Psychotherapy Brown Bag

New evidence-based practice website

by Michael D. Anestis, M.S.

Recently, I was contacted by some folks who are putting together a really interesting website promoting evidence-based behavioral practice (EBBP), which is often referred to here as empirically supported treatment or evidence-based treatment.  The site features a number of useful tools, including links to training resources, a list of events relevant to EBBP, and a description of the meaning of EBBP.

Additionally, these folks have put together a blog about EBBP that has already featured contributions from a variety of brilliant folks, including David Barlow and Mitch Prinstein.  I added a guest post today as well and I encourage you to check out the blog, as it touches on a wide range of issues relevant to EBBP and does not take a confrontational approach or attempt to alienate anyone.

Click here to go to the main site

Click here to go to the blog

The blog page has a series of links on the right hand side that takes you to specific articles, so be sure to browse there to find something that catches your interest.

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If you would like to learn more about EBBP and other topics discussed on PBB, we encourage you to visit our online store for scientifically-based psychological resources.

Mike Anestis is a psychology resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology program at Florida State University

Quick thank you for some press

A quick thank you to Dr. Sari Fine Shepphird, Ph.D. for re-posting our article "Therapy that works: Why so many psychologists choose to ignore science" on her blog, Treatment Notes.  It is important that this topic be covered by as many people in as many forums as possible so that a greater proportion of the population can come to understand that research has shown particular treatments to be most effective for particular mental health diagnoses.

Dr. Shepphird is an eating disorder specialist and licensed clinical psychologist.  You can follow her on Twitter under the name @DrShepp.

A few online mental health resources

I don't normally post twice in a single day, but I wanted to post links to a few mental health resources that have recently caught my attention and our standard daily articles don't really afford me an opportunity to do so.

Urban Mindfulness

Jonathan Kaplan's blog on mindfulness is one of our favorites.  In addition to general information on mindfulness, the blog provides insightful thoughts on how to be mindful amidst the chaos of urban living.  Kaplan was recently named the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) featured therapist.

Student Doctor Network Forums

I am actually mildly conflicted in posting this one.  This site is a message board for graduate students in Ph.D. or Psy.D psychology programs or individuals considering applying to such programs.  The board is fairly active and there are many friendly contributors who would benefit from enhanced readership and contributions from individuals within the field.  That being said, I have received some stunningly unfriendly and, quite frankly, bizarre treatment from the administrators of this board.  In fact, they have deleted all references to Psychotherapy Brown Bag and implied that I colluded with an unknown FSU student to advertise on their page.  Despite these uncomfortable interactions, I think the site has value and PBB readers might enjoy reading it.  Should any PBB viewers feel compelled to inform the SDN administrators that they would like to see PBB references restored, we certainly would not object.

Celebrity Psychings

We have referenced this site numerous times on PBB.  Alicia Sparks discusses mental health issues through the lens of celebrities.  I firmly believe that popular culture is an asset in disseminating accurate information on mental health and psychotherapy, so this blog serves a highly valuable service.  Additionally, this blog is part of the Psych Central network, which in and of itself is a great resource.

Raw Writing for the Real World of Bipolar

This blog provides information on bipolar spectrum disorders from a first person perspective.  The blog is updated frequently, includes regular guest contributions, and features narratives from the perspective of individuals who have battled bipolar spectrum disorders.

Dare to Dream: Finding Meaning in Research

A new favorite of mine, the Dare to Dream blog features articles on research in clinical psychology.  The author has a background in psychometrics and provides very thoughtful posts on how research can best guide our understanding of mental health.

YouTube

This morning, I came across a video in which an individual overcoming social anxiety disorder details the resources that have been most helpful in his recovery.  He describes several books endorsed by PBB, including Feeling Good, and explains the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy.  We hope that readers in need of help find PBB useful, but we recognize that, sometimes, it is helpful to hear this information from somebody currently going through the same struggles.