Dec 2, 2014 | Book Reviews
In Loving Someone with Anxiety: Understanding & Helping Your Partner, counselor Kate N. Thieda provides a wealth of accessible insights and practical strategies intended for the audience of a layperson with an anxious partner. However, a reader with an anxious friend, family member or roommate also can benefit from the book’s material. And while Thieda offers information about various anxiety disorders, she emphasizes that one’s anxiety need not qualify as a diagnosable disorder for it to cause distress and strain a relationship.
The book contains topics including the difference between “everyday” anxiety and anxiety disorders, characteristics of specific anxiety disorders and the risk of comorbid conditions, the ways anxiety affects romantic relationships, practical techniques for communication and relaxation, suggestions for responding to specific types of anxiety, ideas for positive lifestyle changes to reduce anxiety, and self-care strategies for caregivers. Throughout the chapters, Thieda offers frequent vignettes of partners facing challenges and implementing solutions. As accessible as her writing already is, these examples further illuminate the points she makes.
Thieda carries out a number of important tasks in this book. Although she suggests that the reader encourage his or her partner to seek professional help if needed, she also offers clear directions and examples for therapeutic strategies at home, such as helping one’s partner create an anxiety hierarchy and move through it. In doing so, she encourages the reader to hope and empowers him or her to better support a partner. Thieda also explains why accommodating one’s partner’s anxieties (e.g., by carrying out a partner’s OCD rituals, making excuses for him or her, offering constant reassurance) is ultimately more destructive than helpful because it communicates that the anxiety is more powerful than the person who experiences it. In addition to providing information about how to help one’s partner, Thieda prioritizes the mental and emotional state of her reader. She normalizes anxious feelings and discusses the high prevalence of anxiety in our culture; she also validates the unpleasant emotions that often accompany caregiving, such as frustration and guilt. Thieda processes the question of whether and how to tell others about one’s partner’s anxiety, emphasizing a balance of respect for one’s partner with the importance of one’s own self-care and support from others.
Although the book is not specifically meant for mental health professionals, it contains a great deal of information that a counselor can use to communicate more effectively with clients. A counselor might recommend that clients read this book and bring questions back to counseling, or implement some of the strategies Thieda offers, which include empathic listening, mindfulness techniques, body scans and abdominal breathing.
A possible limitation of Loving Someone with Anxiety is that it uses DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders rather than the new criteria of the DSM-5. For example, one important distinction between editions of the manual is that whereas the DSM-IV-TR characterizes PTSD as an anxiety disorder, the DSM-5 identifies it as a trauma- and stressor-related disorder, a change probably at least partly intended to alleviate the stigma of the term anxiety disorder. A reader of Thieda’s book might miss out on this and similar changes in the diagnostic nomenclature. However, because this book is intended for laypeople and Thieda specifically cautions against a reader using the information she provides to diagnose his or her partner, the use of DSM-IV-TR criteria should not have an impact on the reader.
Loving Someone with Anxiety is a valuable resource for those hoping to support an anxious partner, to gain freedom from anxiety’s restrictions and to engage in healthy self-care, as well as for counselors working with such supportive partners.
Reviewed by: Carie McElveen, the National Board for Certified Counselors, Greensboro, NC.
Thieda, K. N. (2013). Loving someone with anxiety: Understanding & helping your partner. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Dec 2, 2014 | Book Reviews
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has received significant research attention over the past decade and also been used frequently to treat individuals presenting with a variety of clinical concerns ranging from chronic pain and diabetes management to severe depression and substance abuse. In The Big Book of ACT Metaphors: A Practitioner’s Guide to Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Jill A. Stoddard and Niloofar Afari provide a comprehensive A–Z resource guide for practitioners, trainees and others in the counseling profession to use when working with clients. Additionally, novel metaphors, new experiential exercises and detailed scripts were collected from the entire ACT community to make this a collaborative endeavor and to provide a “one-stop” shop for all.
The book includes nine chapters and 202 pages of material, as well as 10 appendices, additional resources and a complete list of references. The first two chapters provide a brief introduction to Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and specifically explain how ACT is rooted and theoretically grounded in this model. The reader learns about the six core therapeutic processes and the ACT hexaflex. The authors also adequately discuss the function of metaphors, how to create therapeutic metaphors and how to effectively deliver tailored metaphors in treatment. Chapters 3 through 8 provide a more in-depth description of each of the six core ACT processes. Chapter 3 covers acceptance and willingness while chapter 8 focuses on committed action. The other core processes include cognitive defusion, present-moment awareness, self-as-context and values. In each of these chapters, the authors summarize the core process and provide brilliant exercises, metaphors and scripts for the reader, specifically showing how this theory and approach can be translated into practice. The final chapter ties it all together by summarizing and reviewing material from the first eight chapters and also by using a sailing boat metaphor to demonstrate how multiple core processes can occur in counseling. The authors address general guidelines for tailoring metaphors and common stumbling blocks.
While numerous ACT textbooks and workbooks are available, this book is essential for any current or future ACT practitioner. In addition to including over 100 metaphors and exercises, Stoddard and Afari have beautifully organized the content in this book and matched each exercise or metaphor with its respective core process (e.g., values, committed action). The authors go above and beyond to cite the source from which the material was collected and even provide specific page numbers in order to assist the reader in obtaining previously published material. The inclusion of material that can be used for both group counseling and individual sessions represents a strength of the book. Each chapter is concise, easy to read and detailed enough for even the most novice counselor to replicate in session. In addition to the book’s numerous strengths, the authors may consider adding a chapter in future editions on the role of culture and incorporating additional multicultural metaphors and exercises to utilize in practice, ultimately fostering more cultural dialogue and a stronger therapeutic alliance with clients engaging in treatment.
In summary, this practical, useful and relevant book provides an excellent foundation and guide for new clinicians and also a one-stop shop for well-seasoned ACT counselors. Whether as a trainee, clinician, researcher, supervisor or professor, there is something in this book that you can benefit from and can add to your current toolbox.
Reviewed by: Mary-Catherine McClain, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Stoddard, J., & Afari, N. (2014). The big book of ACT metaphors: A practitioner’s guide to experiential exercises & metaphors in acceptance & commitment therapy. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
The Professional Counselor
http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org
Dec 2, 2014 | Book Reviews
When most experts in a field state that they “wrote the book” on a topic, it is merely a complimentary figure of speech; however, Dr. Virginia B. Allen has literally written the book on professional counselors working within the legal system. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience as a professional counselor working within the family court system, Dr. Allen has developed a comprehensive review of the field of forensic counseling titled Counseling in the Family Law System: A Professional Counselor’s Guide. At first glance, I thought this book would detail how counselors could collaborate with other professionals working within the legal system to advocate for clients, but that impression was only partially correct. I did not realize that professional counselors could play an integral role within the family court system as advocates for children and evaluators in custody suits, work as mediators between aggrieved parties, and operate as case managers within the judicial system.
In the first part of the guide, Dr. Allen explores the foundations of forensic counseling and the family law system, defining forensic counseling and providing a greater understanding of legal terminology and the various functions that professional counselors can perform in this venue. She works to dispel many myths associated with working in the family law courts, and also highlights the realities of these positions. As with any area of specialization in the counseling field, it is important to understand the scope of practice for such work, and Dr. Allen clearly outlines the types of training needed to prepare for this area of counseling. Likewise, she discusses ethical considerations for the positions of case managers, mediators and custody evaluators. Additionally, she explores the standards of practice outlined by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.
The second part of the book focuses on the basics of counseling practice within the field of family law. This section is extremely useful to beginning counselors in this field or to those who might be contemplating a transition to this area of practice, as it provides practical examples of interviewing basics and the forms of report writing required. Continuing to draw on her own expertise, Dr. Allen guides the reader through the process of working a case, as well as understanding and conducting special circumstances cases. She describes how to provide testimony, prepare for a case, professionally present oneself in court, and build professional relationships with lawyers and judges within the system.
The only limitation of this book, if it could be called that, is the fact that there is little published material to which one can compare it. Counseling in the Family Law System is the first book of its kind to guide professional counselors through the family court system and to provide an understanding of how to prepare for and practice within this specialized field. Overall, I came away with a new perspective on the possibilities for practice as a professional counselor. I admit that I was not aware of this specialty area and the degree to which counselors are already prepared to enter this field, possessing the ability to communicate effectively with others from varying age groups and culturally diverse populations, the skill to advocate on behalf of clients of all ages, and the experience to evaluate clients and to appropriately mediate disparate views or competing interests. Based upon her training and extensive experience in the profession, Dr. Allen opens the field of forensic counseling to new practitioners and to established professionals alike, and to the possibilities for expanded practice in the field of professional counseling.
Allen, V. B. (2014). Counseling in the family law system. New York, NY: Springer.
Reviewed by: Michael A. Keim, NCC, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA.
The Professional Counselor
http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org
Dec 2, 2014 | Book Reviews
Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision: A Competency-Based Approach, the potential for mixing two very complex domains into one complex book is certainly present.
Fortunately, there are portions of this book that break down both multiculturalism and supervision into realistic ideas that can be infused into anyone’s personal counseling or supervision style. Whereas some supervision texts are hyperfocused on steps and actions that must be taken to become a competent supervisor, Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision: A Competency-Based Approach takes a step back, instead invoking a more wide-angle view of the supervision process and how multiculturalism is central throughout it. This comprehensive approach is most readily apparent in Chapter 2, where the authors illustrate supervision and culture as interwoven circles in which the client’s, the counselor’s and the supervisor’s personal and cultural values collide within every interaction. Furthermore, the author breaks down each of these levels using vignettes and examples to show the reader how these different areas connect and collide with one another. While this information does not give a map or guideline of how to conduct supervision, it does invoke further contemplation about how one’s own personal tendencies and others’ backgrounds can affect the supervision process, a topic that is often skimmed over in traditional supervision literature.
While the focus of this book is unique and much needed in the supervision literature base, there are some limitations to how the authors structured the text, the most notable of which is that this book is clearly geared toward psychologists and not counselors. For a new or novice supervisor, this omission may prove problematic, as the basic building blocks of supervision for counselors are absent.
The second critique of this book is the creation of its chapters. Instead of following a traditional outline in which each chapter builds toward the next, further elaborating and clarifying ideas from the previous chapter, this text reads more as a series of disconnected articles that have been compiled into one volume. Therefore, each chapter is self-contained, with its own beginning, middle and end, as well as its own particular writing style. The lack of continuity makes this text a somewhat arduous read at times.
But overall, the macro-level focus of Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision: A Competency-Based Approach is a refreshing outlook on how the personal and cultural qualities of counselor and supervisor intertwine within the supervision process. On one hand, the manner in which this book is written may make it a difficult selection for counselors and counselors-in-training who do not yet have a solid foundation in counseling supervision. On the other hand, counselors and supervisors who are up to date on the current counseling supervision literature may find that the ideas within this book can spark self-reflection on how their own personal qualities and cultural orientation arise in the supervision process.
Reviewed by: Mark P. Eades, NCC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.
Falender, C. A., Shafranske, E. P., & Falicov, C. J. (Eds.). (2014). Multiculturalism and diversity in clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Dec 2, 2014 | Book Reviews
Philip Brownell starts Spiritual Competency in Psychotherapy with a quote from the Bible, which may put off some non-Christian counselors. However, he issues a disclaimer early in the text that although he brings in excerpts from other religious leanings, he generally discusses what he knows best—Christianity. The book, divided into three parts, has eighteen chapters that describe spirituality and religion according to both older and more recent religious beliefs.
The first part of the book includes the first through the fifth chapters. Brownell delves into spirituality through the lenses of three faiths—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He journeys with the reader through Eastern philosophies to the New Age movement. Brownell then discusses the similarities and differences between spirituality and religion, and makes it clear that though many apply the two terms interchangeably, clear differences exist. He touches on spirituality and religion from the psychological, philosophical, theoretical and coherentist points of view. He ends the first part of the book by discussing the process of personal spirituality and ethical issues for the various helping professions. Brownell uses the diagram of a strand of DNA to explain spirituality and religion as both a process and a relationship. Using personal anecdotes, he takes the reader through the process of spirituality and religion, and growth in spiritual maturity. Though Brownell does not advocate counselors necessarily sharing their clients’ spiritual and religious practices, he implores counselors to understand how these play a part in clients’ make-up.
In part two of the book, Brownell writes about how spirituality looks in therapy, providing a face for therapy in practice, especially from the Christian perspective. He admonishes counselors to “treat religious experiences as legitimate” (p. 50), but encourages them to question these experiences respectfully enough to know which aspect can be used to help clients. He avers that spirituality is more personal and individual, whereas religion is a communal experience. He provides examples from various religious beliefs to explain these differences to the counselor inclined towards spiritual competency. Much as researchers in multicultural competency in therapy advocate areas for counselor concentration, so Brownell urges counselors to be aware of their own assumptions, biases, behaviors and values, as they recognize how similar and/or different they may be from their clients.
Part three of the book deals with common spiritual issues encountered in therapy. Brownell approaches this part from an existential perspective and establishes that every counselor can grow in spiritual competency to help clients achieve the help they need. The section would have been complete with case studies of counselors applying spiritual competencies with clients from various religious orientations, but Brownell provides additional information. He urges counselors to work especially in the here-and-now with clients and reaffirms what most research on client outcomes indicates as helpful—making connections with clients. Brownell demonstrates how spiritual competency endows counselors with skills necessary to help clients take bold steps and explore uncertain areas in their lives. Finally, Brownell addresses a sensitive topic in religious circles—the abuse of clients by religious leaders. He emphasizes the burden upon counselors in upholding the trust of clients, and also encourages counselors to work with religious leaders to benefit clients. Brownell points out that counselors deal with clients as well as their faith community and what that faith teaches. Counselors are not to act as theologians or evangelists but are encouraged to discover how clients interpret their faith and how this interpretation manifests in therapy. He ends the book with a look at death—that of both clients and their loved ones—and counselors’ role in providing support for clients’ meaning making.
In summary, Brownell’s book advocates for the need to combine ethical codes in any helping professional field with good judgment and knowledge of various religious beliefs. Though many examples are Christian-based, the book is still relevant for both the beginner and expert counselor. It is fashioned in a way that allows the reader to move to any chapter that addresses his or her particular needs. Although Brownell discloses his Christian background early on, he does not approach the subject of spirituality with the emphasis one might have expected from a minister.
Reviewed by: Hannah E. Acquaye, doctoral student in counselor education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
Brownell, P. (2015). Spiritual competency in psychotherapy. New York, NY: Springer.
The Professional Counselor
http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org
Jul 11, 2014 | Book Reviews
Intentional Interviewing and Counseling: Facilitating Client Development in a Multicultural Society, now in its eighth edition, is a textbook designed to teach students the basic skills of counseling and psychotherapy. The authors have updated this most recent edition to include innovative material on empathy, self-actualization, intentionality, resilience, crisis-counseling, self-disclosure, neuroscience, stress management and therapeutic lifestyle changes. Ivey, Ivey and Zalaquett (2014) authored Intentional Interviewing and Counseling with the goal of preparing students “for culturally intentional and flexible counseling and psychotherapy” (p. xvi). They do this by presenting students with a microskills hierarchy that delineates the successive steps in interviewing and counseling. According to the authors, if a student counselor masters the microskills, he or she is able to “anticipate and predict how clients will respond to your [their] interventions” and “be able to shift to skills and strategies that match their needs” (p. 10). Thus, most chapters in Intentional Interviewing and Counseling emphasize the development and adaptation of specific counseling skills that have been shown to help clients develop.
The textbook contains 16 chapters and about 460 pages, including the 3 appendices but excluding the references and indices. The book is divided into the following five sections: (a) the foundations of counseling and psychotherapy, which describes the microskills approach, ethics, multicultural competence, wellness, attending behavior and observation skills; (b) the basic listening sequence (e.g., questioning, reflecting feeling, active listening); (c) empathic confrontation; (d) interpersonal influencing skills (e.g., self-disclosure, reflecting meaning, and stress management); and (e) skill integration (e.g., treatment planning, relapse prevention). I found the text to be easy to read, and oftentimes chapters include transcripts or diagrams that facilitate a deeper understanding of the material.
The use of transcripts and example counseling sessions is a definite strength of the text. Students are able to read through sessions and reflect on the process comments provided by the author. For example, the appendix includes a transcript of a cognitive behavioral session that helps students to recognize how the microskills integrate with this theoretical orientation. The inclusion of neuroscience is also an interesting feature of the book. The authors often connect core counseling skills such as empathy with neuroscientific research in order to help readers recognize the biological basis of the skills. Lastly, throughout the text the authors note the role of culture and cultural competence in counseling, which could help instructors more easily integrate multiculturalism into their classroom discussions. One element the book seems to lack is a comprehensive emphasis on the role of the therapeutic relationship and working alliance. The relationship is arguably the cornerstone of any counseling approach and has numerous complex and important aspects. It would have been helpful to see this receive more emphasis in the text.
Overall, Intentional Interviewing and Counseling: Facilitating Client Development in a Multicultural Society provides a thorough overview of the basic counseling skills found in the microskills approach. The text is easy to read and has many beneficial features such as discussions of neuroscience, a multicultural perspective, and transcripts of example counseling sessions. Moreover, the instructor’s edition reportedly comes with several ancillary materials including a resource guide and an online test bank. Thus, this text could be a useful resource for anyone teaching a counseling skills course.
Reviewed by: Daniel Gutierrez, NCC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.
Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B., & Zalaquett, C. P. (2014). Intentional interviewing and counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
The Professional Counselor
http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org
