Psychologist, PhD University Professor, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New-York, USA

“The exposure to virtual reality has the same advantages as the exposure to physical reality, but it doesn’t imply the same.”

(chapeau)

Daniel David graduated from the Faculty of Psychology in Cluj. Three years later he already had his PhD in psychology and for the next four years he was a scholarship student both at the Albert Ellis Institute in New-York and Mount Sinai Medical School, the prestigious American university. It’s been only ten years since his graduation and he already is a University Professor of clinical cognitive sciences at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, holding the international professorial position “Professor Aaron T. Beck” and a University Professor at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York. He won three academic awards in the United States and chaired more than ten national and international research projects.

What does the ICUBE technology mean more exactly?

The ICUBE technology is a “cave” type of virtual reality technology. In other words, it is a 3D reality created and controlled by the computer where you’re being projected by means of specific instruments (e.g. headsets, gloves, etc.). In the case of ICUBE, the virtual reality is projected against a cube much similar to the “Holodeck” from the popular Star Trek TV series. Next to genetic engineering, the development of virtual realities is an important stake for the human civilisation because of its effect on the optimisation of our mind, on the support of health and psychological disorder treatment.

A Platform for Robotherapy and Psychotherapy through Virtual Reality was inaugurated at Cluj – the so-called Matrix Platform. Are there any other platforms in the country?

No, it is the only one – in fact it is the most advanced platform in Central and Eastern Europe and among the first five platforms in the world in size. However, we do not want to make a big case of it: the ideas about how to use the technology you have are more important than technology alone. Also, we are hoping that other similar laboratories will be created throughout the country following our pattern and standards. We are currently counselling many laboratories around the country that want to focus on this field. We are national pioneers and trendsetters, and we are interested in developing what we have created. We do not want to be the best simply because we are the only developers; we want to be the best in a field that is well developed and represented by various high-performance teams. We like being in a competition and we encourage it by play our cards on the table. If there are people better than us, that can only motivate us to become even better. The platform is located in a building especially created for it, with a futuristic design; it’s called AVALON. The name of the building, which is informally called the Sunk Building, is an acronym for Advanced Virtual Applications Laboratories of Napocensis, but has ancient significations as well. The motto of both the AVALON Building and the MATRIX Platform is “Melius Est Siti Moriri Quam Mediocritati Poculum Libere.” ”The Decalogue of Rationality” is Its fundamental doctrine.” In 2009 Quad Studio, the company that designed AVALON Building was awarded the first prize by the Union of Architects of Romania, Transylvania branch. In front of the building there are two natural amphitheatres and on its roof there is a garden. At the entrance there is a welcoming hall decorated with the symbols of the chair and the university. The MATRIX Platform is on the first floor together with its six top laboratories: the “Stress Control” Lab, the “Virtual Classroom”, the “Pain Control” Lab, the “Star Trek-Holodeck” Lab (hosting the Neo-Cube,” or “the Virtual Cube” - the ”jewellery“ of the MATRIX Platform and AVALON Building, the “Data” Lab, the “Clinical Cognitive (Neuro)Sciences” Lab.

NAUTILUS Room is in the basement of the building, hosting the NEMO Library, “Florian Stefanescu Goanga” Psychology Museum, and a relaxation area called ATLANTIS. Upstairs, On the Deck, there are four rooms where the staffs of the Platform work. These rooms were named after great personalities of psychology which founded the paradigms in which we think: John. B. Watson Room, B.F. Skinner Room, Albert Ellis Room, Aaron T. Beck Room, as well as a Meeting Room and their annexes; There is a second exit towards a balcony facing the garden and the amphitheatres.

How many platforms like that are there around the word?

This particular combination (robotherapy and virtual reality), with applications in psychotherapies scientifically validated by clinical cognitive sciences is at this point unique. This fact is confirmed by the international reviews of the Platform (see at http://www.psytech.ro) and by the collaborations that we’ve had and we are invited to. Of course, there are highly valuable research groups on robotherapy or virtual reality, but the profile that I described earlier enables us, at least for now, to give Romania an competitive advantage over other countries.

What psychological disorders does virtual-reality-based psychotherapy address to?

Virtual-reality-based psychotherapy is not a form of psychotherapy. It is a process of technological development within classical psychotherapies. Therefore, wherever classical psychotherapy is being used, for optimal results, it is recommended to make use of virtual technology as well. If we take into consideration the cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, we must say that the applications range from anxiety and depressive disorders to eating behaviour disorders and psychotic disorders affecting adults and children, sometimes independently, at times fusing with pharmacotherapy (for instance, in the case of psychotic disorders).

What is the advantage of this therapy sessions in the cube?

The use of virtual technology contributes to the development of classical forms of psychotherapy. For example, if someone has airplane phobia, in order to treat it there is a need of gradual exposure to it. If this exposure is a mere product of imagination (in vitro), it may not be sufficiently strong and realistic, especially if the patient has limited imagery abilities. If the exposure is real (in vivo), the costs are high, you have no control over the situation and the patient or/and everyone around may run certain risks (for instance, the patient may panic during the flight). The exposure to virtual reality has the same advantages as the exposure to physical reality (realism), but it doesn’t imply the same risks (it is an accessible secure and controllable environment). More to this, the information acquired in the virtual reality is transferred into the physical reality, and the client often does not distinguish between the environment that provided them with the information and the environment where they apply the information acquired.

How did you get this extremely ingenious idea? How much of this project is mere experiment, how much is research?

We know from psychology that an innovative idea usually comes from reading and observing the reality out of curiosity or wishing to find something new in an intelligent and creative context. That’s how things went in our case. We are a team that does a lot of reading, that scans the reality in order to find out where we stand and what our needs are, again out of curiosity and driven by the desire of being ahead of our times. One of our mottos is: “We do not predict the future; we do not create it… we are already there…” We like to think things in a futuristic manner, at and beyond the frontier of today’s knowledge, yet in a rational and pragmatic way. This is how innovations are born! Apart from handling advanced research projects, the MATRIX Platform serves also didactic purposes for master and PhD students within our Department, as well as, innovative services for the community with the help of the “Babeş-Bolyai – PsyTech” Psychology University Clinic and the ”International Coaching Institute/European Coaching Centre.”

From my understanding, this cube has currently four active walls. What changes will the fifth wall bring?

The feeling of “immersion” and ”presence” within a virtual reality will become even more vivid, and may have a great positive impact on the psychotherapeutical process. In other words, the similarity between virtual reality and physical reality will grow to such an extent that they will become one.

Does cube therapy apply to other areas as well (e.g. aviation, army, etc)?

Yes. For instance, we use two systems: “Virtual Iraq” and “Virtual Afghanistan.” Both can be used to treat emotional and behavioural disorders of the soldiers who fought there and/or were trained for “pre-combat.”

What place does this new research project take in your scientific work?

It is the top priority of this research group and it suits perfectly what we do, and that would be, clinical cognitive sciences with great impact of promoting health, human optimisation and treatment for emotional and behavioural disorders.

In 2007, for the first time, you launched yet another revolutionary project – the therapy of anxiety, anger, depression and guilt with the help of comic books. What are the basics of this therapy?

Behavioural and emotional disorders are determined by irrational cognition (thoughts). In order to get rid of these problems, there is need to change irrational thoughts into rational thoughts through techniques of cognitive restructuring. If the patient is a teenager or a child, classical interventional techniques are not as efficient as they happen to be in the case of adult patients (e.g. logical, empirical, pragmatic cognitive restructuring, etc); in the case of kids of children and teenagers, the metaphorical restructuring by means of stories and poems seems to working quite well. Children learn from stories and from the characters that appear them. Therefore, we created a character, much similar to a rational, efficient, mentally healthy and happy Prince Charming. His name is RETMAN and he is fighting against Irationalius and his helpers (represented by irrational thoughts affecting the children): Frustratus, Catastrophus, Discourageatus and Necessarius. The name RETMAN comes from “Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy,” (proposed by USA colleagues), and we are hoping that he will become one of the positive characters of the modern period, next to Prince Charming, Harap-Alb, Greuceanu, Pipăruş Petru[i], etc. You can also find RETMAN on the internet at http://www.psychotherapy.ro and in a recently published book with the same name, detailing the comics.

You are cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist. Does this field of psychotherapy have immediate and efficient answers to the current, yet even more acute problems that the human psychic is confronting with?

I am a psychotherapist with a scientific orientation. At present I teach and I practise cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy because this branch of psychotherapy has the largest scientific support of all (there are controlled clinical studies indicating that it is efficiently functioning). Yes, cognitive-behavioural therapy provides us with many answers, yet there are still a lot of questions that are left unanswered. It’s pretty much the same thing as in medicine, where we do not yet know the mechanisms of certain types of cancer, therefore we need to study to find out. However, even if we happen to know them, sometimes we do not have efficient treatment that could change them; we need the research to find new cures. This is the charming side of cognitive-behavioural therapy: it is an on-going developing process by means of scientific research, finding new unprecedented mechanisms and efficient treatments to change them. If in the future a new more efficient form of psychotherapy would be found, then the responsibility and the respect for our patients and students will motivate us to switch to it. However, it is very unlikely for a new paradigm to appear in the near future because the cognitive-behavioural therapy is continuously developing through thorough research ruled by critical analysis.

You are fond of Buddhism. In your profession, do you always take a middle course?

I’m an Orthodox Christian, fascinated by and interested culturally in Buddhism and other theological-religious approaches on the world. Yes, at least I always try, but at times it may imply going from one extreme to another, which in the end would catch me right in the middle.

What are the most important moral and professional values that reigned over the career that you started at the highest academic level?

The main values are Tradition, Honour and Performance. I strongly believe that the foundation of a Great Success is a Great Sacrifice (it’s rarely a question of Luck, and this is not something to value because you might die waiting for Godot!). Therefore you need to have the Courage to assume a Sacrifice, and in this context, Courage provides the general terms for the values that I mentioned earlier. Of course, I would also like to add Common Sense and Critical Analysis, which keep your feet on the ground – without them, you may lose touch with reality and even with your own values. In fact, I often say that you care about something, then you should try sabotaging that something systematically and if that something copes with your permanent attempt of sabotage, then that something is worth caring for (of course, this applies to convictions and ideas; it’s not something to do with people). If you keep asserting your convictions, you become defensive, incapable of having argumentative discussions with the sole purpose of learning – you become a ferocious emotional defender of your rigid points of view and/or stupidities; you are limiting your intellectual enthusiasm.

Mr. Naruo will lecture on the key features of Individual Management/Coaching. The lecture will provide simple and very efficient tools and methods which can be applied in improving own life and activity as well as other’s, by adding more value and control towards a more efficient, fulfilled life. The topics are also of interest for psychology professionals who can use the provided tools and methods in their coaching practice.
o What is Management/Coaching?
o Goal management at first.
o Task management
o Time management
o Information management
• Money management (KAKEIBO)
Mr. Naruo will also focus on the leadership of the country in drastic change: Meiji restoration in Japan vs. 1989 revolution in Romania.

Fee for this lecture is 50 RON and free participation for full psychology students UBB.

Continuing Education

in Innovations in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies

“SCHEMA-FOCUSED THERAPY” 

During the past years, cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) have undergone remarkable developments. One of the most influential of these developments is the Schema-Focused Therapy” of Jeffrey Young.

Jeffrey Young is the director of the “Schema Therapy Institute” in New York, and associate professor at Columbia University, New York. He is also a member of the “Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health” (http://www.psychotherapy.ro) of the Babes-Bolyai University, and founding member of the “Academy of Cognitive Therapy”, USA. Schema-Focused Therapy offers innovative CBT techniques and methods for approaching complex and chronic clinical cases, particularly personality disorders, that lack evidence-based interventions in most forms of psychotherapy, cases in which the efficiency of psychotherapy leaves significant room for improvement.    

During July 21-13 2010, professor Young will deliver a Workshop in Schema-Focused Therapy at Babes-Bolyai University, centered on clinical applications. The organizers are “The Romanian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies” (http://www.psihoterapiecbt.ro) and the Babes-Bolyai University, represented by the “Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy” (http://www.clinicalpsychology.ro) and the “International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health” (http://www.psychotherayp.ro).

For details regarding the activity of professor Young and “schema-focused therapy”, see at http://www.schematherapy.com/.

The program of the three-day workshop will be as follows:

• Fundamentals of schema-focused therapy; theory and techniques (1 day)
• The clinical approach of borderline personality disorder (1½ days)
• The clinical approach of narcissistic personality disorder (1/2 days)

Each day will include a maximum of 6 hours of teaching, and the program will be posted at least 10 days before the beginning of the Workshop, at http://www.psihoterapiecbt.ro.

The Workshop will be credited by the Romanian Board of Psychologists. Psychologist participants will receive a certificate credited with 7 credits (CE). Other participants (including final year students) will receive a non-credited attendance certificate. In order to claim your certificate, please send a copy of your Romanian Board of Psychologists License (psychologists) and a copy of your Graduation Diploma (all participants except for students) until at least one week before the Workshop to clinica@psychology.ro (scan) or 0264-434141 (fax).     

The number of available places is limited. Considering that we expect a large number of participants (including international participation) we suggest that you register in time. Registrations can be made at http:www.psihoterapiecbt.ro, beginning January 15, 2010. The payment of the 150 Euros fee can be made into the account bellow, at least two weeks before the Workshop. Proof of the payment should be sent to clinica@psychology.ro (scan) or 0264-434141 (fax).    

Asociaţia de Psihoterapii Cognitive şi Comportamentale din România
CUI: 13519094
Nr. cont: RO72 BTRL 0130 1205 9213 89XX
Banca Transilvania, Cluj Napoca

Professor, PhD, Daniel David,

Babeş-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca/Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

http://www.clinicalpsychology.ro      

As part of the international conference series organized by the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, we announce the Lecture and the Workshop of Professor Michael First, Columbia University, USA. Dr. First is editor of the DSM-IV and the main author of the structured clinical interviews for DSM-IV disorders (SCID – axis I, SCID – axis II).

Professor First will give a lecture at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, titled: „DSM-V: Promises, Limitations, and New Innovations”; participation is invitation-based. The lecture will be held and the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 37 Republicii Str. Thursday, March 26^th, 1 – 2.30_PM. Dr. First will meet with the team that adapted the SCID for the Romanian population at the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapies and Applied Mental Health,. A Public Workshop: „Advances in the Psychiatric Nosological Assessment” (in English), will also be given by Dr. First. The workshop is organized by the Romanian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies, according to the following schedule:

·         Friday, March 27^th 2009, 4-8_PM (37 Sindicatelor Str. Cluj-Napoca): SCID – Axis II, Personality Disorders:

o        Theoretical presentation; Clinical Interview conducted by Dr. First, Discussions;

·         Saturday, March 28^th 2009, 9_AM – 1_PM (37 Sindicatelor, Cluj-Napoca): SCID – Axis I, Clinical Disorders:

o        Theoretical presentation; Clinical Interview conducted by Dr. First, Discussions;

Those interested in participating at the Workshop should contact assistant professor Ramona Moldovan at

ramonamoldovan@psychology.ro. The form at the end of this announcement should be filled in and sent to the above address. The participation fee is 250 RON (about 60 €). Payment can be made to the Association account (see below), until March 20th, 2009. The receipt can be sent to the same email address or by fax to: 0264 - 434141.

·         Asociaţia de Psihoterapii Cognitive şi Comportamentale din România
 CUI: 13519094; Nr. cont RO 72 BTRL 0130 1205 9213 89XX; Banca Transilvania, Cluj Napoca

Places are limited, and the first ones to subscribe will be accepted. Paying participants will be given a certificate, and those licensed by the Romanian Board of Psychologists will be given 7 educational credits. To receive the credits, participants must bring a copy of their license certification and a copy of their bachelor degree diploma. MA and PhD students of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy can participate without paying, but they will not be certified, as the workshop will be a part of their professional training.

Details about Professor Michael First, M.D., Ph.D.: (for more details see http://www.forensicpanel.com/members/michael_first_md.htm)

A Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University and Attending physician at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Dr. First is one of the world’s leading experts on psychiatric diagnosis and assessment.

Dr. Michael First is editor of the last two editions of psychiatric diagnostic guide, the DSM-IV and the DSM-IV-TR. The DSM is the standard diagnostic manual for psychiatry and the mental health professions. He is currently working on the preparation of the next edition, DSM-V. He is Director of the DSM-V Prelude Project and co-Principal Investigator on the “Future of Psychiatric Diagnosis” conference series, which is setting research priorities for the DSM-V. He is also the lead author of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, a diagnostic instrument used widely by psychiatric researchers, by the pharmaceutical industry, and by clinicians and educators in a wide variety of settings. He is also author of numerous texts including the DSM-IV-TR Casebook, the DSM-IV-TR Guidebook, the DSM-IV-TR Handbook of Differential Diagnosis, and DSM-IV-TR Mental Disorders: Diagnosis, Etiology, and Treatment. He also edited the American Psychiatric Association’s Handbook of Psychiatric Measures — all staples of any mental health professional’s library.

A summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, who majored in computer science, Dr. First has developed an array of highly subscribed to computer-administered software programs for diagnostic interviewing. Dr. First’s academic accomplishments are diverse. He supervises trainees at Columbia in psychopharmacology and in cognitive therapy for personality disorders. As an extension of his internationally recognized expertise on diagnosis and assessment issues, Dr. First has consulted to the FBI on the classification of violent crime.

Dr. First is also Medical Editor of the Quick Reference Guides to the American Psychiatric Association’s Practice Guidelines, which set evidence-based standards for the treatment of different psychiatric disorders.

A clinician with a rich expertise in psychiatry, Dr. First has published over fifty peer-reviewed articles on assessment, mood disorders, personality disorders, and substance dependence. Dr. First also maintains a psychotherapy and psychopharmacology practice in Manhattan.

The subscription form can also be sent to the following email clinica@psychology.ro or fax 0264-434141.

ASOCIAŢIA DE PSIHOTERAPII COGNITIVE ŞI COMPORTAMENTALE DIN ROMÂNIA, CUI: 13519094,

Banca Transilvania, Cluj Napoca nr. cont RO 72 BTRL 0130 1205 9213 89XX.

A “Platform for Advanced Imaging – fMRI/EEG - in Clinical Cognitive Sciences/Psychotherapy” will be developed at the Babes-Bolyai University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy/International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, based on a grant from the European Union through the Romanian Government – National Authority for Research. The Platform will be composed of a Center for Advanced Imaging – fMRI/EEG - in Clinical Cognitive Sciences, which has two Laboratories: (1) Advanced fMRI Lab.; and (2) Advanced EEG Lab. Thus, the Platform will make use of an advanced technology, consisting of fMRI (3T) and EEG technologies, and it will be fully operational in 2009.

Building on our international expertise in evidence based assessment and psychotherapy (see our Web of Science indexed publications), this new development will help us complement our advanced research at the computational and algorithmic-representational levels (e.g., large randomized clinical trials comparing psychotherapy and medication for various clinical conditions by outcome, mechanism of change and cost-effectiveness, virtual reality therapy) with research at the implementational level (brain level) to facilitate the understanding and integration of  the mechanisms and processes of psychotherapy and other psychological interventions intended for the treatment of various clinical conditions and/or for health promotion.

TO START: FALL 2008

I. TITLE

·     Cognitive Therapy vs. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy vs. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. A Randomized Clinical Trial: Outcomes, Theory of Change, and Cost-Effectiveness.

II. LOCATION

·     The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health at  Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (see for details and for the expertise of the Institute in running large scale randomized clinical trials: www.psychotherapy.ro). The trial is funded internationally.

III. OBJECTIVES

·     To investigate, in a randomized clinical trial, the efficacy, the mechanisms of change, and the cost-effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy (reference treatment) vs. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy vs. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

o    Theoretical implications: (1) a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in GAD and (2) a better integration of the diverse cognitive pathogenetic mechanisms of GAD into (a) a coherent cognitive-behavior theory and (b) a rigorous and integrative psychological assessment strategy (measures/scales).

o    Practical Implications: New clinical protocols and guidelines for the evidence-based assessment and therapy of GAD.

IV. INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING TEAM

·     Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Daniel David, Professor, Ph.D., Babes-Bolyai University, Romania, Director of the International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health (see his expertise at: www.psychotherapy.ro) & Co-PI: Dr. Aurora Szentagotai, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Babes-Bolyai University.

·     External Research Consultant:  Dr. Douglas Mennin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Yale University, USA, Director of Yale Anxiety & Mood Services at Yale University.

·     Psychiatric Components Consultants: Dr. Doina Cosman, MD, Professor, Ph.D., and Dr. Viorel Lupu, MD, Professor, Ph.D., “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania.

1. Cognitive Therapy (CT) Coordinating Group

·     Coordinator: Ramona Moldovan, Assistant Professor, MA, Babes-Bolyai University, Clinical Psychologist (trained in CT by the Romanian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies with international CT supervisors).

·     Clinical Consultant: Dr. Robert Leahy, Clinical Professor, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, Weill-Cornell University Medical College, USA (President of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT); President of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)).

·     Research Consultant: Dr. Stefan G. Hoffman, Professor, Ph.D., Boston University, USA, Director of the Psychotherapy and Emotion Research Laboratory at Boston University.

2. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Coordinating Group

·     Coordinator: Bianca Macavei, Assistant Professor, MA, Babes-Bolyai University, Clinical Psychologist (trained in REBT by the Romanian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies with international REBT supervisors; supervisor in REBT at the Albert Ellis Institute, USA).

·     Clinical Consultant: Dr. Windy Dryden, Professor, Ph.D., University of London, UK, Supervisor in REBT at the Albert Ellis Institute.

·     Research Consultant: Dr. Raymond DiGiuseppe, Professor, Ph.D., St. John University, USA, Director of Professional Education at the Albert Ellis Institute (Past President of the ABCT).

3. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Coordinating Group

·     Coordinator: Ioana Cristea, Assistant Professor, MA, Babes-Bolyai University, Clinical Psychologist (trained in ACT by the Romanian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies with international ACT supervisors).

·     Clinical Consultant: Dr. Kelly G. Wilson, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Mississippi, USA, ACT Supervisor.

·     Research Consultant: Dr. Steven Hayes, Professor, Ph.D., University of Nevada, USA; Founder of ACT (Past president of ABCT).

V. DESIGN

A rigorous randomized clinical trial, following the model implemented in one of our previous studies on major depressive disorder (MDD) (see the below cited study), will be designed for this study.

·          David, D., Szentagotai, A., Lupu, V., & Cosman, D. (2008). Rational emotive behavior therapy, Cognitive therapy and Medication in the treatment of major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial, post-treatment outcomes, and six month follow-up. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64, 728-746.

All the methodological components (e.g., treatment integrity, allegiance effect, missing data analysis, attrition/power calculation etc.) of this trial on GAD will be implemented similar to the ones in the MDD trial (mentioned above). Each treatment will consist of about 20 sessions, delivered over a 14-week period.

1. Outcome measures

a. General:

·     OQR 45.2 – (Adult outcome measure; age 18+)

·     POMS (Profile of Mood States; includes: (a) functional and dysfunctional negative feelings scores and (b) positive affect)

·     SF-37 (Quality of Life)

b. Specific:

·         HRSA (Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety)

·         BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory)

·         GAD-Q-IV (the Generalized Anxiety Disorders Questionnaire 4th Edition)

SCID-RV will be used for categorical diagnoses (based on DSM-IV)

Note: All outcome measures will be administered pre- mid- and post-treatment. The BAI will be administered each session.

2. Hypothesized mediating (i.e., mechanisms of change) variables

·             ATQ (Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire) (related to CT)

·         DAS (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale) (related to CT)

·         ABS-II (Attitudes and Beliefs Scale - II) (related to REBT)

·         USA (Unconditional Self-Acceptance) (related to REBT)

·         AAQ (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire) (related to ACT)

·         EAS (Experiential Avoidance Scale) (related to ACT)

·         RE (Response Expectancies for Non-volitional Outcomes [i.e., anxiety, relaxation]; VAS type      scales) (not specifically related to any of the investigated forms of therapy)

·         PSWQ (Penn State Worry Questionnaire) (not specifically related to any of the forms of therapy)

·         DERS (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale) (not specifically related to any of the investigated forms of therapy)

·         AIM (Affect Intensity Measure) (not specifically related to any of the investigated forms of therapy)

Note: All mediating variable measures will be administered pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. The ATQ and RE will be administered each session.

3. Hypothesized moderator variables

·         LOT (Level of Optimism and Pessimism)

·         Brief-Cope (Coping Mechanisms)

Note: All hypothesized moderating variables measures will be administered pre-, mid-, and post-treatment.

Other measures will include demographics and relevant medical data. Some cognitive tasks (e.g., cognitive inhibition/interference) and psychophysiological measures will be also employed (to be established) to complement the self-report measures.

It is with great sadness that I tell you that Dr. Albert Ellis, a member of our Institute, passed away at home in New York City in his apartment on the top floor of the Albert Ellis Institute shortly after midnight on the morning of July 24, 2007. I believe that by his death, we are witnesing the end of an era in psychotherapy dominated by “genius and giant personalities” (e.g., Ellis, Erickson, Freud, Jung, Perls, Rogers), the new leaders of the current period being centered - according to the modern rules of the field - on the “scientist-practitioner” rather than “spiritual leader” model.

Albert Ellis is the grandfather of cognitive-behavioral therapy and the father of rational emotive behavior therapy. Beyond this astonishing contribution to the health field (e.g., the ABC model, which is the foundation of cognitive behavioral therapies), some of his more specific innovations in psychotherapy are related to (1) the use of humor and a “confrontational” style in cognitive restructuring, in well-established conditions (e.g., depending on the type of client, type of problems etc.); (2) the role of demandigness and catastrophizing cognitive processes in psychopathology and the role of cognitive process of acceptance in health promotion; and (3) the role of metacognition (i.e., secondary disturbances) and metaemotions (i.e., secondary emotions in his terms) in the psychotherapy process. Rational-emotive & cognitive-behavioral therapy (REBT/CBT) is today widely acclaimed as a pioneering approach to psychotherapy and the foundation of modern cognitive behavior therapies. In 2003, the American Psychological Association named Dr. Ellis one of the most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century. More info. about the extraordinary activity and life of this giant of psychology and psychotherapy can be found here, here and here.

Our recent tribute to him is the “RETMAN CONCEPT”. RETMAN was a cartoon character, invented at the Albert Ellis Institute during the ’80s in order to better promote REBT/CBT in children and adolescents; he was modeled to represent Albert Ellis himself, the original Rational Emotive Therapist. Recently, we have updated the character, for modern times, and now, deeply sorrowed by the death of Dr. Albert Ellis (the real “RETMAN”), we will dedicate this new character to his memory. You will be able, for a long time from now, to meet RETMAN here.

The Great Albert Ellis will always survive in our work, hearts, and memories.

Yours, “Aaron T. Beck” Professor, Ph.D., Daniel David

Head of Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy