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R E V I E W

444

Book Reviews

complex and too technical at times, and thus challenging to digest. It would have been helpful to have a
rationale for why other substances of abuse were
omitted from discussion (e.g. opioids, methamphetamine and benzodiazepines). Furthermore, a conclusion
at the end of each section that more completely synthesised the material and presented the main points of the
section would have been beneficial. Similarly, an afterward or concluding editorial providing an overall synthesis of the main thrust and direction of the book, the
new ideas advanced in the book and future directions
for the field would also have been helpful. In summary,
this text could prove useful for researchers and clinical
scholars working in the field with a strong interest and
technical knowledge background in prenatal exposure
to drugs and environmental toxins.
Hendre e E. Jones
RTI International
Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

Group Cognitive Therapy for Addictions

AMY WENZEL, BRUCE S. LIESE, AARON T.
BECK & DARA G. FRIEDMAN-WHEELER
New York: The Guilford Press (book available to
purchase in Australia from Footprint Books), 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4625-0549-4, 274 pp. Hardback. Price:
$52.95
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) remains the psychosocial treatment of choice for alcohol and other
drug abuse and dependence. This book is written by a
highly respected team that includes the father of cognitive therapy Aaron Beck. It is a very accessible translation of modern CBT into the group setting, and
although outpatient groups in Australia are not as
numerous as those in the USA, many who run both
inpatient and outpatient CBT groups will find this a
useful addition to their library.
Part I starts with some background and an outline of
the theoretical framework for the cognitive model and
of group therapy, incorporating readiness to change and
moves on to preparing for group participation and how
to use cognitive case conceptualisation (formulation) to
understand the individual and the group.
Part II includes four chapters that cover the doing of
group intervention and although it is laid out as a
step-by-step guide, helpful for those starting out, the
emphasis is on the flexible use of the components of
intervention, which is also suitable for those advanced
clinicians or those trying to integrate some of these
strategies into existing group programs. The four
2013 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs

primary areas it covers are: group introductions and

introduction to group CBT; evaluating thoughts and
beliefs; developing coping skillsincluding managing
urges and cravings, developing new health relationships
and improving problem solving; and homework and
closure.
The idea of homework is a much maligned part of
CBT, but is considered essential by its champions to
embed learnings from treatment in the real world. Now
that we understand that the brain is highly plastic and
continues to both renew and prune neural connections
throughout our lives, the idea of at-home tasks to exercise and develop the parts of the brain that contain our
more helpful (non-addiction) thoughts becomes even
more important.
Part III finishes the book with putting it all together,
including what to do with challenging group participants and how to complete treatment successfully.
Overall, an accessible and well-written guide for
practitioners of CBT and those interested or needing to
incorporate CBT strategies into group treatment.
Nicole Lee
National Centre for Education and
Training on Addiction
Flinders University
Adelaide, Australia
and LeeJenn Health Consultants
Melbourne, Australia

The Gambling Addiction Client Workbook, 2nd

Edition
ROBERT R. PERKINSON
California: Sage Publications, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-41-297920-7, 160 pp. Paperback. Price:
A$34.90
This workbook is aimed at people who gamble excessively and who are currently attending a group
program run at the Keystone Treatment Centre. The
worksheets, however, are sufficiently generic to be
used with clients currently attending any Gamblers
Anonymous (GA) or 12-step gambling treatment
group. The workbook is not intended as a treatment
guide, or even as a self-help book; the text states that
the client should not use this book without the guidance of a counsellor. The purpose of the book seems
to be to facilitate a clients progress in a 12-step group
program for excessive gambling.
The book is organised into 11 main worksheets with
additional appendices. The Introduction, while brief,
is emotive and encourages the patient to see themselves
in a life and death battle with their diseased, addicted

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