Pattern Focused Therapy: Highly Effective CBT Practice in Mental Health and Integrated Care Settings

221 Pages·2020·2.466 MB·English

by  Len Sperry

“ ff
In Pattern Focused Therapy, Dr. Sperry o ers another remarkably timely, practical,
easy-to-read contribution for both students and professionals in health and mental
health care professions. In our current healthcare marketplace clinicians must
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provide brief, evidence-based, practical, and e cacious treatments for their clients
and this new book will help them to do so. It represents the new third wave of
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cognitive behavioral therapy that addresses six compelling trends in the eld just
perfectly. Clearly, this book should be in the hands of all practitioners today and is
”
likely to become a classic.
–
Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., Santa Clara University and Stanford University
School of Medicine
“
Pattern Focused Therapy is one of the most practical texts available on how to do
brief CBT evidence-based practice therapy. This book provides all the necessary
tools for assessment, case conceptualization, technique selection, and outcomes
monitoring in clear step-by-step procedures and therapy session examples.
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Beginners and experts alike will bene t from a special chapter dealing with
practical strategies for preventing premature termination. If you want to learn
ff – ”
how to do e ective therapy in 4 6 sessions, this book will show you how.
–
Brian A. Gerrard, Ph.D., Western Institute for Social Research, Berkeley,
and University of San Francisco
“ ’
Dr. Sperrys book is a valuable addition to third wave cognitive-behavioral therapy.
’
Pattern Focused Therapy is a clear and accessible presentation of Sperrys brief, rela-
tionally focused, and evidence-based approach to progressive cognitive-behavioral
therapy. It is an essential resource for therapists-in-training, therapy educators, and
”
seasoned clinicians.
–
Richard E. Watts, Ph.D., distinguished professor, Sam Houston
State University

Pattern Focused Therapy
Pattern Focused Therapy incorporates brief cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
interventions for symptom reduction and a step-by-step therapeutic strategy for
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e ectively changing clients maladaptive patterns and increasing their well-being.
Integrating research, clinical expertise, and client needs and values, Pattern
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Focused Therapy is a highly e ective third-wave CBT approach that can be
applied to a wide range of clients. This text guides therapists through the pattern
focused approach, facilitating learning through session-by-session transcriptions
fi fi
and commentaries from the rst to the nal session. Interventions for optimizing
treatment and indicators of successful therapy are included along with a chapter
on Pattern Focused Therapy in integrated care settings.
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Seasoned and beginner therapists alike will bene t from this invaluable method
for learning and mastering this evidence-based approach.
Len Sperry, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor at Florida Atlantic University. He has
practiced, taught, and written about CBT for four decades. Among his 1000+
professional publications are six other CBT books.

Pattern Focused Therapy
ff
Highly E ective CBT Practice in Mental
Health and Integrated Care Settings
Len Sperry
Firstpublished2021
byRoutledge
52VanderbiltAvenue,NewYork,NY10017
andbyRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2021Taylor&Francis
TherightofLenSperrytobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeen
assertedbyhiminaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,
DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproduced
orutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,
nowknownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,
orinanyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionin
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Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksor
registeredtrademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanation
withoutintenttoinfringe.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Sperry,Len,author.
Title:Pattern-focusedtherapy:highlyeffectiveCBTpracticeinmental
healthandintegratedcaresettings/LenSperry.
Description:NewYork:Routledge,[2020]|Includesbibliographical
referencesandindex.|Identifiers:LCCN2020007191(print)|
LCCN2020007192(ebook)|
ISBN9780367429300(hardback)|ISBN9780367429317(paperback)|
ISBN9780367429331(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Cognitivetherapy.
Classification:LCCRC489.C6S642020(print)|LCCRC489.C6(ebook)|
DDC616.89/1425–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020007191
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020007192
ISBN:978-0-367-42930-0(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-367-42931-7(pbk)
ISBN:978-0-367-42933-1(ebk)
TypesetinPerpetua
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction ix
1 Pattern Focused Therapy and Psychotherapy Practice: Today and
Tomorrow 1
2 Pattern: Assessment and Case Conceptualization 16
3 Practicing Pattern Focused Therapy 44
4 Ultra-Brief Therapeutic Interventions 63
5 Outcomes Assessment and Indicators of Successful Treatment 80
6 The First Session 98
7 The Middle Sessions 120
8 The Final Sessions 141
9 Interventions for Optimizing Treatment 156
10 Pattern Focused Therapy in Integrated Care Settings 184
Index 204
Acknowledgements
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I am deeply grateful to those who have mentored me over the years in the ne
points of psychotherapy practice. Of particular note are Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D.,
Kenneth I. Howard, Ph.D., Richard Cox, Ph.D., and Barry Blackwell, M.D.
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Special thanks to the editorial sta of Routledge, particularly my editor Nina
Guttapalle, for their valuable input. Finally, I want to acknowledge two of my
former doctoral students. Vassilia Binenstzok, Ph.D. who collaborated with me on
some related projects, and Gerardo Casteleiro, Ph.D. for editorial assistance with
this project.
Introduction
Thereislittledoubtthatpsychotherapypracticetodayischangingandchangingrather
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dramatically. Itismuchdi erentthanitwas10yearsago,anditisexpectedtochange
evenmoreinthenearfuture.Severalfactorsaccountforthischange,butthreestandout.
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The rst is reimbursement. Reimbursement of psychotherapy and related
mental health services increasingly requires that therapists document the use of
evidence-based approaches and interventions. Currently, all clinical psychology
graduate programs require their students to master at least one evidence-based
treatment approach. Unfortunately, very few other graduate therapy training
programs emphasize evidence-based approaches or require the teaching and
learning of evidence-based practice and interventions.
Thesecondisthattreatmentisgettingshorter. Notonlyisthedurationorlength
of therapy getting shorter, but therapy sessions are getting shorter. Instead of the
usual 12-20sessionsasthe norm, thetypical courseoftreatmentwill more likely to
be 4-8 therapeutic encounters. Instead of 50 minutes sessions, the length of the
therapeuticencounterwilllastaslittleas15-30minutes.
Thethirdisthatisthatwhereittakesplace,thetreatmentcontext,isbeginningto
change. It is predicted that much of psychotherapy practice will shift from dedicated
mentalhealthsettingstointegratedprimarycaremedicalsettings. Here,thetherapist
will function as part of a health care team which includes physician, nurse, medical
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assistant, and a therapist in the role of behavioral health consultant. While at rst this
mayseemalientomanytherapists,itmayactuallybeawelcomechange. For starters,
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integratedprimarycareismorecompatiblewithpsychotherapysfocusonstrengthsand
prevention in addition to pathology. For another, there is little or no need to seek
authorizationfortreatmentorprovideextensivedocumentationforcounselingservices
in a medical setting. Finally,workingas a salaried member of a team beats competing
withothermentalhealthprofessionalsforHMOpanelsandinsurancereimbursement.
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Thesethreeanticipatedchangesareveryrealandwillrequiresigni cantchangesin
how therapists are trained and practice. There is little doubt that therapists will be
expected and required to practice newor greatly revised treatment approaches that