Cancer Intervention

Gynecological cancer has both a physical and psychological impact on the woman with the illness. In this paper the authors compare two seven session group therapy approaches (coping-communication enhancement and supportive counseling) in reducing emotional distress Both treatment approaches were effective in reducing symptoms of depression. The authors describe a manual-based intervention for the coping-communication enhancement intervention based on cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy principles that included structured in-session exercises and handouts. Clinicians may consider offering similar groups either through their own practice or approaching either a Gynecologist or Oncologist to see if they would like to offer psychological services for their patients.

Manne, S., Rubin, S., Edelson, M., et al (2007). Cognitive and communication-enhancing intervention versus supportive counseling for women diagnosed with gynecological cancers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 615-628. Reprint requests to Sharon Manne at sharron.manne@fccc.edu

Treating Pathological Gambling

Gambling is a problem behavior or addictive behavior which has serious psychosocial consequences for the gambler and their significant others. This is an area in which few psychologists are skilled but for which there is a great need for intervention. In this paper Lipinski, Whelan and Meyers (2007) present a case study utilizing a Cognitive Behavioral Self-Guided Change approach in the treatment of a 36 year old male pathological gambler. The authors present: (a) a conceptualization of the case; (b) assessment techniques utilized, (c) a description of the five-session intervention, (d) complications that emerged in the case, and (e) outcome and 6-month follow-up data. In addition in the reduction of his problem gambling behavior this client also experienced an increase in his overall level of self-confidence. The authors are affiliated with a gambling treatment research center at the University of Memphis (gambling.memphis.edu/).

Lipinski, D., Whelan, J. & Meyers, A. (2007). Treatment of pathological gambling using a guided self-change approach. Clinical Case Studies, 6, 1-18. Reprints requests to James Whelan at jwhelan@memphis.edu

Working with Caregivers

It is easy to understand how individuals with significant health problems would benefit from mental health interventions to help them cope with their physical challenges. However, often overlooked in the medical model is the emotional impact that a serious medical illness may have on the family members taking care of the patient with the illness. Dreer et al (2007) were able to identify that nearly one in six of those caring for a patient with a spinal cord injury were at risk for developing a Major Depression themselves. In this paper the authors were able to identify problem solving styles that were predictive of a dysfunctional adjustment in caregivers. Caregivers may represent an under tapped market for psychologists to provide intervention. Clinicians may consider approaching rehabilitation medicine physicians and neurologists who work with spinal cord injuries to provide interventions to caregivers both in terms of screening for depression and psychotherapeutic intervention.

Dreer, L., Elliott, T., Shewchuk, R. et al (2007). Family caregivers of persons with spinal cord injury: Predicting caregivers at risk for probable depression. Rehabilitation Psychology, 52, 351-357. Reprint requests to Timothy Elliott at timothyelliott@tamu.edu.

HIPAA

Psychologists are required to provide patients with “Notices of Privacy Practices” to each of their clients. In addition, there is a federal mandate that these forms be written in “Plain English.” Research has found previous forms utilized by psychologists to be written at college level and beyond. The present found the readability level of the Notices of Privacy Practices utilized by psychologists in private practice to primarily be written at the college level and to fall in the difficult range of reading level. The authors present examples of how these forms can be written at a 6th-7th grade level of reading without compromising content. Psychologists are encouraged to rewrite their forms utilizing these guidelines in order to conform to both Federal and ethical guidelines.

Walfish, S. & Ducey, B. (2007) Readability level of HIPAA Notices of Privacy Practices used by psychologists in clinical practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38, 203-207. Reprint requests to Steve Walfish at psychpubs@aol.com

Assessment of Anger

Clinicians designing interventions to reduce a client’s anger benefit from understanding the etiology and expression of that anger. With this knowledge specific anger reduction interventions can be tailored to the individual client. Martin and Dahlen (2007) developed a Likert-type scale consisting of five subscales tapping six dimensions of anger: misattributing causation, overgeneralizing, inflammatory labeling, demandingness, and catastrophic evaluating. The authors suggest this scale is ideally suited for use by clinicians conducting anger reduction treatment from a cognitive therapy approach. Such a scale may also be helpful to psychologists completing court-ordered evaluations related to the inappropriate expression of anger.

Martin, R. & Dahlen, E. (2007). The angry cognitions scale: a new inventory for assessing cognitions in anger. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 25, 155-173. Reprint requests to Ryan Martin at martinr@uwgb.edu

Grandparents and Divorce

The primary focus of research on the effects of divorce has been on the nuclear family. That is, psychologists have studied how parents and children cope with this stressful life event and have designed interventions to mitigate potential negative effects. One overlooked group has been the grandparents. Drew and Silverstein (2007) specifically studied a group of grandparents who had lost contact with their grandchildren. They found an increased level of depressive symptoms in this sample when compared with grandparents who had not lost such contact. The authors suggest that grief therapy may be an effective intervention to help reduce the depression associated with this emotional loss.

Drew, L. & Silverstein, M. (2007). Grandparents’ psychological well-being after loss of contact with their grandchildren. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 372-379. Reprint requests to Linda Drew drew@usc.edu

Grief and Countertransferece

Psychoanalytic concepts are often difficult to examine in research studies. Researchers Jeffrey Hayes and Charles Gelso have been exceptions in their many studies of transference and countertransference. Hayes, Yeh and Eisenberg (2007) examined the impact of unresolved grief on the part of the psychotherapist on the therapeutic alliance in grief therapy. The authors found clients to perceive a lower level of empathy when clinicians had a higher level of grief related to missing a loved one that had passed away. The authors highlight the need for the psychotherapist to work through their own issues when their own concerns mirror those of the client presenting for treatment.

Hayes, J., Yeh, Y. & Eisenberg. A. (2007). Good grief and not-so-good grief: Countertransference in bereavement therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63, 345-355. Reprint requests to Jeffrey Hayes at jxh34@psu.edu

Technological Advances

Treatment aided by Virtual Reality techniques have gained in popularity. Rothbaum et al. (2006) compared the use of virtual reality vs. standard exposure therapy vs. a waiting-list control in the treatment of fear of flying. Results over four sessions of treatment found the Virtual Reality treatment to be the superior approach and these findings were maintained at both six and twelve months follow-up. Almost three-fourths of participants continued to fly following the intervention.

Rothbaum, B., Anderson, P., Zimand, E., Hodges, L., Lang, D. & Wilson, J. (2006). Virtual reality exposure therapy and standard (in vivo) exposure therapy in the treatment of fear of flying. Behavior Therapy, 37, 80-90. Reprint requests to Barbara Olasov Rothbaum at brothba@emory.edu.

Kids and Shots

For psychologists interested in pediatric psychology one new area of clinical research has focused on reduction of pain for children undergoing medical procedures. One common procedure in a pediatric practice is the administration of immunization injections. Schecter at al. (2007) describe mental health interventions, primarily based on humor and distraction, which reduce the amount of anxiety and pain that children experience when undergoing such injections. Recommendations are offered based on the child’s age including how involved or not involved the parent should be in the procedures.

Schechter, N. L., Zempsky, W. T., Cohen, L. L., McGrath, P. J., McMurtry, M., & Bright, N. S. (2007). Pain reduction during pediatric immunizations: Evidence-based review and recommendations. Pediatrics, 19, e1184-1198. Reprint requests to Lindsey Cohen at psyllc@gsu.edu

An Unusual Case

As experienced psychologists we have been exposed to a wide variety of human problems and difficult situations. No matter how hours we have logged seeing clients there always comes the case where we say, “Just when I thought I had seen it all...” Berle (2007) presents a case study of a man with a cockroach phobia. Depending upon where you live cockroaches may be a nonexistent or ever-present part of the landscape. Berle describes his case conceptualization, the relevant history of the client, the assessment measures utilized, and a seven-session intervention based on exposure therapy principles. At the end of treatment the client was able to hold a cockroach in their hand. So the next time a client presents in your office with a bug phobia this article may serve as a helpful resource in assessment and treatment of the problem.

Berle, D.. (2007). Graded exposure therapy for long-standing disgust-related cockroach avoidance in an older man. ). Clinical Case Studies, 6, 339-347. Reprint requests to David Berle at dberle@bigpond.net.au