Clinical Manual of Supportive Psychotherapy

by Peter N. Novalis, Virginia Singer, Roger Peele

2019 · American Psychiatric Pub

Updated for the first time since 1993 -- and still the only comprehensive clinical guide to supportive psychotherapy -- this new edition of Clinical Manual of Supportive Psychotherapy features updated and new chapters, vignettes, tables, and resources that reflect current best practices. Where once it was reserved for use with severely impaired patients, supportive therapy has come to be recognized as the treatment of choice for many patients, and supportive techniques underpin a great many other psychotherapies. As a result, the academic literature, both on specific populations and on technical issues, has mushroomed. In this manual, the authors -- all of them practicing mental health clinicians -- distill the most relevant information that nonpsychiatric physicians, psychiatric residents, and experienced psychiatrists and psychotherapists need to fully understand this specific modality. The volume introduces, in Part I, readers to the history and evolution of the use of supportive therapy, examining both its principles and its techniques. It then applies, in Part II, the approach to a range of disorders, including schizophrenia and hallucinations, mood disorders, personality disorders, and -- new to this edition -- anxiety and co-occurring disorders. Part III covers interactions and special settings, discussing applying supportive techniques with medically ill patients and older patients, including tackling issues such as social and financial barriers to seeking treatment in the case of the latter. Also included in this part are new chapters on interactions and special settings, including practicing in detention and correctional centers and the special needs of therapists in public institutions, and updated chapters on community and family involvement and medication adherence and therapy interactions. A discussion of ethics -- augmented with guidance on cultural and religious sensitivity -- completes this most comprehensive of guides.

Psychotherapy in Corrections

by Peter N. Novalis, M.D., Ph.D., Virginia Singer, DNP, Carol M. Novalis, M.A.

2022 · American Psychiatric Pub

To practice psychotherapy in a correctional setting is to encounter a range of cultural issues reflecting the various ethnic, class, gender, and physical subgroups of the prison population--as well as to navigate the culture of the prison, staff, and justice system that underpins the patients' circumstances. Drawing on the authors' extensive professional experience, Psychotherapy in Corrections offers mental health professionals a comprehensive look at the most common situations they are likely to face and provides practical advice on dealing with them. Diagnostically oriented chapters cover core issues that include self-harm and substance use disorders, as well as mood and personality disorders. Specific supportive therapy techniques for addressing these issues, as well as special situations--including the experience of women in prison, behaviors that can disrupt care, and efforts to reduce recidivism--are illustrated by clinical vignettes. In tackling the social and developmental conditions that lead individuals to interact with the correctional system, Psychotherapy in Corrections also acknowledges the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement for social justice in society. Anyone who conducts psychotherapy in a prison setting will benefit from an approach centered on treating the human in front of them, regardless of the setting or their crime.