Refocused Psychotherapy as the First Line Intervention in Behavioral Health

Written by father-daughter psychologists Nick and Janet Cummings, this text provides proven patient-responsive interventions by practitioners who together have nearly a century of hands-on practice and innovation between them. Refocused Psychotherapy responds directly to the recent decline of psychosocial services and helps to put psychotherapy back as the first line intervention in mental health. The authors teach psychotherapists how to work side by side with primary care physicians to provide efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency—the standards psychotherapeutic intervention is held up to. Detailed case studies are followed up by discussions of diagnosis, personality type, homework, and therapeutic techniques that show readers how to form their own case conceptualizations. The authors also teach readers how to treat their patients individually and to diagnose effectively through their onion/garlic conceptualization. Finally, they provide lists of common abbreviations that are helpful to know when reading prescriptions, and lists of drugs, drug interactions, dosage, and side effects that expand readers’ vocabulary and allow them to be more knowledgeable as they work with primary care physicians. These innovative and revealing techniques will help readers develop the skills necessary for cost-effective therapeutic results.

“This book is indeed a case of ‘Back To The Future.’ It rightly deserves to become a treatment bible for clinicians. In an age of ubiquitous medicalization, the authors bring us back to behavioral health solutions.” - John Caccavale, PhD, ABMP, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Professional Psychology Providers“As the disruptive forces of market economics and reform scramble traditional behavioral health care Refocused Psychotherapy serves as a grand reminder of the critical importance of understanding psychopathology as a precondition to effective, efficient, and accountable psychotherapy. Drs. Cummings serve up an antidote to the shortcomings of DSM-5 and overuse of prescription medications, and offer a road map for success in integrated behavioral care.” - Ronald O'Donnell, PhD, Director, Doctor of Behavioral Health, Arizona State University“Once again the Cummings remind us that the practice of psychotherapy can be empowering and effective. Accessible and rich with case material, Refocused Psychotherapy provides students in training and practitioners a much needed roadmap to help maintain the primacy of psychotherapy in healthcare settings.” - David B. Baker, PhD, Margaret Clark Morgan Executive Director, Center for the History of Psychology & Professor of Psychology, The University of Akron, Ohio

Nicholas A. Cummings, PhD, ScD, is a Past President of the American Psychological Association who for the past half century has been predicting the course of psychology and forming organizations designed to meet the challenges as each occurred. He holds an extensive psychotherapy practice, is the author of 49 books and over 400 journal articles, and has had a profound effect on the course of the profession.Janet L. Cummings, PsyD, has authored nine books with her father, Nicholas Cummings, and is currently Founder’s Professor in the Doctor of Behavioral Health Program at Arizona State University. A cutting-edge practitioner, she also finds time to serve as President of the Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Foundation.