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The Illness and the Cure: Two Free, Evidence-based Resources for What Ails and Can Heal Serious Psychological Distress
Findings from several recent studies are sobering. Depression is now the leading cause of ill-health and disability worldwide–more than cancer, heart disease, respiratory problems, and accidents. Yesterday, researchers reported that serious psychological distress is at an all-time high, significantly affecting not only quality but actual life expectancy. And who has not heard about the opioid… — read more
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Does practice make perfect?
“Practice does not make perfect,” my friend, and award-winning magician, Michael Ammar, is fond of saying. “Rather,” he observes, “practice makes permanent.” Thus, if we are not getting better as we work, our work will simply insure our current performance stays the same. Now, before reading any further, watch a bit of the video below. … — read more
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Making the Impossible, Possible: The Fragile Balance
Trip-Advisor scores it # 11 out of 45 things to do Sausalito, California. No, it not’s the iconic Golden Gate Bridge or Point Bonita Lighthouse. Neither is it one of the fantastic local restaurants or bars. What’s more, in what can be a fairly pricey area, this attraction won’t cost you a penny. It’s the… — read more
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Why aren’t therapists talking about this?
Turns out, every year, for the last several years, and right around this time, I’ve done a post on the subject of deterioration in psychotherapy. In June 2014, I was responding to yet another attention-grabbing story published in The Guardian, one of the U.K.’s largest daily newspapers. “Misjudged counselling and therapy can be harmful,” the… — read more
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Feedback Informed Treatment: Update
Chicago, IL (USA) The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here in Chicago. First, the "Advanced Intensive." Next came the annual "Training of Trainers." Each week, the room was filled to capacity with practitioners, researchers, supervisors, and agency directors from around the globe receiving in-depth training in feedback-informed practice. It was a… — read more
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Getting FIT in the New Year: The Latest Evidence
John Norcross, Ph.D. is without a doubt the researcher that has done the most to highlight the evidence-base supporting the importance of the relationship between clinician and consumer in successful behavioral healthcare. The second edition of his book, Psychotherapy Relationships that Work, is about to be released. Like the last edition, this volume is a virtual… — read more
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Learning, Mastery, and Achieving One’s Personal Best
Dateline: Sunday, April 25th, 2010 Chicago, IL There’s a feeling I get whenever I’m learning something new. It’s a combination of wonder and possibility. Even though I’ve been traveling and teaching full time for over 18 years, I still feel that get that feeling of excitement whenever I step on a plane: What will I see? Who will… — read more
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Leading for a Change: The Training of Trainer’s (TOT) Chicago
I’m writing tonight from my hotel room at the River Rock Inn in Rockland, Ontario, Canada. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, it is a biligual (French & English) community of around 9,000 located about 25 km west of Ottawa. Today through Thursday, I’m working with the staff, supervisors, and agency administrators of… — read more
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The Turn to Outcomes: A Revolution in Behavioral Health Practice
Get ready. The revolution is coming (if not already here). Whether you are a direct service provider (psychologist, counselor, marriage and family therapist), agency, broker, or funder, you will be required to measure and likely report the outcomes of your clinical work. Jay Lebow, Ph.D. Just this month, Dr. Jay Lebow, a professor of psychology at the… — read more
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Outcomes in OZ III
Dateline: November 28, 2009 Brisbane, Australia Crown Plaza Hotel Pelican Waters Golf Resort & Spa As their name implies, LifeLine Australia is the group people call when they need a helping hand. During the last leg of my tour of eastern Australia, I was lucky enough to spend two days working with Lifeline’s dedicated and talented clinicians on improving… — read more