How would Alfred Adler approach some of today’s most common psychological challenges and mental disorders? Adler University faculty, students, and alum seek to answer that very question in the fourth edition of “Psychopathology and Psychotherapy.”

Co-edited by Marina Bluvshtein, Ph.D., a renowned Adlerian expert and the director of the Center for Adlerian Practice and Scholarship, “Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Fourth Edition: DSM-5-TR Diagnosis, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment,”  offers practicing clinicians, faculty, and students a new reader-friendly and insight-saturated guide with essential and clinically valuable information for understanding and treating individuals living with mental disorders — from personality disorders to depressive and bipolar disorders to those related to eating, trauma, and neurodevelopmental conditions. Dr. Bluvshtein joins Len Sperry, M.D., Ph.D., and Jon Sperry, Ph.D., in the new book edition.

The latest textbook targets the most common diagnostic conditions seen in everyday counseling and psychotherapy practice and integrates the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision — or DSM-5-TR — criteria with the Adlerian view of psychopathology and psychotherapy. It highlights cases that Adler himself treated or consulted on.

“We think of Alfred Adler more as a philosopher or social psychologist, but he was one of the most astute diagnosticians of his time,” said Dr. Bluvshtein, who also teaches at Adler University. “To be able to revisit and re-examine some the amazing historical diagnostic cases that Alfred Adler worked on and apply some of today’s best contemporary practices and understanding is invaluable.”

Each chapter highlights engaging case examples, Adlerian case conceptualizations for each case, including DSM diagnostic considerations, treatment interventions, therapeutic challenges, and clinical outcomes. This blending of psychopathology and effective psychotherapy is what trainees and practicing clinicians need and always seek to effect therapeutic change in clients. The new book answers the one question Adlerian clinicians always ask: “What would Adler say?”

The chapters with contributions from Adler University faculty, alum, and several doctoral students include:

• Depressive and Bipolar Disorders, by Dinko S. Aleksandrov, Psy.D., as a lead author.
• Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders, co-written by Neil Bockian, Ph.D., Dr. Bluvshtein, and Psy.D. students Elena Silberman Scott and Kaitlyn Richard.
• Eating Disorders, co-written by Lyuba Bobova, Pys.D.
• Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders, co-written by Dr. Bluvshtein and Sara Saeedi, Psy.D.
• Neurodevelopmental, Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders, co-written by Noah Thorne, who will graduate from the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program this fall.
• Sexual Dysfunctions and Gender Dysphoria, written by Thorne.

Another co-editor and contributor is Dr. Len Sperry, who was trained at the Alfred Adler Institute in the 1960s by Dr. Rudolf Dreikers, a founder of the Institute, which has since evolved into today’s Adler University.

Dr. Sperry wrote or contributed to several chapters, including those covering Adlerian Case Conceptualization, Personality Disorders, Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders, and Neurocognitive Disorders. The latter was co-written with Dr. Bluvshtein.

“Twenty-five Adlerian trained authors contributed to the book, which is the only book to date that highlights famous Adlerian cases. To be able to have some of today’s leading Adlerians share how they would approach many of today’s most commonly diagnosed mental disorders is exciting,” said Dr. Bluvshtein. “By putting a contemporary approach to Adler’s famous historical cases and bringing in contemporary culture-specific cases actually shows just how ahead of his time Alfred Adler was.”