May 4, 2010 nineteenth mailing An evidence-based blog on stress, health & wellbeing (April posts) Greetings The twelve

e April posts to this evidence-based blog on stress, health & wellbeing are detailed in the calendar view. There continue to be three strands to the blog research updates, general writing, and information leaflets/questionnaires although, in April, general writing took the lions share. There are five blog posts about the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) spring conference and workshops. The first three are on the workshop I went to, run by Willem Kuyken & Rob Kidney BABCP spring meeting: collaborative case conceptualization introduction, BABCP spring meeting: collaborative case conceptualization cross-sectional & longitudinal, and BABCP spring meeting: collaborative case conceptualization including positive psychology. The fourth post is about the one-day conference itself BABCP spring meeting: the conference an overview. The last of this sequence looks in more depth at the talk I was most struck by "Compassion in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: therapist embodiment and client change" in BABCP spring meeting: the conference a highlight. Linking with this last paper, is the information leaflet/questionnaire post A better way to measure selfcompassion which gives background and a downloadable version of the new, short-form Selfcompassion scale. There is a growing research base supporting the value of self-compassion as a healthier alternative to the more narcissistic concept of self-esteem, with potentially major implications for stress, health and wellbeing! In Recent research: articles from March journals there are 30 abstracts that might particularly interest cognitive-behavioural therapists, 19 overlapping abstracts on depression that include more pharmacological studies, and a further 25 overlapping abstracts which tend to focus on aspects of lifestyle including purpose in life & dementia, cascading cooperative behaviour, nutrition & psychiatry, sex in later life, and more. There are a couple of further general posts. In Generalized anxiety disorder: should applied relaxation be the first line psychological treatment? I draw a parallel between the way that Behavioural Activation (BA) is typically as effective as fuller CBT for depression, and the way that Applied Relaxation (AR) is almost as effective as fuller CBT for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Since its easier to train therapists to deliver the simpler BA and AR interventions, maybe we should use Applied Relaxation as first line treatment for GAD? In Three interesting websites: DSM-5 development, group therapy, and get self-help I introduce these three interesting resources. The last of these get self-help can be very useful in providing access to a wide range of psychological self-help information. The last three of this months blog posts are more informal. In Walking in the Mamores: anxiety as a friend, I write about getting ready for a walking trip in the Scottish Highlands and the way that anxiety can sometimes be helpful in preparing for potential threats. In Walking in the Mamores: three Munros in the mist, I describe a day in the hills. Then in the last post Walking in the Mamores: reflection, I talk a little about the importance of breaks from routine, about the value of activities rather than possessions, and about self-determination theory and wellbeing. As Ive mentioned before, this blog is intended as a free resource for people who are interested in stress, health & wellbeing. Its key feature is that I read a lot of emerging research and bring over 30 years experience as a medical doctor and psychotherapist to the sifting-out-whats-valuable task. Going to the tag cloud will give you a searchable view of subjects Ive touched on in the blog. Theres also a linked searchable list of over 250 good health-related websites that Ive checked out, an 8session MP3-recording Autogenic relaxation/meditation course, and several hundred freely downloadable stress, health & wellbeing relevant handouts & questionnaires. If this information isnt of interest to you (or if Ive contacted you at two different addresses) simply reply to this email with unsubscribe in the subject line and Ill take that email address off the mailing list. Similarly, if you know anybody who would like to be on the mailing list, let me know and Im very happy to make sure theyre included. With all good wishes

James 78 Polwarth Terrace Edinburgh, EH11 1NJ Tel: 0131 337 8474 Email: james.hawkins@blueyonder.co.uk Web: www.goodmedicine.org.uk Blog: www.stressedtozest.co.uk