Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for People with Cancer » (Subsequent)

Maudsley Hospital, London

St Raphael's Hospice, North Cheam, Surrey

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has established itself as the psychological treatment of choice for many conditions. It offers a brief, convincing, commonsense approach to the emotional problems faced by people with cancer, and there is considerable evidence for its effectiveness. Since the first edition of this book in 1989 (published as Psychological Therapy for Patients with Cancer) there have been many developments in cognitive therapy and psycho-oncology which have been incorporated in the new edition. The current evidence for the effect of psychological state on survival and the efficacy of CBT in cancer is reviewed. Using a cognitive behavioural model to understand reactions to cancer, the authors present cognitive, behavioural, emotional and interpersonal interventions to help people adjust to the threat to their life and their view of themselves. Case examles illustrate how these techniques are used to reduce anxiety and depression, induce a fighting spirit, teach effective coping skills and develop open communication between patients and their partners. Mental health professionals working in oncologu and health care professionals interested in psychological management will find this a useful source for psychological techniques that can be applied in a busy clinical setting.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Philip Khoury, MD(Rush University Medical Center)
Description:This is an integrated presentation of the literature about cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with cancer patients and the use of Adjuvant Psychological Therapy (APT), a CBT derivative, for the treatment of those with cancer. The first edition was published in 1989.
Purpose:The authors' purpose is to provide an informative, easy to read, and practical manual on their approach to psycho-oncology. There is a comparably small body of literature on this subject and this a welcome addition. The authors meet their objectives.
Audience:The target audience includes nurses, oncologists, and mental health professionals. It is written in an easy to read and well-organized fashion at a level the lay reader can understand. The authors have extensive clinical and research background in the field.
Features:The book is split in two parts. Part one concerns the theoretical, clinical and empirical aspects of the psychology of cancer in the framework of a specific CBT approach -- APT. Part two is the manualized approach of APT with oncology patients. What is best about this book is its presentation. It is clearly written in meaning and approach and laid out nicely with an appropriate array of tables, clinical examples, summaries and diagrams.
Assessment:I found this book to be immediately clinically relevant to my practice and a much-needed addition to my library. The second edition provides the necessary scrutiny of this approach and clearly lays out how you can benefit your patients with it. I highly recommend this book to my therapist colleagues and especially to the oncology staff who have a desire to improve the mental health of their patients.