The Center for Collaborative Psychology and Psychiatry is an association of independent practitioners dedicated to research and teaching about psychological and psychiatric assessment and treatment. Center procedures have been developed in accordance with the collaborative method of treatment elaborated in Steve Frankel's four books, the most recent of which is Evidence from Within: A New Paradigm for Clinical Practice (2008, Rowman and Littlefield). This treatment method emphasizes the therapist's accountability for maintaining and verifying treatment results.

Steven Frankel, M.D. directs the Center. He is a psychiatrist who is board certified in both general and child psychiatry. He also is available independently to provide the clinical assessment and treatment services described below and in the following pages. Center Co-Director Diane Engelman is a neuropsychologist and seasoned psychotherapist. Our associates are Philip Erdberg, Ph.D., a psychologist specializing in personality assessment, Paul Gilbert, M.D., a psychiatrist who is board certified in General and Child Psychiatry, and J. Richard Mendius, M.D., a board certified Neurologist. The members of our association participate in our research team and teach courses and consultation groups about our methods. The directors and associates of the Center for Collaborative Psychology and Psychiatry meet regularly to participate in the development of procedures for collaborative, evidence-based treatment, including psychotherapy. We often write together, and jointly plan and teach in our educational programs.

The model of treatment developed at The Center for Collaborative Psychology and Psychiatry consists of a uniquely practical and effective approach to psychological and psychiatric assessment and treatment. According to this model, three minds -- the therapist, a psychologist-assessor, and patient -- join in a thorough evaluation of the patient's needs, capabilities, and resources. The result is a clear account of the patient's therapeutic requirements, with a detailed plan for achieving these. All members of the treatment team, with the patient as an equal participant, rely on one another to identify biases, and renew and revise perspective as they come to understand the patient. The three are full collaborators in a quest for the most profound and effective solutions to the patient's difficulties.

Recommendations resulting from these evaluations often include psychotherapy that is focused and time-limited, or ongoing. When this is the case, modalities, such as cognitive and behavioral remediation, medication, neurological as well as other medical assessments and treatment, and educational or vocational services are incorporated as required. Progress is formally reevaluated by the psychologist-assessor who participated in the initial evaluation and the treating therapist. In brief, the objectives identified in the comprehensive assessment are translated into concrete goals and procedures for achieving these. Progress is monitored until treatment stops and then throughout the followup period. While the cost of this careful evaluation and followup may at first exceed that of traditional psychotherapy, it invariably leads to a more efficient, effective, and ultimately less costly procedure than when such measures are omitted.

In the model of treatment developed at Center for Collaborative Psychology and Psychiatry, other professionals with relevant areas of expertise, are engaged as needed. These may include, for example, physicians, occupational therapists, or speech therapists. Family members are incorporated when appropriate to enrich the evaluation and treatment process. The aim is always to enhance the objectivity and practicality of a therapeutic process that is usually embedded with subjectivity and from which outside measures of change are typically omitted.

The protocols we have developed at the Center consist of a comprehensive psychiatric, neurological, and psychological or neuropsychological evaluation followed by:

• Time-limited or open-ended therapeutic treatment conducted in a collaborative manner and monitored for effectiveness through periodic consultations with a psychologist skilled in personality, and, when applicable, neuropsychological assessment. The treatment modality selected often, but not always, includes psychotherapy.
• Referral, as relevant, for treatment of cognitive disorders requiring the services of a neuropsychologist.
• Referral for further medical or neurological evaluation and treatment.

While the independent practitioners associated with the Center are available privately for assessment and treatment, the Center itself can provide:

• Consultations to psychotherapists who are experiencing impasses
• Trainings for therapists and for allied professionals, such as educators
• Ongoing biweekly consultation groups led by Steve Frankel and Phil Erdberg, or Steve Frankel separately, all of which earn continuing education units for Psychologists (A.P.A. Provider #1754), or L.C.S.W.s and M.F.T.s (California Provider #3239)

According to our method, client and therapist, in an interpersonal partnership:

• Strategize personal change in an effort that is systematic and goal-oriented.
• Identify problems and collaboratively evolve solutions.
• Make use of a broad-based approach to problems, often involving disciplines beyond psychology and psychiatry.

We hope you will find our website informative, and look forward to your inquiries about our services and publications.