Cognitive Therapy for Personality and Disorders: A Schema-Focused Approach

As a practicing psychologist I found that managed care insidiously pulled me away from looking at the personality conflicts behind psychological problems, huge mistake! This book reminds the therapist that it is imperative to understand one's irrational beliefs and defenses protecting self esteem.

A great book to help understand why we behave in selfdefeating ways and how to recognise these habits and apply change

I have a personality disorder and I've found it difficult to change. This book explained why and gave me a concrete method to effectuate change. I read the lay version "Reinventing Your Life" but I found this version more useful. After almost 5 years of therapy with a competent therapist, I felt like a cognitive therapy failure. Now I know that cognitive therapy can work, but not the way I expected it to--not the way it works for many people. No "Ten Days to Self Esteem" for me. I have to work harder, at a deeper level, in order to get better. This book gives practical advice on how to achieve the change I want.

I highly recommend this illuminating and comprehensive guide. Young's ability to integrate various theoretical orientations and provide a clinically systematic, straightforward method for working with maladaptive traits is astonishing. This book rocks. For a more conversational style that can be used for client homework, check out his companion book, "Reinventing Your Life."