One hundred and nine patients with a primary diagnosis of GAD were allocated to either cognitive, behavioural, cognitive-behavioural or placebo versions of “Stress Control” large group didactic therapy or to a waiting list condition. Each group was run by two therapists and, with the exception of the placebo, contained between 20 and 24 patients. A wide range of measures were administered at pre-, mid- and post-therapy and at six month follow-up. At post-therapy, all therapy conditions showed highly significant change on almost all measures, with the active therapies, and to a slightly lesser degree, the placebo, being significantly different to the waiting list on most measures. At follow-up, the active treatment conditions enhanced post-therapy improvements, while the placebo condition maintained progress. No significant differences existed between the four treatment conditions at post-therapy and, with the exception of one measure, at follow-up. However, a trend at both points favours the cognitive and behavioural conditions.

This study examined the efficacy of training parents in different methods of child management, using social learning theory/behavioural principles. Following an encouraging pilot study, thirty-seven pre-school children, six girls and thirty-one boys, were allocated to one of four methods of parent training: group, home visit, telephone, or waiting list/delayed intervention control. Assessment conducted pre- and post-intervention and at twelve to eighteen months follow-up indicated clinical improvement for all three active intervention conditions compared to the waiting list control condition. There were no significant differences between the three active intervention conditions either at post-intervention or at follow-up. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Social skills role-play assessment has been plagued by a lack of external validity. One solution recommended has been to select role-plays that are personally relevant for clients. The present study assessed the relationship between the personal relevance of role-plays and degree of socially skilled behavior. Results failed to support the hypothesis that clients would perform most poorly in those role-plays they viewed as most personally relevant. Results suggest that it may not be critical for therapists to develop role-plays that are personally relevant; the variables controlling socially skilled behavior do not seem unique to personally relevant situations. Instead, it may be more important for therapists to examine a broad range of social situations. If only personally relevant social skill situations are assessed, an incomplete picture of a client's range of social deficits may be obtained.

This paper presents data from a sample of 21 pilot cases and six control cases arising from an ongoing project evaluating cognitive-behavioural therapy in two-plus-one sessions within an NHS clinical psychology department. The major issue addressed concerns the general effectiveness of the two-plus-one-model as an ethical intervention model within a service delivery system. It is concluded that the data provide ethical and clinical support for a major field study as well as indicating provisional support for the implementation of this service delivery model in NHS settings in pursuance of more cost-effective models of psychological interventions to selected clients.

Long-term maintenance of weight loss is generally poor after clinical interventions, whether behavioural, cognitive-behavioural, dietary, pharmacological or surgical. This may be because self-assertion regarding body shape and self-efficacy in weight control are insufficiently encouraged in clients. Semi-structured group therapy sessions with written handouts were therefore designed to strengthen personal effectiveness and self-esteem. The therapy sessions also provided information about successful dieting behaviour, and encouragement of less switching between dieting strategies, less emotional eating, and more resistance to inappropriate social pressures. The clients were 24 women with a median (range) Body Mass Index of 28.9 (24.6–48.5) kg/m2, referred by their General Practitioners or self-referred. They participated in eight weekly therapeutic sessions in four groups and were followed up six months after the final session. There were large improvements during therapy in reported self-esteem, emotional overeating, personal effectiveness and self-efficacy, habit variation, and attitudes to body-size, improvements which were maintained at follow-up. In addition, there was a significant loss of body weight during therapy, with further loss observed at follow-up. Thus it is practicable to achieve marked reductions in professed problems with body image and eating control, changes that are theoretically necessary to empower clients to choose appropriate weight targets and to make progress towards them.

This study reports on the effects of a cognitive-behavioral treatment program for two pre-adolescent children with chronic headaches. The program involved a combination of training the child in self-management skills (e.g. relaxation training, attention training, cognitive self-statements), and training for parents in how to prompt and reinforce children's self-help behaviors. Self-report assessment utilized a headache diary, a general activity measure, and a depression measure, whilst parental report measures were taken of the child's headache behavior and contingent parental care-giving behavior. Child headache behavior at school was also recorded by the child's teacher. The results indicated that by six months follow-up the subjects had improved in headache intensity 100% and 61% respectively, and in headache frequency 100% and 84% respectively. Both subjects also showed decreases in headache behaviors and reductions in contingent care-giving behavior by parents. Overall, the results suggest the potential usefulness of systematic involvement of parents in cognitive-behavioral treatment of children's chronic headaches.

A chinese woman suffering from obsessional ruminations of harming herself and others was treated using an audio loop tape to facilitate exposure to these thoughts. The initial treatment using a tape of her ruminations in English produced little anxiety or improvement. Subsequent recording of her ruminations in Cantonese evoked considerable distress which habituated over treatment. The importance of cultural factors in assessment and treatment is emphasized.