Originally published in 1988, this was the first book to examine the development, application and evaluation of computer counselling and psychotherapy. Integrating concepts of artificial intelligence and psychotherapy, this book provided extensive research data that compared the human therapist to the computer therapist at the time. This title was intended for researchers, professionals, and students of psychotherapy and artificial intelligence. By exploring the automation of therapy and the design of empathetic software this book challenges counsellors and computer scientists to look at what may have been the most fascinating topic to arise in their fields for years to come.

Hands-on Help is a narrative review of the mushrooming field of computer-aided psychotherapy for mental health problems as a whole, from the time it began in the 1960’s through to the present day. The many types of computer-aided psychotherapy and how each might be accessed are detailed together with the pros and cons of such help and the functions it can serve. The authors review prevention as well as treatment. The book describes and summarizes 97 computer-aided self-help systems in 175 studies according to the types of problem they aim to alleviate. These include phobic, panic, obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sexual problems, smoking, alcohol and drug misuse, schizophrenia, insomnia, pain and tinnitus distress, and childhood problems such as encopresis, autism and asthma. Within each type of problem the systems are described according to whether they are used on the internet, CD-ROM, phone, handheld or other device. The final chapter shows how internet self-help systems with phone or email support allow clinics to become more virtual than physical. It also discusses methods of screening suitability and of supporting users, constraints to delivery, uptake and completion, cost-effectiveness, and the place of computer-aided self-help in healthcare provision. This informative book will be essential reading for psychiatrists, psychologists and all other mental health professionals interested in broadening their understanding of computer-aided psychotherapy.

Motivation for a psychological approach; Research methods; Programming as human performance; Programming style; Software quality evaluation; Team organizations and group processes; Database systems and data models; Database query and manipulation languages; Natural language; Interactive interface issues; Designing interactive systems.

This practical book describes computer programs designed specifically for mental health clinicians and their work. It examines a variety of computer resources and some of the latest developments in the field. Computer Applications in Mental Health provides examples of computer programs that have proved helpful in private practice and institutional treatment settings. Among the programs discussed in the book are those that have succeeded or failed within the large Veterans Administration computer system; a system designed to help choose the best reinforcers to use with patients in a behavioral program; a computerized self-administered screening battery in use in community health center settings; patient education programs useful in caring for the chronic mentally ill; and a reminder system for helping the hospital-based clinician meet paperwork deadlines. Encouraging mental health professionals to investigate the types of computer technology available to them, this book also stimulates further development and sharing of computer software.To enable readers to seek out more information on certain systems and programs, this book lists many computer resources. Several of the software packages evaluated are available on computerized bulletin board systems at no cost beyond that of a long distance phone call. Although Computer Applications in Mental Health is primarily for mental health clinicians, administrators and computer programmers within mental health settings can also find useful information in this book.

This is a book about systems, including: systems in which humans control machines; systems in which humans interact with humans and the machine component is relatively unimportant; systems which are heavily computerized and those that are not; and governmental, industrial, military and social systems.The book deals with both traditional systems like farming, fishing and the military, and with systems just now tentatively emerging, like the expert and the interactive computer system. The emphasis is on the system concept and its implications for analysis, design and evaluation of these many different types of systems. The book attempts to make three major points: 1. System design, and particularly computer system design, must fit into and be directed by a comprehensive theory of system functioning. 2. Interactive computer design models itself upon our knowledge of how humans function. 3. Highly sophisticated interactive computer systems are presently mostly research vehicles, they are vastly different to general purpose, commercially available word processors and personal computers.The book represents an interdisciplinary approach, the author has used psychological, organizational, human factors, and engineering sources. The book is not a "how to do it" book but it is intended to stimulate thinking about the larger context in which systems, particularly computer systems of the future, should be designed and used.

This book shows how computer models are used to study many psychological phenomena - including vision, language, reasoning, and learning.