Yearly Archives: 2014

 

 

Considering the prevalence of chronic pain in the general population, treatment teams everywhere have been grasping for effective treatment options. Empirical research has pointed towards mindfulness-based treatments with promising results.

 

Mind-body approaches have sought to improve the decreased health-related quality of life and high levels of psychological distress frequently associated with chronic pain conditions.  Such approaches as Mindfulness-Based stress reduction (MBSR), which was modeled after the curriculum Kabat-Zinn et al. developed in the 1980’s at the Stress Reduction Clinic of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, utilize techniques including: body scan, awareness of breathing, awareness of emotions, mindful yoga and walking, mindful eating, and mindful listening.  Past research has suggested significant improvement for chronic pain patients in a variety of symptoms following the implementation of MBSR interventions. However, there seems to be some inconsistency in these results as a factor of diagnostic heterogeneity versus homogeneity in past sample populations.

 

Investigators in the current study seek to compare the efficacy of MBSR among diagnostic subgroups of patients who received treatment in a diagnostically heterogeneous community population. Rosenzweig, Greeson, Reibel, et al. (2010) compared pre- and post-treatment measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), an index of bodily pain and pain-related limitations in daily functioning, and psychological distress. Data was collected over the course of seven years from 133 participants in the 8-week MBSR program. 84% of participants were women, 93% were Caucasian, and were divided into groups of patients diagnosed with arthritis, chronic back or neck pain, chronic headache/migraine, and patients with two or more of these diagnoses.  99 participants completed the program 41 of the 99 completed logs of recommended home meditation practice, which were incorporated into treatment mid-study.

 

Overall, all subgroups of participants reported an improvement in HRQoL subsequent to the MBSR program; however, there were differences between groups in the magnitude of this improvement.  The most significant average improvements in HRQoL as well as psychological distress were seen in participants diagnosed with arthritis. Medium to large effects were seen in participants with chronic neck or back pain in terms of physical and mental components of HRQoL. Participants with two or more chronic pain diagnoses show significant improvements in pain, pain-related functional limitations, overall HRQoL, and psychological distress. Those participants with chronic headache/migraine reported the smallest magnitude of improvement in HRQoL. Finally, data analysis of the information collected regarding recommended home meditation practice yielded strong associations between adherence to recommendations and greater home practice and improved outcomes in several areas, including: psychological distress, somatic symptoms, self-rated health, reduction in role limitations due to emotional problems, and social functioning.

 

Rosenzweig, A., Greeson, J. M., Reibel, D. K., Green, J. S., Jasser, S. A., & Beasley, D. (2010). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for chronic pain conditions: Variation in treatment outcomes and role of home meditation practice.  Journal of Psychosomatic Research, (68), 29-36.

 

Cassandra A. Sturycz, B.A.
Psychology Practicum Student

 

 

 

Every therapist working in community mental health knows it all too well. You spend your time researching techniques that you will use for a specific client just to find that the client does not show up for her scheduled appointment.

 

Sperry, Carlson, Kjos (2003) discuss this dilemma in their book, Becoming an Effective Therapist, and found, through research, techniques that have been shown to improve treatment adherence and maintenance. Some of the techniques the authors found to be most helpful include using various reminders regarding the appointment including telephone, mail, email, and possibly, text, through a company telephone, elicit and discuss reasons for previously missed appointments, involve the client in planning and implementation of the treatment plan and tailoring the plan to the specific client, process any negative feedback from the client regarding the therapy session, teach self-management skills, involve significant others if the client is willing, and use a combination of approaches rather than single strategies. It is important for the therapist to discuss with the client, his or her adherence history, beliefs, expectations, and possible barriers or obstacles to adherence.

 

Some helpful questions to ask your client include: Why have you come to treatment? What have you heard or been told regarding treatment? What do you expect to happen during your treatment? What do you hope will be different after treatment? These questions will help the client to understand what he or she expects from treatment and be more prepared for the work that the therapy will involve.

 

Since the goal of every therapist is to help their clients, it is vital for therapists to look at what they can do to ensure their clients show up for treatment.

 

Sperry, L., Carlson, J., & Kjos, Diane. (2003). Becoming an effective therapist. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

 

Cindy Geil, MA
WKPIC Intern

 

It happens all the time.  Everyone does it.

 

We frequently have to deal with the reckless driver who blows a stop sign, the rude man who pushed his way to the front of the line at Starbucks, the clumsy waitress who spills the drinks while delivering them to the table.  We make decisions about people’s dispositions after seeing them perform one action, without taking into account pertinent situational factors. It is far less often that we put forth the cognitive effort to consider such situational influences.  It could very well be that the driver who neglected to stop at the stop sign did not see the sign because there was a tree branch blocking it, the man at Starbucks was actually rushing to the front of the line was actually giving another person in the front his credit card that he had dropped by the door, and the waitress was tripped by one of her coworkers who was playfully teasing her.

 

We do not tend to think of situations in this way.  It is more likely that we would attribute these behaviors as a manifestation of the disposition of these individuals. Social psychologists call this the Fundamental Attribution Error.  Lee Ross was the first to use this term to describe the phenomenon. He went so far as to argue that the Fundamental Attribution Error is the “conceptual bedrock” of the field of social psychology.

 

Ross, L. (1977). “The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process”. In Berkowitz, L. Advances in experimental social psychology 10. New York: Academic Press. pp. 173–220.

 

Cassandra A. Sturycz, B.A.
Psychology Practicum Student

 

 

 

Research has examined the effect of scents have on mood, behavior, and performance.  There is evidence that certain scents produce positive effects in these areas.  What is this magical odor that will help me finish my 50-page thesis, you ask? Well, this is where it gets tricky.

 

Research has shown that there is not necessarily a universal scent, such as mint or a perfume, that will help everyone’s mood.  Rachel S. Herz, a professor of psychology at Brown University, explains that the scents that will benefit an individual the most are those associated with a positive mood through experience.  The olfactory bulbs are a part of the limbic system and work directly with limbic system structures such as the amygdala, which is associated with the processing of emotional information, and the hippocampus, which deals with associative learning. Therefore, odors are incredibly efficient influences on emotional state due to these close ties between olfaction, associative learning, and emotion.

 

This effect of odors on mood is what leads to an increase in performance efficiency.  Research has found positive correlations between positive mood, as produced by pleasant ambient odors, and various task performances.  As positive mood increases, researchers have noted increases in vigilance, efficiency, and creativity. The odors that are most effective at influencing one’s mood will be odors with which one has a positive emotional association.  For example, if an individual has fond memories of baking cookies with his/her mother, a cookies scented candle may increase their mood, when it is burned. If this individual burns such a candle in the office, he/she may see increases in job performance.

 

Cassandra Sturycz
Psychology Practicum Student