
This groundbreaking book explains the "whats" and "how-tos" of metacognitive therapy (MCT), an innovative form of cognitive-behavioral therapy with a growing empirical evidence base. MCT developer Adrian Wells shows that much psychological distress results from how a person responds to negative thoughts and beliefs--for example, by ruminating or worrying--rather than the content of those thoughts. He presents practical techniques and specific protocols for addressing metacognitive processes to effectively treat generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and major depression. Special features include reproducible treatment plans and assessment and case formulation tools, plus a wealth of illustrative case material.
"This book presents a new and innovative approach that focuses on how patients think, as much as what they believe. It is firmly grounded in basic science and packed full of powerful clinical strategies for helping people change the way they think. Wells shows how attention training and detached mindfulness techniques can be applied to a full array of anxiety and depressive disorders with impressive and lasting results. His approach will appeal to clinical practitioners, students, and mental health researchers alike, and should find widespread acceptance in the clinical community. It should prove to be a valuable tool for graduate training across professional disciplines."--Steven D. Hollon, PhD, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University