Book Review

The Scientist Practitioner
By S. Hayes, D. Barlow
And R. Nelson-Gray
Boston: Allyn and Bacon 1999
Costs $66.00

A few years ago I found myself getting caught up in some heated discussions about empiricism versus clinical work (or art). Especially at national conferences, the lines were being draw. I usually left these arguments feeling frustrated, uninformed, and wishing that these issues had more factual substance. As I read The Scientist Practitioner, I realized that this book was what I was really wishing for.

The reader is never confused as to the authors' position?strongly supporting science, empiricism and personal research as an essential part of training and clinical practice. However, even the artist-clinician can be drawn into the scientist-practitioner perspective as the authors explain both the history and assumption underlying their perspective. If the reader is still not convinced, the authors push forward by identifying new incentives brought on by managed care to create research-informed and data-driven clinical treatments. Examples of research-informed psycho-social treatments such as treatment for panic disorder are described and the reader is urged to think about opportunities for the scientist-practitioner in managed behavioral health care. All of this material is covered in the first four chapters and they are the most interesting chapters and the unique contribution of this book.

Starting with chapter 5, the book becomes a more typical research design book. Topics such as within-series design, program evaluation, self report versus physiological measures are covered. These chapters summaries are excellent brief "how to" chapters but not as thought-provoking as the first few chapters. The authors spend the first four chapters convincing the reader that the scientist-practitioner model is the goal and then spend the rest of the book teaching the skills and methods that the budding scientist practitioner reader needs to know.

Family therapists who have little interest in research or science will not be interested in this book. But the busy clinician with a cursory interest in research but little time or knowledge to conduct his/her own research, could find this book motivating and informative.

Jo Ellen Patterson, Ph.D.
University of San Diego