Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists - Hardcover

John D. Preston, PsyD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist and author or coauthor of twenty books. He is professor emeritus of psychology at Alliant International University, and has also served on the faculty of the UC Davis School of Medicine. He has lectured widely in the United States and abroad. He is the recipient of the Mental Health Association’s President’s Award for contributions to the mental health professions, and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association.


John H. O’Neal, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist who has been in private practice since 1977. He is past chief of the department of psychiatry at Sutter Community Hospital in Sacramento, CA. He is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the UC Davis School of Medicine, and a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He lectures on depression and psychopharmacology to mental health professionals, employee assistance programs, and the public. O’Neal received his Masters in clinical psychology from Harvard University, and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Washington.

Mary C. Talaga, RPh, PhD, has been a pharmacist for thirty-nine years, with specialization in psychiatric pharmacy and pharmacy administration. She has extensive experience in health care, and has practiced in a variety of clinical settings. Over her career, she has contributed to the development of best practice guidelines, and has promoted collaborative care models. She has provided training and mentoring to health care professionals, and education to patients and consumers.

“Therapists will find this wonderful book helpful in two ways—as both a textbook and a reference book. Read as a textbook, they will learn essentially all they need to know about why patients are taking the meds they are taking, and what the likely next steps in treatment will be. As a reference book, therapists can look up a patient’s medication or diagnosis and quickly review dosing, side effects, and rationale for use. As a seasoned psychopharmacologist, I found the information accurate, useful, and presented with a refreshing clarity. It’s rare to find a book with so much information that is also a pleasure to read. I recommend it highly to any mental clinician, whether they are a therapist, a prescriber, or both.”
—Daniel Carlat, MD, editor-in-chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report


“I’m a psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist with no medical training, and I found Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists to be a compelling and stimulating read, as well as a welcome addition to my reference shelf. This text is coherent and user-friendly, and reading it is a surprisingly pleasurable way to expand your knowledge in an area of clinical treatment usually not made this accessible to nonmedical professionals.”
—Susan Flynn, PhD

“I recommend Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists to psychotherapists from various clinical trainings and diverse clinical orientations, as well as to nonpsychiatric physicians and their prescribing assistants. One of the most valuable elements of this text is the authors’ reminder to consider when and how medication can be appropriate to treatment, and how the clinician is an essential part of the psycho-medical treatment team.

“If you have only one reference book on your shelf addressing the interface between clinical treatment and psychopharmacology, this should be it.”
—Marvin B. Berman, PhD

“Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists is a wonderfully useful and comprehensive book. It should be essential reading for all mental health professionals and for others like myself who have family members suffering from mental illness. Its great virtues are its clarity and its humane and informed sense of the diagnosis, treatment, and care of extraordinarily complicated conditions.”
—Jay Neugeboren, author of Imagining Robert

“This book belongs on the desk of every psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, social worker, or anyone who works with clients who are taking psychoactive drugs. Also, anyone teaching or interested in abnormal psychology will find it indispensable. The authors manage, with judicious use of well-designed tables and clear, concise writing, to fill a gap in the current literature. No other book with which I am familiar covers the history of psychiatric medicine as well as both the neurochemistry and clinical use of psychotropics. The authors make excellent use of case histories, which are always to the point. I cannot think of anything that could be added to this text, or any part of it I would want to change.”
—Harry Avis, PhD, professor of psychology at Sierra College and author of Drugs and Life

“Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists is a modern masterpiece written by a multidisciplinary team of distinguished practitioners. It is one of the most clearly written and reader-friendly yet comprehensive books on the subject of psychiatric diagnosis and psychotropic drug therapy. The book is packed full of useful tables, figures, and illustrations that amplify the main text, or can be used independently for a rapid introduction to the field or for reviewing the fundamentals. Covering both the spectrums of pathophysiology and the neurobiology of drug action, this slim and state-of-the-art-and-science text is truly a handbook worthy of the name, and should be an essential resource for mental health professionals and students alike.”
—Clifford N. Lazarus, PhD, licensed psychologist and director of Comprehensive Psychological Services in Princeton, NJ, and coauthor of Don’t Believe It for a Minute and The 60-Second Shrink