The Therapist's Guide to Psychopharmacology: Working with Patients, Families, and Physicians to Optimize Care

by JoEllen Patterson PhD, LMFT, James L. Griffith MD, Todd M. Edwards PhD, LMFT

Overview

Now in a revised and updated third edition, this noted practitioner guide and text incorporates the latest knowledge about psychopharmacology and collaborative care. Therapists and counselors learn when and how to make medication referrals and how to address patients' questions about drug benefits, side effects, safety, and more. Organized around frequently encountered mental health disorders, the book explains how medications work (including what they can and cannot accomplish). Strategies for collaborating successfully with patients, their family members, and prescribers are discussed in detail. Written for optimal practical utility, the text features case examples, sample referral letters, checklists, and a glossary.
 
New to This Edition
*Chapter on the therapeutic relationship.
*New separate chapter on bipolar disorder.
*Expanded discussions of distinguishing psychiatric illness from normal distress, optimizing collaboration with psychiatrists, how medications work in the brain, treatment of chronic pain, and more.
*Additional case vignettes and psychopharmacology principles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462547661
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	308
Sales rank:	547,014
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

JoEllen Patterson, PhD, LMFT, is Professor in the Marital and Family Therapy Program at the University of San Diego. She is also Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Global Health, and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Dr. Patterson has published five books that have been translated into multiple languages, and has served on the editorial boards for journals including Families, Systems, and Health; Family Process; and the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Dr. Patterson received a Rotary International Scholarship to work at Cambridge University, as well as three Fulbright Awards to work in Norway, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. Her global work includes initiatives in Jordan and Ecuador.

James L. Griffith, MD, is the Leon M. Yochelson Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and Health Sciences. As a psychiatric educator, Dr. Griffith developed GWU psychiatry residency training distinguished for its excellence in cultural psychiatry, global mental health, and psychosocial care for medically ill patients. Dually trained in psychiatry and neurology, Dr. Griffith for three decades has taught psychiatry residents a curriculum that integrates humanistic psychiatry with psychopharmacology, now published in Academic Psychiatry as a model curriculum for psychiatry residencies.

Todd M. Edwards, PhD, LMFT, is Professor in the Marital and Family Therapy Program at the University of San Diego. He is also Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, and Visiting Professor at NOVA University in Lisbon, Portugal. Dr. Edwards is a clinical member and approved supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and an editorial board member for the American Journal of Family Therapy and the Journal of Family Psychotherapy.

Table of Contents

I. The Mind–Body Connection
1. How the Brain Works: A Basic Sketch
2. How Psychotropic Drugs Work
II. Psychiatric Disorders and Their Treatment
3. Depression
4. Bipolar Disorder
5. Anxiety Disorders
6. Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses
7. Cognitive Disorders
8. Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
9. Physical Health and Illness
10. Special Populations
III. Creative Collaboration
11. The Therapeutic Relationship
12. Effective Referrals
13. Sharing Care
14. Strengthening Bonds
Glossary
References
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

A clear, understandable and helpful book for the nonphysician wishing to be more conversant within this field." (on the first edition)

Child and Family Behavior Therapy

"The book offers practical guidance to providers—information that can be used both to influence therapists' work and to pass along to their clients....A valuable resource.” (on the first edition)

PsycCRITIQUES

​"All psychotherapists practicing today, whether independently or in community settings, must be informed about psychopharmacology. This superb book covers how to talk to patients and their families about medication and collaborate with prescribers. The third edition is up to date and exceptionally well written, and covers the diagnostic ground from anxiety and depression to psychosis and cognitive disorders. I cannot think of a book that better achieves its purpose of educating non-MD mental health practitioners and graduate students to be as helpful as possible to their patients who are taking, or may need, psychoactive medication."—Stanley B. Messer, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

"The third edition of this guide gives psychotherapists both a systemic conceptual framework and the latest science about psychotropic medications and how they work. The distinguished trio of Patterson, Griffith, and Edwards emphasize the essential need for collaboration between therapists and prescribing clinicians. This book provides everything you need to know about medications' effects on the brain and behavior when used in conjunction with behavioral interventions for common psychiatric disorders."—Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, ABPP, Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professor of Families and Health, University of Rochester Medical Center

“This book is a gem. It is the best book that I’ve seen that provides beginning and seasoned nonmedical clinicians with essential information about psychopharmacology with a spectrum of mental health conditions. What sets this book apart is the authors' use of a systems and collaborative care framework that includes patients and key family members as valuable resources. Written in an exceptionally practical and accessible style with wonderful case illustrations, the book is a superb reference for clinicians working in integrated healthcare and private practice settings. I highly recommend this volume as an excellent basic teaching text for graduate students across mental health disciplines."—John S. Rolland, MD, MPH, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

"This book is extremely well suited to those who have no prior knowledge of psychopharmacology or wish to build on their existing knowledge. The text is a professor's dream—is clearly laid out, builds sequentially on previous learning, and incorporates the latest developments in the field. This is one of those rare publications that students in the helping professions should keep on their shelves long after graduation. I have relied on this book over the years in a variety of academic and clinical settings, and remain impressed by its clarity, practicality, and relevance."—Sarah A. Bond, PsyD, Solana Beach, California

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Michael Easton, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This third edition is updated with the most current information regarding psychiatric medications to give therapists a better understanding in order to help their patients and collaborate in their care.
Purpose: According to the authors, the goal of this book is to give non-prescribing therapists a basic knowledge of pharmacotherapy for mental health disorders as well as to provide a conceptual framework and specific approaches for working in a collaborative care environment with medical professionals who prescribe psychotropics. Besides providing basic scientific information about psychotropic medications, the book offers pragmatic advice on how to help patients benefit from these medications.
Audience: This book focuses on non-physician therapists and physicians working together. Non-physician therapists could be a wide range of practitioners including psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, counselors, and nurses. This book was written for therapists who want to build collaborative relationships with prescribing physicians.
Features: This book consists of 14 chapters divided into three sections. The first section looks at the "mind-body" connection as well as how psychotropic drugs work. Section two has chapters devoted to the treatment of various mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and psychosis, dementia, and substance abuse; medical illnesses; and special populations (adolescents, older adults, and women's health). The third section focuses on issues around therapeutic relationships, making effective referrals, and collaboration with prescribers.
Assessment: This third edition appears to focus on two issues: giving non-prescribing therapists a basic understanding of the use of psychotropics for various illnesses as well as how to develop a collaborative relationship with prescribers. The information regarding prescribing is basic, though generally accurate, but it does not address treatment of more complicated patients or the use of multiple medications, which tends to be the norm, not the exception. The book also looks at issues regarding strategies for collaboration, which, at times, distracts from the primary focus of having a fundamental understanding of pharmacotherapy and the framework in which it is used. It is this information that is the most useful in collaborating with physicians. Given therapists have far more contact with their clients than physicians, this knowledge gives them a better understanding regarding what information can be most helpful to prescribers in making medication recommendations. This can also enable them to educate their clients and help with compliance along with the therapeutic work they are doing.

Doody's Review Service

A must-have text for clinicians, and will help them provide the best standard of care to their patients and clients." (on the second edition)

Metapsychology Online Reviews

"Provides a wealth of information to individuals in the helping professions to assist them in better understanding the link between medications and therapy for a variety of diagnoses....This text is an exceptional reference guide for the therapist. The information provided is explained in a straightforward format and is easy to understand and use in one's work with families. In addition, this book would be a wonderful faculty reference or text for students in courses that focus on psychological disorders." (on the first edition)

Family Journal