This study compared 2 extended therapy programs for weight management with standard behavioral treatment (BT) without additional therapy contacts. Participants were 80 obese women who completed 20 weekly group sessions of BT and achieved a mean initial weight loss of 8.74 kg. Participants were randomly assigned to a no-further-contact condition (BT only) or to one of two extended interventions consisting of relapse prevention training (RPT) or problem-solving therapy (PST). No significant overall weight-change differences were observed between RPT and BT or between RPT and PST. However, participants who completed the PST intervention had significantly greater long-term weight reductions than BT participants, and a significantly larger percentage of PST participants achieved clinically significant losses of 10% or more in body weight than did BT participants (35% vs. 6%).
This study examined the effects of matching participants to treatments on the basis of their preferences for either individual or group therapy for obesity. Seventy-five obese adults who expressed a clear preference for either individual or group therapy were randomly assigned to either their preferred or their nonpreferred treatment modality within a 2 (individual vs. group therapy) x 2 (preferred vs. nonpreferred modality) factorial design. At posttreatment, group therapy produced significantly greater reductions in weight and body mass than individual therapy, and no significant effects were observed for treatment preference or the interaction for treatment preference by type of therapy. All treatment conditions showed equivalent improvements in psychological functioning. These findings suggest that group therapy produces greater weight loss than individual therapy, even among those clients who express a preference for individual treatment.
Many practitioners struggle with how best to use Internet technology to market and support their practice. Unfortunately, the empirical literature offers little guidance. This study compared existing mental health clinicians' Web sites to content areas identified as essential and ideal by mental health professionals and prospective consumers. The findings reveal that prospective consumers place a high value on what clinical Web pages may offer, more so than even clinicians themselves. In comparison to clinicians, consumers also have higher expectations for the content of these sites. Only a minority of surveyed clinician Web sites included all of the content endorsed by participants. Results should guide mental health clinicians in the development of their Web pages so that content provided meets consumers' needs and expectations. DAVID PALMITER JR. received his PhD in clinical psychology from George Washington University in 1989. He is an associate professor of psychology and counseling at Marywood University, where he is also the director of the Psychological Services Center and director of PsyD practicums and internships. His areas of research are child assessment and the use of the Internet in academia and clinical practice. DAVID RENJILIAN received his PhD in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1990. He is an associate professor of psychology and counseling at Marywood University. His areas of research are the use of technology in clinical practice and psychotherapist burnout.
This article identifies student (N = 102) and faculty (N = 84) attitudes regarding desired content for a faculty Web page. The majority of students and faculty agreed that faculty should include the following on a Web page: an e-mail address, office hours, telephone number, course syllabi, courses offered, research interests, educational background, links both within and outside of the institution, professional experience, publications, academic advising information, professional memberships, and a picture of the faculty member. A random sample of faculty Web pages (N = 149) showed that most faculty sites, although containing valued information, fell short of faculty and student expectations. Psychology faculty can use these findings to develop more effective Web pages.
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