CBT for Occupational Stress in Health Professionals : Introducing a Schema-Focused Approach

The costs of occupational stress in terms of sickness absence, ill-health-related retirement, litigation and lost productivity are increasing, putting strain on economies across the world. The fact that health care work is inherently more stressful than many other occupations makes it vital that the problem of occupational stress among health professionals is addressed.

CBT for Occupational Stress in Health Professionals goes beyond simply defining the problem and fills a gap in the current literature by providing clear and concise individual treatment interventions. In three parts, the book covers:

• an overview of stress in the occupational context
• the standard CBT approach to assessment, formulation and treatment
• a new schema-focused approach to treating occupational stress.

The schema-focused approach presented here provides powerful tools for treating a range of work-related problems for which standard CBT approaches are ineffective. Case studies are presented throughout the book to illustrate the therapeutic approaches described.

This book will be of huge benefit to clinical and organizational psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health workers, counsellors and anyone else involved in treating occupational stress. It will also have much to offer those who manage people suffering from stress, human resource workers and those who are experiencing work-related stress.

Martin R. Bamber is a chartered consultant clinical psychologist. He presently holds the post of Head of the Primary Care and Adult Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Sections of Selby and York NHS Primary Care Trust Psychological Therapies Department. He is also a teaching fellow at the University of York and is founder and Director of MRB Clinical Psychology Services, a private practice based in York.