1st Edition

Core Competencies in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Becoming a Highly Effective and Competent Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist

By Cory F. Newman Copyright 2013
    296 Pages
    by Routledge

    296 Pages
    by Routledge

    This volume is a concise, convenient, and clearly written book for those who wish to study, master, and teach the core competencies of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Relevant for novice therapists as well as experienced clinicians and supervisors, this text also goes “between the lines” of evidence-based practices to highlight those methods which maximize the motivational and inspirational power of this therapy. Dr. Newman focuses on ways in which therapists can make treatment memorable for clients, thus enhancing maintenance and self-efficacy. He also highlights the value system that is inherent in best practices of cognitive-behavioral therapies, such as clinicians’ commitment to earn the trust and collaboration of clients, to be humble students of the field for their entire careers, and to seek to combine the best of empirical thinking with warmth and creativity.

    Notably, this handbook also emphasizes the importance of therapists applying cognitive-behavioral principles to themselves in the form of self-reflective skills, good problem-solving, being role models of self-care, and being able to use techniques thoughtfully in the service of repairing strains in the therapeutic relationship. Newman’s book provides many enlightening clinical examples, including those practices that otherwise eager therapists should not do (such as “micro-managing” the client’s thoughts), as well as a plethora of transcript material that describes best supervisory practices. It does all this with a tone that is engaging, respectful of the reader, caring towards the clients, and optimistic about the positive impact cognitive-behavioral therapies—when learned and used well—can have on the lives of so many, clients and clinicians alike.

    Chapter 1: Introducing the Clinical Competencies of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
    Begins with key definitions of competency-related terms and describes the three components of competency: knowledge, skill, and attitude. It also briefly describes the six core competencies and the related twenty essential clinical competencies.
    Chapter 2: Understanding the Conceptual Basis of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
    Describes the early development of CBT and provides insight into the fundamental ways that cognitive-behavioral therapists relate to their clients, conceptualize their clients’ problems, and devise interventions that have a high-benefit to low-risk ratio.
    Chapter 3: Forming an Effective Therapeutic Alliance
    Sheds light on the most fruitful ways to create a sense of bonding and teamwork with clients from their very first session, and to optimize the likelihood that they will leave the session feeling understood and hopeful about proceeding with treatment.
    Chapter 4: Maintaining an Effective Therapeutic Alliance
    Teaches readers how to notice when their clients are disconcerted with treatment, and/or upset with the therapist. It also demonstrates how good therapists embrace the opportunities to repair the therapeutic relationship by sharing ownership of the problem.
    Chapter 5: Performing an Integrative Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Assessment
    Describes diagnostic and open-ended interviewing, as well as the use of appropriate self-report measures and questionnaires that will result in having a good initial understanding of the client and his or her problems.
    Chapter 6: Developing a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Case Conceptualization and Intervention Plan
    This chapter explores how to develop a case conceptualization of the client’s functioning. It also asks the fundamental question, what are the client’s beliefs, and how do these beliefs impact on his or her general mental health and psychological quality of life?
    Chapter 7: Implementing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Strategies and Interventions
    This chapter focuses on the following techniques: self-monitoring, rational responding, activity scheduling and planning, exposure, arousal-reduction, problem-solving, role-playing, and behavioral experiments.
    Chapter 8: Monitoring and Evaluating Clinical Outcomes
    Focuses on ways in which competent cognitive-behavioral therapists keep tabs on their clients’ progress in treatment.
    Chapter 9: Maintaining Treatment Gains and Planning for Termination
    This chapter addresses how to find that “happy medium” between a premature termination and a prolonged therapy in which the clients come to the sessions out of a sense of dependence on the therapist more than anything else. It also handles issues of sub-optimal termination and negotiation.
    Chapter 10: Practicing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Cultural and Ethical Sensitivity
    Most modern societies are multi-cultural, requiring the therapist to understand how to adapt treatment methods and goals to fit the sensibilities of clients from differing heritages. This chapter will provide examples of the sort of study and practice therapists need to engage in to be suitably understanding and flexible in their delivery of CBT across the ethnic spectrum.
    Chapter 11: Becoming a Highly Effective and Competent Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist
    This concluding chapter focuses on the development of competency and expertise in cognitive-behavioral practitioners, from early practicum experiences through continuing education and to experiences across their careers.

    Biography

    Cory F. Newman, PhD, ABPP, is Director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy, and Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Newman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology, with a specialty in Behavioral Psychology, and a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He previously co-authored four books, and is the author of numerous articles and chapters related to the therapeutic relationship, clinical supervision, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for a wide range of disorders. Dr. Newman is an international lecturer on cognitive-behavioral therapy, and has served as a protocol therapist and supervisor on many large-scale clinical trials testing the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment protocols.

    “This book is a wonderful summary of all the experience [Cory Newman] accrued after so many hours devoted to treating clients, teaching CBT and supervising novice and seasoned therapists, in diverse cultural settings…. This volume will prove a valuable tool not only for trainers and trainees in CBT, but also for training programs in other forms of psychotherapy.” - Eduardo Keegan, From the Foreword

    Core Competencies in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, by leading cognitive therapist Cory F. Newman, is the perfect text for learning the basic principles, rationale, and techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Dr. Newman's years of expertise and clinical wisdom are reflected in every chapter, providing the reader with a guide and a model of how to do effective cognitive-behavioral therapy. Numerous examples of patient-therapist dialogues give a refreshing real-world flavor and will help clinicians see exactly what excellent cognitive-behavioral therapy sounds like. In addition, Newman shows sensitivity to the therapeutic relationship, impasses in therapy, and cultural issues. I highly recommend this superb book.” - Robert L. Leahy, PhD, Director, American Institute for Cognitive Therapy; Clinical Professor of Psychology, Weill-Cornell University Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital; Associate Editor, International Journal of Cognitive Therapy

    “Cory Newman, PhD, is a Master Therapist and supervisor whose experience, insights, and skill are evident on each page of Core Competencies in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. This book provides a valuable text not only for beginning students but also for advanced scholars within the field.” - Robin B. Jarrett, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Elizabeth H. Penn Professorship in Clinical Psychology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

    “This is an absolutely first class book that will be useful for both more experienced and less experienced clinicians. Dr. Newman is a very accomplished practitioner and scholar and merges extensive case examples with the best conceptualization and research the field has to offer. It occupies a unique niche in the treatment literature because it addresses core competencies, both in psychotherapy generally and in cognitive behavior therapy specifically, in a comprehensive fashion. I recommend it most highly.” - E. Thomas Dowd, PhD, ABPP, DSNAP, Professor Emeritus, Kent State University, Ohio; Professor, Postdoctoral International Institute for Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babes-Bolayi University, Cluj Napoca, Romania

    “Cory Newman is one of the finest and most competent cognitive therapists that I have ever had the privilege to observe. His treatise on the core competencies in cognitive-behavioral therapy is a marvelous guide to how to think about and how to implement the approach in the most incisive fashion possible. Anyone who wants to become a competent cognitive behavior therapist and anyone who wants to improve the quality of his or her work in that regard would be well-advised to work their way through this marvelous and helpful compendium.” - Steven D. Hollon, PhD, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee

    Core Competencies in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy vividly brings to life all that excellent CBT can be: science and art, systematic and reflective, authoritative and collaborative, serious and playful. Cory Newman embodies all that he teaches, he is a master CBT therapist and educator, and as a reader I feel privileged to be learning from him.” - Willem Kuyken, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Exeter, United Kingdom

    "I found this book to be serving its intent. It is an excellent guide to the competencies involved in mastering CBT. I also found it useful as a self-assessment tool. Therapists and educators alike appreciate the usefulness of these types of books in guiding practice and facilitating courses. By taking the competencies-based approach, Newman’s book distinguishes itself and makes a highly valuable contribution to the field." - Timothy J. Bruce, PsycCRITIQUES