Beyond the DSM: Toward a Process-Based Alternative for Diagnosis and Mental Health Treatment

As a mental health clinician, you know that every client is unique, and a client’s symptoms are the result of a complex combination of psychological, environmental, genetic, and neural factors. However, the de facto DSM model poses considerable constraints on how you can treat clients—often resulting in a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. This important volume challenges the assumptions and approach made by the DSM, and provides a vision and plan for an evidence-based, process-based approach to individualized care.With contributions from renowned experts in the field—including Steven C. Hayes, Stefan G. Hofmann, Joseph Ciarrochi, Matthew McKay, Uma Vaidyanathan, Sarah Morris, David Sommers, J. Scott Fraser, and many more—this groundbreaking book will show you a new way to recognize the complexity of human suffering and human prosperity. You’ll find solid tips for treating a wide variety of psychological issues in a more flexible way. And, finally, you’ll come away with a greater understanding of the “processes of change,” and how to build a solid foundation for an alternative to syndromal diagnosis.The future of mental health treatment is process-based. Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, student, instructor, or other professional working in the mental health field, this breakthrough volume offers everything you need to understand process-based treatment and create a more customized and effective approach to treating clients.

About the Author

Editor Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has been president of numerous professional organizations, is author of forty-five books and nearly 650 scientific articles, and is among the most cited living psychologists. He has shown in his research how language and thought leads to human suffering, and is originator and codeveloper of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): a powerful therapy method that is useful in a wide variety of areas; relational frame theory (RFT): an empirical program in language and cognition; and process-based therapy (with Stefan G. Hofmann). Editor Stefan G. Hofmann, PhD, is professor of psychology in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University. He has been president of numerous professional organizations, and is currently editor in chief of Cognitive Therapy and Research. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed journal articles and twenty books. He is a highly cited researcher, and has received many awards, including the Humboldt Research Award. His research focuses on the mechanism of treatment change, translating discoveries from neuroscience into clinical applications, emotion regulation, and cultural expressions of psychopathology. He is codeveloper (with Steven C. Hayes) of process-based therapy. Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno; and president of the Institute for Better Health. Author of forty-eight books and more than 700 scientific articles, he has been president of numerous professional organizations and is among the most cited living psychologists. He has shown in his research on relational frame theory (RFT) how and why language and symbolic thought leads both to human achievement and to human suffering, and has guided the extension of RFT to ACT. Stefan G. Hofmann, PhD, is one of the most widely cited experts on using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of anxiety—appearing in academic and medical journals as well as mainstream media. Hofmann has been researching social anxiety disorder for most of his career. CBT for Social Anxiety is the first nonprofessional book to translate Hofmann’s research into a user-friendly format to help readers personalize this highly effective treatment to overcome social anxiety.