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Psychological symptoms
Book
Counselling for Stress Problems
(A volume in the SAGE Publications series of Counselling in Practice.) Stephen Palmer and Windy Dryden. SAGE Publications Ltd, London, 1995; 262 pp.; f12.95.
299
reviews
therapy evaluation: ‘Would you recommend book to your fellow counsellors/therapists?‘, can answer in the affirmative.
Guido Godaert
Department I have been reviewing this book while I was starting therapy with a few new clients, so I could readily test its usefulness in several phases of the ‘counselling’ process. I was pleased with the clear structure, relying to a considerable degree on the comprehensive multimodal assessment and treatment approach of A.A. Lazarus. (‘Stephen Palmer and Windy Dryden have written a splendid book!’ is the start of the foreword to this book by A.A. Lazarus!). A first chapter on ‘Stress, a working model’ emphasizes the interactional and complex nature of the stress process. Chapter 2 introduces the reader to assessment procedures to grasp the ‘BASIC ID’ acronym for the modalities involved: behaviour, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal and drugs/ biology. Chapters 3-8 describe several intervention strategies (cognitive, behavioral,....) in a format suited for the experienced therapist. Each chapter contains short descriptions of several techniques and reminds one of important indications and contraindications. Chapter 9 offers a series of cases, illustrating the techniques and principles of the preceding chapters. The Appendix provides the reader with practical handouts and information. Chapter 10, by the way (‘The complete stress counsellor’), pays due attention to the problem of counsellor burn out. Why did I write ‘a format suited for the experienced therapist’? The descriptions are mostly so condensed that I found it most useful as a quick reminder to ‘what’s on the market’. Non- or just starting professionals should not be tempted to use every technique on clients. I missed a clear indication as to what level and kind of training is expected to use this book in a ‘safe way’. I could only find a few references to therapy outcome research..., even more remarkable in a book emphasizing the use of ‘bibliotherapy’ to inform and convince clients as to the proposed ways of changing behaviour. Paraphrasing a question sometimes asked in
this I
SSDI
of Clinical
and Health Psychology, University of Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, Netherlands
0738-3991(95)00849-U
Psychological Symptoms
Frank J. Bruno, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1993; 245 pp. and 31 pages of appendices; X15.50 ‘You are sick. You have several physical symptoms and in this book you can find out what is wrong with you. This is important, because you can be cured!’ Imagine a medical encylopedia beginning with these sentences: no reputable publisher would ever print it, because the entire medical community would attack such a publication fiercely. Still, Frank Bruno begins his encyclopedic description of common psychological symptoms in a very similar way. First he tells his readers that they are suffering from mental and emotional symptoms, and second that they can be free of these. However, he soon backpedals by saying that he meant only ‘unnecessary or neurotic’ suffering that is brought upon people through their own thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, evaluations, and memories. And then he quotes Sigmund Freud, who said that the purpose of psychoanalysis is ‘to replace neurotic suffering with ordinary human misery’. Bruno wants to accomplish the same with his book. The principal part of the book consists of 27 chapters about psychological symptoms ranging from drug abuse, anxiety, depression, delusions and obsessions to boredom, perfectionism, meaninglessness and risk taking. All chapters have the same structure. They begin with an anecdote or a case. His description of alcohol abuse, for example, starts with a quote from Tom Dardis, author of The Thirsty Muse: ‘Of the
300
Book
seven native-born Americans awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, five were alcoholic’. But soon after that he gets to the point, by telling a story of a writer who dies at the age of 39 due to his chronic alcohol abuse, although the writer in question always claimed that he drank by choice and not by compulsion. A description of the evils of alcohol abuse follows. The second part of each chapter is called ‘Causes and explanations’, where Bruno gives a clear and succinct overview of the most important viewpoints. The text is never too difficult for the general reader, and gives valuable information. In the third part Bruno gives some advice about coping. For example, he has nine guidelines for bored people, and the first is to make a systematic effort to introduce more changes in their lives. The fourth part is about professional help. The reader who cannot cope on his own is advised to seek professional help. Bruno gives a short description of what different professionals can do for you. For example, somebody who suffers from procrastination is told that a psychodynamic therapist will explore the deeper mo-
reviews
tives and a behaviour therapist will aim directly at changing the disruptive habit of procrastination. The final part of each chapter summarises the key points to remember. The whole chapter is reviewed in approximately 15 clear statements. Bruno’s text gives a good first introduction and advice about very different psychological symptoms, but reading it has not convinced me that everybody can be free of all ‘unnecessary suffering’. Perhaps Bruno should have told his readers at the beginning that one of the grim pleasures of life is that one is able to stand it all, despite some inevitable psychological symptoms. Nevertheless, it is always worth while to try to get a little better. Ad Bergsma
Freelance Science Journalist, Terneuzen, The Netherlands
SSDI
0738-3991(96)00856-7
Counselling for Stress Problems
(A volume in the SAGE Publications series of Counselling in Practice.) Stephen Palmer and Windy Dryden. SAGE Publications Ltd, London, 1995; 262 pp.; f12.95.
299
reviews
therapy evaluation: ‘Would you recommend book to your fellow counsellors/therapists?‘, can answer in the affirmative.
Guido Godaert
Department I have been reviewing this book while I was starting therapy with a few new clients, so I could readily test its usefulness in several phases of the ‘counselling’ process. I was pleased with the clear structure, relying to a considerable degree on the comprehensive multimodal assessment and treatment approach of A.A. Lazarus. (‘Stephen Palmer and Windy Dryden have written a splendid book!’ is the start of the foreword to this book by A.A. Lazarus!). A first chapter on ‘Stress, a working model’ emphasizes the interactional and complex nature of the stress process. Chapter 2 introduces the reader to assessment procedures to grasp the ‘BASIC ID’ acronym for the modalities involved: behaviour, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal and drugs/ biology. Chapters 3-8 describe several intervention strategies (cognitive, behavioral,....) in a format suited for the experienced therapist. Each chapter contains short descriptions of several techniques and reminds one of important indications and contraindications. Chapter 9 offers a series of cases, illustrating the techniques and principles of the preceding chapters. The Appendix provides the reader with practical handouts and information. Chapter 10, by the way (‘The complete stress counsellor’), pays due attention to the problem of counsellor burn out. Why did I write ‘a format suited for the experienced therapist’? The descriptions are mostly so condensed that I found it most useful as a quick reminder to ‘what’s on the market’. Non- or just starting professionals should not be tempted to use every technique on clients. I missed a clear indication as to what level and kind of training is expected to use this book in a ‘safe way’. I could only find a few references to therapy outcome research..., even more remarkable in a book emphasizing the use of ‘bibliotherapy’ to inform and convince clients as to the proposed ways of changing behaviour. Paraphrasing a question sometimes asked in
this I
SSDI
of Clinical
and Health Psychology, University of Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, Netherlands
0738-3991(95)00849-U
Psychological Symptoms
Frank J. Bruno, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1993; 245 pp. and 31 pages of appendices; X15.50 ‘You are sick. You have several physical symptoms and in this book you can find out what is wrong with you. This is important, because you can be cured!’ Imagine a medical encylopedia beginning with these sentences: no reputable publisher would ever print it, because the entire medical community would attack such a publication fiercely. Still, Frank Bruno begins his encyclopedic description of common psychological symptoms in a very similar way. First he tells his readers that they are suffering from mental and emotional symptoms, and second that they can be free of these. However, he soon backpedals by saying that he meant only ‘unnecessary or neurotic’ suffering that is brought upon people through their own thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, evaluations, and memories. And then he quotes Sigmund Freud, who said that the purpose of psychoanalysis is ‘to replace neurotic suffering with ordinary human misery’. Bruno wants to accomplish the same with his book. The principal part of the book consists of 27 chapters about psychological symptoms ranging from drug abuse, anxiety, depression, delusions and obsessions to boredom, perfectionism, meaninglessness and risk taking. All chapters have the same structure. They begin with an anecdote or a case. His description of alcohol abuse, for example, starts with a quote from Tom Dardis, author of The Thirsty Muse: ‘Of the
300
Book
seven native-born Americans awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, five were alcoholic’. But soon after that he gets to the point, by telling a story of a writer who dies at the age of 39 due to his chronic alcohol abuse, although the writer in question always claimed that he drank by choice and not by compulsion. A description of the evils of alcohol abuse follows. The second part of each chapter is called ‘Causes and explanations’, where Bruno gives a clear and succinct overview of the most important viewpoints. The text is never too difficult for the general reader, and gives valuable information. In the third part Bruno gives some advice about coping. For example, he has nine guidelines for bored people, and the first is to make a systematic effort to introduce more changes in their lives. The fourth part is about professional help. The reader who cannot cope on his own is advised to seek professional help. Bruno gives a short description of what different professionals can do for you. For example, somebody who suffers from procrastination is told that a psychodynamic therapist will explore the deeper mo-
reviews
tives and a behaviour therapist will aim directly at changing the disruptive habit of procrastination. The final part of each chapter summarises the key points to remember. The whole chapter is reviewed in approximately 15 clear statements. Bruno’s text gives a good first introduction and advice about very different psychological symptoms, but reading it has not convinced me that everybody can be free of all ‘unnecessary suffering’. Perhaps Bruno should have told his readers at the beginning that one of the grim pleasures of life is that one is able to stand it all, despite some inevitable psychological symptoms. Nevertheless, it is always worth while to try to get a little better. Ad Bergsma
Freelance Science Journalist, Terneuzen, The Netherlands
SSDI
0738-3991(96)00856-7