Journal of Clinical Psychology

Self‐compassion is conceptualized as containing 3 core components: self‐kindness versus self‐judgment, common humanity versus isolation, and mindfulness versus overidentification, when relating to painful experiences. Research evidence demonstrates that self‐compassion is related to psychological flourishing and reduced psychopathology. Mindful Self‐Compassion (MSC) is an 8‐week training program, meeting 2.5 hours each week, designed to help participants cultivate self‐compassion. MSC contains a variety of meditations (e.g., loving‐kindness, affectionate breathing) as well as informal practices for use in daily life (e.g., soothing touch, self‐compassionate letter writing). A detailed clinical case illustrates the journey of a client through the 8 weeks of MSC training, describing the key features of each session and the client's response.

Recently, the psychological construct mindfulness has received a great deal of attention. The majority of research has focused on clinical studies to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness‐based interventions. This line of research has led to promising data suggesting mindfulness‐based interventions are effective for treatment of both psychological and physical symptoms. However, an equally important direction for future research is to investigate questions concerning mechanisms of action underlying mindfulness‐based interventions. This theoretical paper proposes a model of mindfulness, in an effort to elucidate potential mechanisms to explain how mindfulness affects positive change. Potential implications and future directions for the empirical study of mechanisms involved in mindfulness are addressed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 373–386, 2006.

Computers and the Internet have the potential to be used to deliver psychological treatments. This article provides a selective review of applications involving little or no therapist contact, applications involving asynchronous and synchronous communication with providers, and applications that have been used as adjuncts to standard psychotherapy. Data on the efficacy of these applications most strongly support using the Internet to complete and submit behavioral assignments, to obtain social support from peers, and to receive education, feedback, and support from therapists in the form of e‐mail or chatroom communications. General practice recommendations are given with an emphasis on ways to encourage use of the Internet as an information and communication tool as an adjunct to regular psychotherapy. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session.

This study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II; A. T. Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) in samples of high‐school adolescents (N=414; 210 boys and 204 girls, ages 14–18 years). Confirmatory factor analyses provided satisfactory fit estimates for the two‐ and three‐factor oblique solutions reported frequently in the extant literature. The solution to a general factor with domain‐specific somatic and cognitive‐affective factors was examined as an alternative model to previously established models for the current high‐school sample data. Results provided stronger support for the general factor model. Estimates of internal consistency for scores on this instrument were high (coefficient α=.92, average interitem correlation=.35). The mean BDI‐II total score for the nonclinical samples (M=12.50, SD=10.50) was compared with the mean scores reported for various adolescent normative samples in the extant literature. The BDI‐II total score correlated moderately and significantly with scores on self‐report measures of hopelessness (r=.63), anxiety (r=.53), and suicide‐related behaviors (r=.57), providing support of adequate correlates for the BDI‐II. Estimates of known‐groups validity were evaluated using data from a small sample of 167 clinical adolescent inpatients. Specific study findings, limitations, and recommendations are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64: 83–102, 2008.

Depression is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality in patients with coronary disease, particularly after myocardial infarction, independent of previous cardiac history or CAD severity. Depression also is associated with poor long‐term psychosocial outcomes. The prevalence of major depression among post‐MI patients is 15 to 20%, with an additional 27% reporting symptoms of minor depression. This article briefly reviews the literature on depression in patients with coronary disease, including previously published efforts to treat the disorder in this group. A case review then is provided, highlighting important aspects of treatment. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 57: 1323–1337, 2001.