Well-Being Therapy. G.A. Fava

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Название Well-Being Therapy
Автор произведения G.A. Fava
Жанр Зарубежная психология
Серия
Издательство Зарубежная психология
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9783318058222



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happiness, but an overarching, metapsychological well-being that enriches his or her life and limits the impact and reach of pain?

      An additional idea for the expansion of WBT is to embrace technological advances in treatment delivery. Work on development and testing of computer-assisted CBT has expanded rapidly in recent years and has shown excellent results in many studies. The goals of computer-assisted CBT include improving access to effective treatment, reducing cost of therapy, enhancing the therapy experience with multimedia learning experiences, and providing tools for tracking and promoting progress. Programs have been developed for depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, chronic pain, and other conditions. WBT methods could potentially be provided via fully developed computer programs for treatment or mobile apps that could augment the efforts of human therapists and help clinicians treat more patients with available time.

      With the publication of this treatment manual, a new phase in the development of WBT begins. Guidelines are now laid out for clinicians to use this inventive approach in everyday practice. Dissemination among much larger populations of patients can be envisioned. Development of well-being methods for more diverse clinical problems can be projected and supported with a core text on basic theories and procedures. Research on treatment outcome in depression, anxiety, and a variety of other conditions can be anticipated. And innovative delivery methods with computer technology can be conceptualized. Patients and therapists owe a debt of gratitude to Giovanni Fava for introducing WBT into the family of effective psychiatric treatments.

      Jesse H. Wright, MD, PhD, Louisville, Ky.

      ______________________

      This book is both the first full account and a manual for a specific psychotherapeutic strategy for increasing psychological well-being: Well-Being Therapy (WBT).

      The first part describes how it developed and how it was implemented. The second part outlines the type of assessment that is necessary for its application and provides a session-by-session treatment manual. Finally, the third part deals with the current indications of WBT based on controlled studies and other potential applications, with descriptions of clinical cases.

      For this book, I am indebted in particular to Jenny Guidi, PhD; Elena Tomba, PhD; Emanuela Offidani, PhD; Jesse H. Wright, MD; Seung K. Park, MD; Fiammetta Cosci, MD, PhD; Chiara Rafanelli, MD, PhD; and Nicoletta Sonino, MD (my wife), who provided important feedback and encouragement.

      Giovanni A. Fava, MD, Bologna/Buffalo, N.Y.

      ______________________

       The Background

      When I decided to study medicine, I was not particularly convinced of my choice. The early years were tough: I did not like the topics I was studying in my medical school in Padova, Italy. I was aware that I should consider myself lucky with a future full of promise, but I kept on wondering whether it was the right choice - until something happened. In those days (early 1970s), medical students had yearly chest X-rays. At the beginning of my third year (medical courses extend over 6 years in Italy), I had mine. A few days later I received a letter stating that there was something wrong and to come back for further checking in a couple of days. My first thought was ‘I have tuberculosis’. When I got the letter, I was reading Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain and I concluded that this could not be a coincidence: ‘I have not been feeling well, recently - I thought - I am more tired than I used to be.’ I imagined myself in a sanatorium, far away from my family, friends, and classes. When I eventually went to the clinic for the new check-up, I was a wreck. But at the clinic they told me there must have been a mistake and that my chest was fine. In a matter of seconds, I felt fine and when I left the clinic the sky was blue and there could not be any other medical student happier than I was. I understood that regaining health is a wonderful experience; however, I was never actually sick from a medical viewpoint.

      The Rochester Experience