Problem-Solving Therapy: A Treatment Manual

by Arthur M. Nezu, Christine Maguth Nezu PhD ABPP, Thomas D'Zurilla PhD

Problem-solving therapy (PST) has been increasingly used to treat a variety of health and mental health problems due to its flexibility and proven effectiveness. This text, written by the co-developers of PST, is a comprehensive and detailed manual of how to apply PST to a wide variety of populations and situations. It reflects the significant conceptual and clinical revisions that supersede earlier versions of PST, and is based on the authors' clinical and research experience, the treatment outcome literature, and advances in related areas of psychology and neuroscience research.

The book offers specific treatment guidelines, sample client-therapist dialogues, clinical exercises and activities, homework assignments, client handouts, clinical case examples, and worksheets. These resources are based on a stepped-care model of PST that takes into account the nature of a client's problems, the intensity of these problems, the setting and treatment structure, and treatment goals. The manual offers clients four major toolkits, which include a multitasking guide to overcoming cognitive overload when under stress, a guide to overcoming problems related to emotional dysregulation, a guide to overcoming barriers to effective problem-solving through use of healthy thinking and positive imagery, and a guide to fostering effective problem-solving by designing and employing a rational plan. Digital accompaniments include patient handouts, worksheets, and toolkits. Intended for use by a wide variety of mental health professionals in multiple settings, the manual can also serve as a text for both undergraduate and applied graduate courses.

Key Features:

Describes an increasingly popular psychotherapeutic intervention that works for multiple client populations and can be combined with other treatment modalities
Authored by the co-developers of PST
Provides the most up-to-date, detailed guidelines to PST
Presents treatment guidelines, case examples, and numerous clinical aids
Includes digital components, such as patient handouts, homework worksheets, and toolkits

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2006

About the author

Arthur Nezu, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Public Health at Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA). His fields of interest include the application of problem-solving therapy, stress and coping, and the improvement of mental health of Veterans and their families.
http://www.drexel.edu/psychology/cont...

Reviews

[Joseph Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grounded and pragmatic evidence based intervention. The toolkits described are interchangeable. I encourage clinicians to read and integrate these tools into your practice.

[Tim Gannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text on evidence-based psychotherapy is written by its creators. They believe that learning and applying problem solving skills can lead to greater quality of life in dealing with life's stressors. They spend considerable time discussing treatment guidelines and provide many in-session therapy examples to highlight different points. Overall, it was clear and straight-forward. There seems to be a lot of detail to learn in order to effectively apply this but the resulting skills appear quite useful. Most of the techniques had 1 or 2 levels of sub-techniques to learn. The amount of information to retain may be difficult for some clients, although the authors due provide 'tool-kits' and handouts to help with internalizing this knowledge. Overall, it appears quite useful.