Do you want to use bibliotherapy with clients but wonder about the size and mechanism of effectiveness? The authors report a meta-analysis of 29 outcome studies of cognitive forms of bibliotherapy for depression. Seventeen studies with stronger research designs (pretest-posttest waiting list control group) yielded a respectable effect size of 0.77, considered the best estimate of effect size from this study. This result compares favorably with outcomes from individual psychotherapy. In light of the substantial positive effects associated with bibliotherapy for depression, the authors discuss clinically relevant questions related to the use of cognitive bibliotherapy. These include why practitioners might consider the use of this technique, which individuals can benefit from this approach, and how professionals can structure care.
Church-psychology collaboration is gaining attention among professional psychologists, but few training or practical research opportunities are available for those interested in collaborating with religious leaders and organizations. The authors introduce the Center for Church-Psychology Collaboration (CCPC), with its mission to make sustained and relevant contributions to the research literature in psychology, train doctoral students in effective means of collaborating with religious organizations, and provide service to religious communities throughout the world. Domestic and global implications are discussed. Several articles regarding church-psychology collaboration have recently appeared in
Although workforce trends indicate an oversupply of psychologists, demographic and epidemiological trends indicate an undersupply of psychologists working with underserved populations. This study surveyed members of the American Psychological Association regarding their perceptions of the rewards and barriers in work with underserved populations and how these perceptions affect interest, satisfaction, and engagement with these groups. Results confirm that practitioners were significantly more interested, engaged, and satisfied in their work with populations that are not underserved and perceived this work to be more rewarding and to involve fewer barriers. Practitioners who endorsed more rewards in work with underserved groups tend to be engaged in practice with these groups to a greater degree. The impact of these findings on recruitment, training, and retaining psychologists to work with underserved groups is discussed.Recent proposals to "rightsize" the workforce have sparked an important debate within professional psychology. Fueled by projections of an overall surplus of psychologists, strategists have proposed measures, considered draconian by some, including undergraduate advising practices that warn of a constricted marketplace, reductions in the class sizes of graduate programs, and restrictions on the accreditation of new graduate programs (Oehlert & Lopez, 1998;Robiner & Crew, 2000). Contributors have pointed to a variety of important factors that complicate any analysis of supply and demand. Conclusions of a saturated marketplace are tempered by analysis of data showing where demand matches or outstrips supply in various localities (Robiner & Crew,
Mental health concerns have been documented in soldiers postdeployed from Iraq or Afghanistan, but information is limited regarding individuals directed to deploy again. Routine screening assessed symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, panic, and hazardous alcohol consumption among 443 soldiers after returning from deployment and again before the next deployment. Initial rates for meeting screening criteria were under 9% with most around 5%. The average number of symptoms reported for depression, anxiety, and alcohol consumption decreased from first to second screening, as did the percentage of participants who met screening criteria for hazardous alcohol consumption. No change was observed on other screening measures. The findings suggest that mental health symptoms remain stable or decline for soldiers repeating deployment.
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