A Timeless Classic for Anxiety-Ridden Clients

Reviews the book, Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective (15th Anniversary Ed.) by Aaron T. Beck and Gary Emery, with Ruth L. Greenberg (see record 2006-01301-000). Although we are used to the reissue of classical literature, the reissuing of a book in the field of psychotherapy has been reserved for the most part to psychoanalytic classics (e.g., Freud, Jung). Now 20 years after the publication of their book, Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective, Aaron T. Beck, Gary Emery, and Ruth L. Greenberg have re-issued it, now published in paperback and with a new preface. The book is divided into four sections. The first two sections are the 2005 preface and the original 1985 preface. The third section, subtitled "theoretical and clinical aspects," consists of 9 chapters written by Beck. The fourth section, Cognitive Therapy: Techniques and Applications, written by Emery, includes six chapters. Beck's greatest skill is his ability to conceptualize the agony of human experience in terms that allow others to understand the cognitive core. Beck reviews the literature on memory biases, imagery, implicit associations, and self-focused attention. In the section on cognitive theory, Emery borrows heavily from the methods developed for cognitive therapy of depression and adapts them for these conditions in an appropriate and useful way. This section focuses on techniques that the clinician may use to modify the client's cognitions and to build coping skills. Emery masterfully reviews the collaborative effort between the patient and the therapist. The volume is rich in clinical wisdom based on observations with a fresh slant, and one that is not dominated by any system, including the affective, motivational, behavioral, genetic, psychophysiological, neurochemical, and cognitive systems. The emphasis in this book is on mechanisms of change as the person experiences the various manifestations of anxiety. The experienced cognitive-behavioral therapist will enjoy rereading Beck's theoretical work but will find the Emery section to be very basic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)