Investigates questionable, ineffective, and harmful mental health treatments for children and adolescents.

This is the first major text designed to help professionals and students evaluate the merits of popular yet controversial practices in clinical psychology, differentiating those that can stand up to the rigors of science from those that cannot. Leading researchers review widely used therapies for alcoholism, infantile autism, ADHD, and posttraumatic stress disorder; herbal remedies for depression and anxiety; suggestive techniques for memory recovery; and self-help models. Other topics covered include issues surrounding psychological expert testimony, the uses of projective assessment techniques, and unanswered questions about dissociative identity disorder. Providing knowledge to guide truly accountable mental health practice, the volume also imparts critical skills for designing and evaluating psychological research programs. It is ideal for use in advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in clinical psychology, psychotherapy, and evidence-based practice.

This text covers the evidence-based approaches for the most critical mental health issues facing youth, from infancy through adolescence.

Robert Weis' third edition of Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology adopts a developmental psychopathology approach to understanding child disorders. Using case studies, this perspective examines the emergence of disorders over time, pays special attention to risk and protective factors that influence developmental processes and trajectories, and examines child psychopathology in the context of normal development. Designed to be flexible via its focused modular organization, the text reflects the latest changes to the DSM (DSM 5, 2013) and is updated with new research and developments in the field.

This field guide covers mental health myths, diagnostic controversies, questionable assessment practices, and dubious treatments.

"Science is a way of thinking about and investigating the accuracy of assumptions about the world. It is a process for solving problems in which we learn from our mistakes. Social work has a long history of social reform and helping efforts. Let us continue this by paying attention to the important message of this book. --Eileen Gambrill, PhD, School of Social Welfare University of California at Berkeley (From the Foreword) Although many psychosocial interventions used in social work practice have strong research evidence supporting their efficacy, a surprising number do not, potentially resulting in harmful outcomes. In this book, the authors cast a critical eye on the reality of commonly used scientific and pseudoscientific practices in social work today. Stressing the need for separating research-based practices from those not supported by adequate levels of evidence, they examine the scientific and pseudoscientific bases for popular social work interventions used in a variety of treatment settings. The text examines the misuse of legitimate research and describes how social work education training can and should discourage pseudoscience. The concluding chapter describes pathways through which social work practice can become more firmly grounded in contemporary scientific research. This engaging book is intended for courses in critical thinking and evidence-based practice and is a valuable resource for all social work students and practitioners. Key Features: Promotes critical thinking regarding the evidence-based research--or lack thereof--behind a variety of social work interventions Written by renowned social work educators Addresses the history and characteristics of pseudoscience Examines pseudoscience practices in assessment and work with children, adolescents, adults, and individuals with developmental difficulties

A Comprehensive, Systematic Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness for Major Psychological Disorders With over 500 types of psychotherapy being practiced in the field today, navigating the maze of possible treatments can be daunting for clinicians and researchers, as well as for consumers who seek help in obtaining psychological services. Evidence-Based Psychotherapy: The State of Science and Practice offers a roadmap to identifying the most appropriate and efficacious interventions, and provides the most comprehensive review to date of treatments for psychological disorders most often encountered in clinical practice. Each chapter applies a rigorous assessment framework to evaluate psychotherapeutic interventions for a specific disorder. The authors include the reader in the evaluation scheme by describing both effective and potentially non-effective treatments. Assessments are based upon the extant research evidence regarding both clinical efficacy and support of underyling theory. Ultimately, the book seeks to inform treatment planning and enhance therapeutic outcomes. Evidence-Based Psychotherapy: The State of Science and Practice: Presents the available scientific research for evidence-based psychotherapies commonly practiced today Systematically evaluates theory and intervention efficacy based on the David and Montgomery nine-category evaluative framework Covers essential modes of treatment for major disorders, including bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, alcohol use disorder, major depressive disorder, phobias, and more Includes insightful discussion of clinical practice written by leading experts Clarifies “evidence-based practice” versus “evidence-based science” and offers historical context for the development of the treatments under discussion Evidence-Based Psychotherapy: The State of Science and Practice is designed to inform treatment choices as well as strengthen critical evaluation. In doing so, it provides an invaluable resource for both researchers and clinicians.

Investigating Clinical Psychology takes a deep dive into the field of clinical psychology through the lens of pseudoscience and fringe science. An expert panel of authors honors the role of science in the field while also exploring and guarding against the harms that pseudoscience can cause. Clinicians have an ethical duty to provide the best available, evidence-based care. Engaging, accessible, and open-minded in approach, this book outlines the distinction between science and pseudoscience in order to prevent the false, and often quite harmful, effects that pseudoscientific practices can have on patients in need of mental health services. The book covers a variety of topics, including harmful therapies, purple hat therapies, animal-assisted therapies, hypnosis, and energy medicine. Featuring world-renowned voices from health care specialists to skeptics on the outside of the field gazing in, it equips readers with the skills needed to differentiate between pseudoscientific and evidence-based approaches in both study and practice. Aligning with many major undergraduate textbooks for easy course integration, Investigating Clinical Psychology is valuable supplemental reading in undergraduate and graduate courses in clinical psychology. It is also a beneficial reference for clinicians in practice, as well as anyone interested in pseudoscience within the mental health sector.

This book offers a therapeutic approach to a problem that many families and mental health institutions face: a growing number of adult children who struggle to progress to a psychological, social adulthood. The family patterns that revolve around adult children can remain inert for decades, are often resistant to conventional therapy, and can cause chronic suffering to adult children, parents, and extended families. The authors present a guide that addresses parents of adult children as suffering people in their own right and as essential to assisting their child into entering functional adulthood. The authors, one of whom is the originator of the Non-Violent Resistance Therapy approach (NVR), provide an intervention manual that implements NVR principles for helping families of adult children. The book is based on the authors' ten-year journey of helping such families in cases where traditional interventions and therapeutic values seem not to work.

This book addresses the concept of parental alienation – the belief that when a child of divorced parents avoids one parent, it may be because the preferred parent has persuaded the child to do this. It argues against the unquestioning use of parental alienation concepts in child custody conflicts. Increasing use of this concept in family courts has led at times to placement of children with abusive or violent parents, damage to the lives of preferred parents, and the use of treatments that have not been shown to be safe or effective. The 13 chapters cover the history and theory of "parental alienation" principles and practices. Methodological and research issues are considered, and diagnostic and treatment methods associated with "parental alienation" beliefs as well as those recommended by research and ethical evidence are analyzed. The connections of "parental alienation" with gender and domestic violence issues are discussed as are the experiences of individuals who have experienced "parental alienation" treatments. The book argues that "parental alienation" principles and practices should be avoided by family courts, in the best interests of children in custody disputes. This book will be useful reading for lawyers, judges, children’s services workers including social workers, child protection court workers, and mental health professionals involved in child custody decisions.