preparing for careers in the field.

This major clinical reference and text is the first volume to systematically address the entire process of neuropsychological assessment and intervention with older adults. The expert editors and contributors detail the current state of knowledge about frequently encountered conditions ranging from mild cognitive impairment to progressive, stable, and reversible dementias. Evidence-based assessment and intervention strategies are described, and specific guidance is provided for linking neuropsychological evaluation to individualized treatment planning. Demonstrating an array of cognitive training, compensatory, and psychotherapeutic approaches, the volume shows how these can successfully be used to improve patients' functioning and quality of life.

Cultural Diversity in Neuropsychological Assessment provides a platform for clinical neuropsychologists, psychologists, and trainees to bridge cultures and speak to each other about the ethnically diverse communities they serve throughout the world. It allows readers to peek into their clinical filing cabinets and examine how they worked with diverse individuals from indigenous and migrant communities of Arab, Asian, European, Israeli, Latin American and Caribbean, Persian, Russian, Sub-Saharan African, and North American origin. The book first reviews important foundations for working with diverse communities that include key knowledge, awareness, skills, and action orientation. It then provides a collection of cases for each cultural geographic region. Each section begins with an introductory chapter to provide a bird’s eye view of the historical and current state of clinical and research practice of neuropsychology in that region. Then, each chapter focuses on a specific community by providing surface and deep-level cultural background knowledge from the authors’ unique perspectives. A case study is then covered in depth to practically showcase an evaluation with someone from that community. This is followed by a summary of key strategic points, lessons learned, references, further readings, and a glossary of culture specific terminology used throughout the chapter. In the end, the appendix provides a list of culturally relevant tests and norms for some communities. This ground-breaking peer-reviewed handbook provides an invaluable clinical resource for neuropsychologists, psychologists, and trainees. It increases self-reflection about multicultural awareness and knowledge, highlights practical ways to increase cultural understanding in neuropsychological and psychological assessments, and sparks further discussion for professional and personal growth in this area.

This book is the first on the craft of effective writing structured expressly for the psychologist-assessor. Author J. B. Allyn, a professional writer who specializes in psychology, combines reference book with tutorial. She blends information on the qualities that create a writer’s unique presence on the page with illustrations of correct English grammar. All of the questions, answers, and illustrations evolved from the concerns of psychologist-assessors, as did the examples, which are grounded in their writing and communication needs. The result creates a guide for report writing that can be used by either practicing professionals or graduate psychology students. The book divides into three sections: The first and third sections discuss various aspects of effective communication, while the second is a handbook of common grammar problems. Helpful elements guide the reader through the text, including frequent bullet lists, tables and graphs, and grammar and style examples that are framed around assessment reports. It is also written in a conversational tone, which creates the same style it proposes for effectively written reports, and is a key tool for clear and appropriate communication. Readers will refer back to this book, both for quick tips on style and grammar, which are appropriate for any mental health practitioner, and for more detailed advice on writing and communication in assessment reports.

For an endeavour that is largely based on conversation it may seem obvious to suggest that psychotherapy is discursive. After all, therapists and clients primarily use talk, or forms of discourse, to accomplish therapeutic aims. However, talk or discourse has usually been seen as secondary to the actual business of therapy - a necessary conduit for exhanging information between therapist and client, but seldom more. Psychotherapy primarily developed by mapping particular experiential domains in ways responsive to human intervention. Only recently though has the role that discourse plays been recognized as a focus in itself for analysis and intervention. Discursive Perspectives in Therapeutic Practice presents an overview of discursive perspectives in therapy, along with an account of their conceptual underpinnings. The book starts by setting out the case for a discursive and relational approach to therapy by justaposing it to the tradition that that leads to the diagnostic approach of the DSM-V and medical psychiatry. It then presents a thorough review of a range of innovative discursive methods, each presented by an authority in their respective area. The book shows how discursive therapies can help people construct a better sense of their world, and move beyond the constraints caused by the cultural preconceptions, opinions, and values the client has about the world. The book makes a unique contribution to the philosophy and psychiatry literature in examining both the philosophical bases of discursive therapy, whilst also showing how discursive perspectives can be applied in real therapeutic situations. The book will be of great value and interest to psychotherapists and psychiatrists wishing to understand, explore, and apply these innovative techniques.

No other book reviews clinical neuropsychological assessment from an empirical psychometric perspective. In this completely revised and updated 2nd edition, the concepts and methods of psychometric neuropsychology are presented as a framework by which to evaluate current instruments. Newer methodologies and statistical techniques are discussed, such as meta analysis, effect size, confirming factor analysis and ecological validity. The explosion of research in this area since the publication of the first edition in 1989, has been incorporated, including a greatly expanded chapter on child assessment instruments. This volume is a must for the bookshelf of every clinical neuropsychologist as well as researchers and students. Anyone conducting forensic evaluations will especially find useful the information on reliability and validity when preparing for court appearances.