Forms for The therapist.
Rosik, Christopher H.
FORMS FOR THE THERAPIST. Allan G. Hedberg (Ed.) (2010). San Diego,
CA: Academic Press.
Allan Hedberg is a seasoned psychologist and former president of
the California Psychological Association. His considerable experience as
a clinician is evident in this impressive volume that makes a wealth of
useful material readily available to therapists seeking to establish or
enhance their practice. Moreover, Dr. Hedberg enlisted the contributions
of sixteen other experienced professionals to provide helpful resources
in seven areas: Information for the therapist, assessment tools, patient
homework or assignment outside therapy, information for the patient,
exercises to be performed in therapy, forms to be completed by the
therapist or patient, and sample forms and templates. Multiple indexes
and pictorial legends help to direct the clinician to the exact page
where the needed form is presented. In addition, purchase of the book
enables the user to access a website where all of the forms can be
downloaded, so no binding-breaking copying is necessary.
It is impossible to review all of the valuable forms compiled in
this text, but the list of chapter titles can provide some basic
orientation to what this book offers. Chapters include Forms for setting
up and defining your practice; Forms related to fees; HIPAA/Patient
privacy forms; General information handouts for patients; Forms related
to referral and consulting services; Fitness for duty and workers
compensation forms; Forms related to patient services; Forms related to
therapist's professional activity; Managing an office staff;
Termination of treatment/practice forms; Forms for session notes;
Clinical errors, bad habits, ethical complaints, and law suits;
Expanding your practice; Organizing your charts and evaluations; General
assessments, intake, brief, comprehensive, and more; Assessments related
to specific tests and scales; Assessments related to risk, competency,
health, and neuropsychology; Anxiety and stress relief with relaxation
assessment and exercises; Depression and self-esteem; Insomnia and sleep
therapy; Addictive behavior; Suicidal behavior; Pain management and
coping with medical disorders; Anger and violent behavior; Strategies
and tools for personal growth and health awareness; Communication tips
and exercises; eating and exercise logs; Cultural diversity appreciation
exercises; Conflict resolution and problem solving; Thinking
distortions: Information and patient exercises; eating and exercise
logs; Cultural diversity appreciation exercises; Conflict resolution and
problem solving; Thinking distortions: Information and patient
exercises; Behavioral monitoring logs; Dealing with crisis; Serving
children and their families; Dealing with geriatric patients; Couples
therapy and relationship assessment and exercises. As the breadth of
these titles suggest, it is inconceivable that a therapist would not
find many forms in this book that will improve their professional
practice.
This reviewer has found particular benefit in the forms that were
designed to serve as psychoeducational reading and homework between
sessions, as often such forms either have to be self-developed or
purchased. This book will eliminate much of that time and expense for
me. Its purchase price of $49.95 breaks down to roughly 10 cents per
form, a bargain by any measure. A few helpful forms from the couples
section I have already utilized include, "20 diagnostic factors
that indicate relationship anger," "How to predict a
potentially violent relationship," and "The pathway to
reconciliation." Once again, this brief review just scrapes the
surface of what this text has to offer. Dr. Hedberg should be commended
for providing this ongoing resource to mental health professionals and
their patients.
Reviewed by Christopher H. Rosik (Link Care Center, Fresno, CA;
Fresno Pacific University).
