Reviews for Psychology of Exercise: Integrating Theory and Practice

The average rating for Psychology of Exercise: Integrating Theory and Practice based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-08-30 00:00:00 Francisco Horna I had a general vague understanding that clinical psychology doesn't have strong evidence base. Little did I know that middle ages are alive and well in large parts of clinical psychology practice. After reading the book, it seems that much of it operates on principles of alchemy - without exaggeration there's magic, exorcisms and looking for the philosopher's stone. What is even more disconcerting is that it isn't just fringe practitioners but it has spread to mainstream with the likes of EMDR and dissociative personality disorder. With much pessimism in the book there is ground for optimism too. The success of evidence based clinical psychology research is clearly laid out, including some behavioural methods. Science took a few centuries to arrive from alchemy to its current form and hopefully the same happens with psychology. As a whole, the book gives a good overview of the current practice of clinical psychology.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-31 00:00:00 Susan Case (This book should be required reading for any researcher or clinician involved in the mental health field or anyone simply interested in therapy.) Lilienfeld compiles a comprehensive series of articles summarizing and evaluating various therapies for children and adults addressing a range of psychopathologies, including autism, depression, dissociative symptoms, PTSD, and the like. In doing so, Lilienfeld does not share good news; clinical psychology is at risk of being considered a non science due to its resistance to adopting and implementing evidence based treatments, instead preferring to rely on "clinical judgment". As a result, the field is replete with unsupported therapies that at best are ineffective and at worst, harmful to patients and clients alike. Part of what makes this book so important is what makes it so depressing; the necessary changes Lilienfeld makes will transform clinical psychology into a more rigorous scientific field.