28th November 2023 Newsletter
This week we’re releasing an updated Prompts For Challenging Negative Thinking information handout, which helps guide clients through the process of challenging negative automatic thoughts. In the latest installment of our Insights series, where we explore thought-provoking new research, we sit down with Dr Rachel Menzies to talk about death anxiety. We’ve also extended our multi-lingual library with new German translations.
Our research roundup highlights a paper proposing a cognitive behavioral model for dissociation, and another exploring ACT for psychosis. Enjoy!
New Releases
Prompts For Challenging Negative Thinking
The Prompts For Challenging Your Negative Thinking handout is designed to help clients through the process of evaluating negative automatic thoughts. It presents questions that help clients explore whether their negative thoughts are accurate, helpful, objective, and fit with the ‘bigger picture’.
Insights: Death Anxiety And Mental Health
We sat down with Dr Rachel Menzies, co-author of ‘Death anxiety and mental health: Requiem for a dreamer’, which was published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry (2023). We discussed current thinking on death anxiety and what that might mean for the field generally, as well as for practicing clinicians.
New German Translations
This week we’re releasing 5 new German translations from our popular Cognitive Distortions Series. Translated resources include: Emotional Reasoning, Externalizing, Fortune Telling, Hindsight Bias, and Jumping To Conclusions.
Latest Research
A Cognitive Behavioral Model for Dissociation
Dissociative symptoms are common in many mental health difficulties, including dissociative disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some anxiety disorders. In this practice-focused paper, Alexis Vancappel and Wissam El-Hage offer a comprehensive cognitive behavioral model that outlines various mechanisms that can contribute to dissociation, including beliefs about emotions and dissociation, emotional dysregulation, and attentional control difficulties. The model suggests potential clinical interventions such as cognitive restructuring, emotion regulation training, and mindfulness-based programs may be helpful. However, further empirical studies, including randomized controlled trials, are needed to validate the model’s predictions and assess the effectiveness of these interventions in managing dissociative symptoms.
“As a transdiagnostic model, we propose that these clinical interventions could be used for every patient suffering from dissociation, no matter which diagnostic(s) the patients received. The patients might present one or multiple mechanisms presented in the model. The clinician should identify which process of the model is present and select psychotherapeutic interventions based on this identification.”
Vancappel, A., & El-Hage, W. (2023). A cognitive behavioral model for dissociation: Conceptualization, empirical evidence and clinical implications. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Psychosis
In this recent paper, Eric Morris and colleagues explore Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for psychosis (ACTp), focusing on its effectiveness, implementation challenges, and potential mechanisms. ACTp shows promise in improving outcomes like rehospitalization, depression, and psychotic symptoms. However, integrating it with existing interventions and addressing implementation barriers are crucial. This paper emphasizes the need for further research to refine and expand the use of ACTp, particularly in low-intensity and technology-assisted formats.
Morris, E. M., Johns, L. C., & Gaudiano, B. A. (2023). Acceptance and commitment therapy for psychosis: Current status, lingering questions and future directions. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.