We review mental health related material so that our readers are informed of what resources are available in our community. Here is a book review done by one of our volunteers, Justina.
Title: Clinical Psychology in Singapore: An Asian Casebook
Editors: Gregor Lange and John Davidson with Deborah Amanda Goh
Publisher: NUS Press
Year of Publication: 2015
Image Source: NUS Press [http://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/collections/singapore/products/clinical-psychology-in-singapore?variant=4468410693]
Reviewed by: Justina Y.
Related Topics: Psychology, clinical work, therapy, treatment, singapore case studies
Review:
This is a casebook geared towards psychology students. Personally, I found it extremely readable if you have some psychological knowledge.
The book is split into 20 chapters and 3 sections – each chapter is devoted to a client account, and each section covering a different phase in the lifespan: Child and Family, Adult and Older Adults.
Each client account covers the assessment, formulation and treatment plan, from common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, to more specific ones such as pyromania, exhibition, pathological gambling. It also discusses developmental disorders such as Aspergers.
I greatly enjoyed how the case studies are based on real Singapore clients and their families, and that these accounts are written by clinical psychologists working in various local settings. Cultural and contextual aspects of each case was discussed in-depth, which was appreciated. Another nice touch was the ‘fact boxes’ which provided interesting information relating to each case.
Some of the stories also gave me ideas for my own recovery, such as how a little boy seeing himself as a superhero battling anxiety, and how the love of the family enabled a severely abused boy to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder. Perhaps, someone struggling with addiction might take inspiration from the woman who had significant losses due to pathological gambling, and rebuilt her life, as well as another case of a woman in prison for drug offences.
Several cases such as the pyromania one and exhibitionism one highlighted to me how rehabilitation is important in the criminal justice system and how it takes a multi-systemic approach to prevent recidivism.
Overall, the book offered me tantalizing glimpses of what goes on within the therapy room and how people of all ages and families with multiple complex problems can build better lives.
A definite must read for anyone interested in the practice of clinical psychology within our local mental health services.
Good for:
Psychology students or anyone interested in the work of clinical psychologists in Singapore.
Where to Get:
$40 from NUS Press – http://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/collections/singapore/products/clinical-psychology-in-singapore?variant=4468410693