Psychotherapy for Individuals with Intellectual Disability

Book excerpt: This book provides the reader with insightful and useful ways to provide psychotherapy treatment for individuals who have intellectual disability (ID). It brings together all three modalities (individual, couple, and group), and a variety of theoretical models and techniques are discussed. The first section, Individual Therapy, offers a variety of approaches and techniques including dialectical behavioral therapy, positive psychology, mindfulness-based practice, and relaxation framing. Also included in this section are chapters on specialty populations including victims of abuse, people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder, and people in mourning. The second section is a chapter on group therapy addressing trauma issues. The third section is on family and couple therapy. The fourth section covers chapters on research, ethics, and training. The individual authors are respected authorities in the field of providing psychotherapy treatment for persons with ID, and all have contributed to the professional literature. This book is a major contribution to the effort to make psychotherapy available to individuals who have ID and should serve to further stimulate interest in the provision of psychotherapy treatment for individuals who have ID co-occurring with significant mental health problems. Book jacket.