(Two-Volume Set - 1st edition ) REVIEW: From Library Journal These two volumes present an enormous amount of theory, practice, research, and training in a diverse, interesting, and controversial field. Overseeing some 300 contributors, Hersen (psychology, Pacific Univ.) and Sledge (psychiatry, Yale Univ.) collected about 160 articles, running in length from two to 20 pages. The result is commendable but flawed and cluttered nonetheless. Readers, for example, will find an index for subjects only, not names-a large omission considering that many important figures in psychotherapy are discussed in excellent historical and theoretical articles. A few articles are identified by the name of a therapist (e.g., "Alfred Adler" and "Carl Jung"), but in most cases, one has to know the subject matter in order to locate a particular therapist (e.g., B.F. Skinner is discussed in "Behavior Therapy"). There are entries for "Art Therapy," "Animal-Assisted Therapy," "Women's Issues," and "Dreams" but not for poetry, music, narrative, homosexuality, or hypnosis. Milton Erickson, who brought hypnotherapy into the 20th century, is only mentioned in three articles, and hypnosis, which deserves a major essay, is mentioned under "Pain" and tacitly present in four articles on aspects of relaxation. Running heads repeat the article title on facing pages when the author's name could have been listed. On the positive side, each article begins with a short glossary of relevant terms and ends with cross references and a short bibliography. Writing styles vary, but most articles are clear and concise. The whole work leans toward the behavioral therapies, but cognitive, psychodynamic, family, group, and other therapies are well represented. The larger topics garner several articles each; cross references help to find them, as article names can be obscure (e.g., "Chaining" is an instructional procedure; "Bed-and-Pad Conditioning," "Retention Control Training," and "Nocturnal Enuresis" all concern bed wetting). Some titles reflect the treatment method and others the treatment target, with each therapeutic essay containing a section on evaluation. Some technical essays are mainly for specialists, while the historical and theoretical ones are accessible to generalists, as are "Confidentiality," "Corrective Emotional Experience," and "Dialectical Behavior Therapy," among others. Librarians might especially value essays on bibliotherapy, cinema, and online therapy and several on legal and cultural issues. This is a good buy, though it is essential only for psychology-related and larger general collections. Smaller libraries can manage with general books like Dianne R. and Robert E. Hales's Caring for the Mind: The Comprehensive Guide to Mental Health. E. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, DC Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. CHOICE "Excellent for professionals and a good introduction for students beginning research; highly recommended for libraries supporting counseling or clinical psycholgy." PassWord: no
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