CBT for Schizophrenia: Evidence–Based Interventions and Future Directions

This is the first publication to collate evidence–based protocols for the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in treating a variety of presentations associated with schizophrenia. The past two decades has seen rapid growth in the number of clinical trials aimed at evaluating psychological interventions for this disorder, resulting in the recommendation of CBT as a treatment for schizophrenia in both the UK and US. However, until recently a generic form of CBT was proposed for use with the wide range of symptoms that result in a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Here, results from the latest clinical trials, show how therapists are now able to target specific presentations with specialized CBT protocols. For the first time, this powerful form of therapy can be tailored to the treatment of discrete symptoms such as command hallucinations, violent behaviour or co–morbid post–traumatic stress disorder. Each chapter reviews the current evidence base for a specific presentation before moving on to describe the relevant treatment protocol and deploying case material to bring the methodology to life. This book will prove an invaluable resource for any clinician wanting to engage in evidence–based practice with this group.

About the Editor vii List of Contributors ix Preface xi Acknowledgements xiii 1 CBT for Psychosis: An Introduction 1 Craig Steel and Ben Smith 2 Cognitive Therapy for Reducing Distress and Harmful Compliance with Command Hallucinations 13 Max Birchwood and Alan Meaden 3 CBT for Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder and Psychosis 35 Amy Hardy, Ben Smith, Jennifer Gottlieb, Kim Mueser and Craig Steel 4 CBT for Individuals at High Risk of Developing Psychosis 57 Nicola Smethurst, Paul French and Anthony P. Morrison 5 CBT for Medication–Resistant Psychosis:Targeting the Negative Symptoms 87 Neil A. Rector 6 The Challenge of Anger, Aggression and Violence when Delivering CBT for Psychosis: Clinical and Service Considerations 109 Gillian Haddock 7 CBT for Relapse in Schizophrenia: A Treatment Protocol 127 Andrew I. Gumley 8 CBT to Address and Prevent Social Disability n Early and Emerging Psychosis 143 David Fowler, Paul French, Jo Hodgekins, Rebecca Lower, Ruth Turner, Simon Burton and Jon Wilson 9 Group Cognitive Behavioural Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia 169 Jason Holden and Eric Granholm 10 Brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Acute Treatment of Hospitalized Patients with Psychosis 191 Brandon A. Gaudiano 11 Improving Sleep, Improving Delusions: CBT for Insomnia in Individuals with Persecutory Delusions 213 Elissa Myers, Helen Startup and Daniel Freeman 12 Compassion Focused Group Therapy for Recovery after Psychosis 235 Christine Braehler, Janice Harper and Paul Gilbert Index 267

Craig Steel is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK. With a doctorate from the University of London, he has been an active clinician and researcher for 15 years, specializing in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and its use as a tool of intervention in schizophrenia and other severe mental health conditions.

“All over, this book is very practical and to be recommended to therapists that want to get an insight into how problems associated with psychotic experiences can be efficiently treated psychologically. ”  ( Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapy , 1 January 2014) “While not a workbook that readers can use to guide CBT sessions with patients, it provides a nice overview of the evidence supporting the use of CBT and could be helpful for any clinicians working with these challenging patients.”  ( Doody’s , 12 July 2013)