Luc Vandenberghe

Functional analytic psychotherapy and the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder

This paper argues that Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) can contribute to the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). FAP is a behavior analytically informed approach to talk-therapy, developed by Kohlenberg and Tsai. It uses natural occurrences of clinically relevant behavior in the client-therapist relationship to promote therapeutic change. A selection of vignettes of client-therapist dialogues involving two clients with OCD is discussed. The examples show how natural interactions between therapist and client can be used to bring therapeutic technique closer to the natural occurrences of obsessive-compulsive behavior. Furthermore, the fragments illustrate that FAP can encompass exposure and response prevention. Therefore, the in vivo learning during the session as promoted in FAP can be an asset in the treatment of clients with OCD, and it deserves attention in future treatment research.

Mindfulness nas terapias cognitivas e comportamentais

This article approaches a concept that originated in Oriental meditative practices, and became part of behavioral medicine starting with the stress reduction program of Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness is defined as a specific mode of paying full attention – concentrated on the present moment, intentionally and non-judgmentally. It means being in contact with the present and not being involved in memories or in thoughts about the future. Although implicitly present in clinical practices of traditional behavioral and cognitive therapy, it only gained full visibility in the literature during the past decade. Mindfulness is presented in this article in the way it is practiced in different contemporary behavioral and cognitive therapies. The therapeutic possibilities that this concept opens up from different theoretical perspectives are discussed

Couples therapy, female orgasmic disorder and the therapist–client relationship: Two case studies in functional analytic psychotherapy

The present article illustrates Functional Analytic Psychotherapy through two case studies. One concerns a marital crisis and the other a treatment of female orgasmic disorder. Possible curative mechanisms in the therapist–client relationship are discussed. In the first case study, the relationship with the therapists offered opportunities for the woman in the couple to learn to express her needs clearly and to obtain collaboration from the other in the relationship. It also allowed the male partner to learn to interact in an open, non-defensive way. In the second case study, the therapist–client relationship offered in vivo learning opportunities concerning the game of give and take that characterizes an intimate relationship, including accepting initiatives and challenges from the partner.

Parental stress in mothers of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Objectives to evaluate parental stress of mothers of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy; to verify whether parental stress undergoes variations according to the level of motor compromise, the childs phase of life, and sociodemographic variables. Method a cross-sectional, descriptive study, with 223 mothers of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Results 45.3% of the mothers presented high levels of stress; there were differences in stress between mothers of children with mild and severe motor impairment; mothers of older children were more stressed than mothers of younger children and of adolescents; paid work and leisure activities reduced the stress. Conclusion mothers of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, whose children present mild to severe motor impairment are vulnerable to parental stress. Paid work and leisure activities were the factors that contributed most to reducing the stress.OBJETIVOS: evaluar el estres familiar de madres de ninos y adolescentes con paralisis cerebral; verificar si el estres familiar sufre variaciones dependientes del nivel de compromiso motor, de las fases de la vida en que los hijos se encuentran y de las variables sociodemograficas. METODO: estudio transversal y descriptivo con 223 madres de ninos y adolescentes con paralisis cerebral. RESULTADOS: 45,3% de las madres presentaron altos niveles de estres; existen diferencias en el estres entre las madres de hijos con leve y grave comprometimiento motor; las madres de ninos mayores estaban mas estresadas que las madres de ninos menores y de adolescentes; el trabajo remunerado y el tiempo libre redujeron el estres. CONCLUSION: las madres de ninos y adolescentes con paralisis cerebral, cuyos hijos presentan compromiso motor, de leve a grave, son vulnerables al estres familiar. El trabajo remunerado y las actividades de tiempo libre fueron los factores que mas contribuyeron para reducir el estres

Parental stress in families of children with cerebral palsy: an integrative review

This article aims to select, evaluate and interpret critically the bibliographic production focused on the stress experienced by parents/caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. An integrative literature review was conducted. Sources for this search were the Virtual Health Library (VHL), the United States National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and manual search of references from the selected studies. It was decided to select studies published between 1998 and 2011. The sample included 13 articles. Parents of children with cerebral palsy have higher stress levels than parents of children without disabilities. Behavioral problems, psychological disorders and emotional needs of children were factors commonly associated with high levels of stress. Satisfaction with social support, satisfaction with the parental role, a good family rapport, an emotional bond between father/mother and child, spousal support and the sense of being an active participation in social life help reduce stress levels. Parents of children with cerebral palsy are likely to have their health affected by higher levels of stress. Thus, health professionals should give them special attention.

Abrangência e função da relação terapêutica na terapia comportamental

The behavioral therapy results had been attributed for a long time to the right application of its techniques, giving sparse attention to the client-therapist relationship. More recent tendencies have emphasized that interpersonal aspects of the therapeutic context directly affect the therapy outcome. The present paper, reflecting on clinical practice, discusses two basic functions of the therapeutic relation : as a intervention and a therapeutic instrument itself. The curative relationship is analyzed as a two-way road where the therapist influences the client through the impact the client has on the therapist. Neither client nor therapist passes through this experience without being transformed.

Estresse parental em famílias de crianças com paralisia cerebral: revisão integrativa

This article aims to select, evaluate and interpret critically the bibliographic production focused on the stress experienced by parents/caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. An integrative literature review was conducted. Sources for this search were the Virtual Health Library (VHL), the United States National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and manual search of references from the selected studies. It was decided to select studies published between 1998 and 2011. The sample included 13 articles. Parents of children with cerebral palsy have higher stress levels than parents of children without disabilities. Behavioral problems, psychological disorders and emotional needs of children were factors commonly associated with high levels of stress. Satisfaction with social support, satisfaction with the parental role, a good family rapport, an emotional bond between father/mother and child, spousal support and the sense of being an active participation in social life help reduce stress levels. Parents of children with cerebral palsy are likely to have their health affected by higher levels of stress. Thus, health professionals should give them special attention.

Law and grace in Saint Augustine: a fresh perspective on mindfulness and spirituality in behaviour therapy

The secular, acceptance-based philosophy of third wave behaviour therapy has easily absorbed the notion of mindfulness that originated in Eastern spirituality, entailing a secularised approach to transcendence. The present article seeks to connect mindfulness with existing efforts to integrate the Western clients spirituality into psychotherapy. For that purpose, we show how Christian grace theology and mindfulness theory overlap in the way they construe transcendence and self. Both approaches enhance openness to experience and deemphasise verbal control as a tool for personal progress. It is argued that awareness of this overlap can make it easier for the therapist to understand and appreciate the clients religious perspective. It can also help turn a clients spirituality into a relevant personal strength for therapy. Finally, explaining the overlap can enhance the credibility of mindfulness interventions with traditional Christian clients and make these interventions relevant to their spiritual concerns.

Interações e habilidades sociais entre universitários: um estudo correlacional

Abstract Interpersonal transactions are the basis of all social processes. The aim of this study was to verify how these transactions ar e related to socialskills, and at the same time, investigate the validity of the Brazilian version of the Checklist for Interpersonal Transactions -II. Participants were542 students of several university courses in the South Eastern Brazilian State of Goias ; aged between 18 and 55 years (M=21, SD=5.48). Theyresponded to Social Skills Inventory (Del Prette) and the Checklist for Interpersonal Transactions-II. Participants with the hi ghest scores in socialskills were more frequently placed in the Friendly-Dominant quadrant, while the group with the lowest social skills more readil y fell into theHostile-Submissive quadrant. Moreover, the interpersonal positions taken by highly socially skilled students were more varied. Social skillscorrelate positively with Friendly positions and negatively with Hostile and Submissive positions. These correlations support t he validity of theChecklist for Interpersonal Transactions-II.Uniterms

O relacionamento terapeuta-cliente no tratamento do transtorno obsessivo compulsivo

This article considers the possibilities of functional analytic psychotherapy in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. Functional analytic psychotherapy is a form of behavioral psychotherapy, that differs from traditional behavioral treatments like social skills training or desensitization, because it focuses exclusively on the opportunities for profound change that occur within the confines of an intimate and intense interpersonal relationship. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by repetitive and severe obsessions and compulsions that cause subjective suffering and objective losses. Although, at first sight, it is not an interpersonal problem, we will show how Functional Analytic Psychotherapy can contribute to its treatment. Turning-points are discussed in the relationship between a therapist and a 47 year-old client with treatment-resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since early adolescence. In-vivo learning opportunities, as conceptualized by Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, are identified in the therapist-client relationship, and the reasons for the therapeutic effects are discussed.