Foreword

© Cambridge University Press 2010. In the last 35 years very considerable progress has been made in developing effective psychological treatments for mental health problems. Several schools of psychotherapy have contributed to these advances. However, the contribution of the cognitive-behavioral school has been particularly prominent, partly because it is the only school that has developed treatments for a wide range of different disorders, each of which has been shown to be effective in well-conducted, randomized controlled trials. Reflecting this substantial evidence base, governmental and professional guidelines in many countries now include the cognitive-behavior therapies among their list of first-choice treatments. This book provides an excellent introduction to these treatments in action. There is, of course, no single cognitive-behavior therapy. Instead, researchers and clinicians have developed highly specialized interventions that target the specific psychological processes that underlie different pathological conditions, while at the same time taking into account the unique way in which people with different conditions present in treatment, and the challenges this poses for the nature of the therapeutic relationship. Stefan Hofmann and Mark Reinecke have been leading figures in the development of the field. Drawing on their broad knowledge, they have assembled for this book a stellar list of contributors, each of whom has a well-deserved reputation for their expertise in the treatment of the particular disorders that are the focus of each chapter.