Handbook of Clinical Psychology »

Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment is an invaluable two-volume reference providing authoritative coverage of the fundamentals of psychological practice across the age spectrum. Each volume is a well-edited and well-structured resource, with insightful contributions from leading national and international scholars as well as coverage of specific assessment tools for a wide array of disorders.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Christopher J. Graver, PhD(Madigan Army Medical Center)
Description:Because the field of clinical psychology is rapidly expanding, it takes this two-volume work to summarize the field in a comprehensive manner. The first volume covers adults and the second, children and adolescents.
Purpose:The purpose is to bring together a combination of cutting-edge research and historical perspectives on major topics in clinical psychology in order to provide an all-inclusive look at the field.
Audience:According to the editors, this book is intended for clinicians and students of clinical psychology. It is anticipated that the book will be used as a general reference and specific text for courses. The editors and contributing authors are experienced and published in clinical psychology.
Features:These two volumes share a common structure to make them accessible and familiar. They both include major sections devoted to general issues, theoretical models, research contributions, diagnosis and evaluation, treatment, and special issues. The treatment sections contain case studies that also follow similar formats. The topic choices are on target for clinicians and students, ranging from major theoretical orientations to empirically supported treatments to practical aspects, such as starting a private practice or providing supervision to trainees. The coverage of treatments, while providing a broad overview, neglects some notable, but more specific treatments, such as dialectical behavior therapy. The child and adolescent volume is held to the same high standard, but particularly striking chapters include treatment research and the hearty case illustration associated with play therapy. Numerous other chapters are worth mentioning, but the chapters addressing evolutionary steps in psychology, such as pediatric psychology in primary care or psychologists as prescribers, will help to expand the horizons for graduate students still seeking direction. For the most part, these are two outstanding volumes that address historical and progressive issues, but sometimes there are hiccups in the currency of information (e.g., lesion localization is outdated in neuropsychology and the WAIS-IV is already available). Author bias also creeps in, as seen in the chapter on objective personality assessment, where the authors criticize competitors' instruments with arguments that are obsolete and show their lack of current knowledge, but at the same time they promote their own instrument (e.g., the PAI) with a one-sided picture. The references are generally current, but some chapters (e.g., the one on psychodynamic perspectives) can carry a much more dated reference section.
Assessment:The editors have put together a near masterpiece of knowledge in clinical psychology. The breadth of topics is far-reaching, but the book still conveys the depth necessary to educate and instruct. The only drawback seems to be the unfortunate side effect of obtaining well seasoned authors who occasionally present equally well seasoned information and prejudice.