Self-Help Through Practical Psychotherapy

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Depression;  Anxiety / Stress
Article Date: 28 Jan 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Elizabeth Wilde McCormick's best-selling guide to Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is now published in a third edition , with even more valuable advice on self-help through practical psychotherapy.

Building on the success and popularity of the first two editions, Change for the better (published by SAGE) illustrates in ordinary language how learned patterns of responses to relating and thinking contribute to psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, phobia and relationship difficulty.

The book presents an easy-to-follow programme, showing readers how to identify their own different inner dialogues, and the traps, dilemmas, snags and unstable states of mind that lead to things going wrong. Incorporating the latest theories and developments in CAT practice, there are new case studies, as well as additional content on unmanageable feelings, eating disorders and stress. Wilde McCormick also addresses mindfulness-based psychotherapy, with exercises woven throughout the text to encourage self-reflection, helping the reader to achieve lasting change.

"The strength of CAT is its integration of already well researched psychological theories and its creative and collaborative approach," commented Wilde McCormick. She continued,

"CAT, through its use of shared written material, tailors the therapy to what the patient can use and this means that CAT can be offered in many different clinical settings. And with CAT specialists now working in several different countries, awareness and uptake of this fantastic approach is continuing to grow."

Wilde McCormick's approach is friendly and compassionate, making it an ideal introduction for therapists and clients, as well as students studying CAT and other psychotherapies. It is also recognised as a leading self-help text, guiding readers towards monitoring their own problems, and working through solutions that suit their individual needs. This edition looks to develop this personal approach even further, with Liz as therapist inviting the reader to imagine sitting with her whilst they explore their problems, in order to internalise an attentive listening relationship with themselves.

"The value of all good therapies lies in a successful therapeutic relationship. This non-judgemental listening space can offer reparation and change as well as a creative dialogue. In the book the reader can gradually learn to engage with a reciprocal role of listening in relation to being listened to, which is important for making conscious change," added Wilde McCormick.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Change for the Better: Self-Help through Practical Psychotherapy, Third Edition is published by SAGE, available in paperback and hardback.

The book was launched 25th January at the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT) annual conference.

Elizabeth Wilde McCormick has been in practice as a psychotherapist for over twenty five years. She is also a teacher, trainer and writer. She is a founder member of The Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy at Guy's Hospital, London, and the author of a number of best-selling self-help books.

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. http://www.sagepub.co.uk/

Source: Mithu Mukherjee
SAGE Publications UK