Applications of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders

Recent conceptualization of anxiety, depressive, and related "emotional" disorders emphasize their similarities rather than their differences. In response, there has been a movement in recent years away from traditional disorder-specific manuals for the treatment of these disorders and toward treatment approaches that focus on addressing psychological processes that appear to cut across disorders. These "transdiagnostic" evidence-based treatments may prove to be more cost efficient and have the potential to increase availability of evidence-based treatments to meet a significant public health need. Among clinicians, the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), developed by Dr. David Barlow and colleagues, is the most recognizable and widely used transdiagnostic treatment protocol with empirical support for its use.

Applications of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders provides clinicians with a "how to" guide for using the UP to treat a broad range of commonly encountered psychological disorders in adults. Each chapter covers a specific anxiety, depressive, or related "emotional" disorder, and important transdiagnostic processes are highlighted and discussed in relation to treatment. Case studies are employed throughout to illustrate the real-world application of this unique cognitive behavioral protocol and to instruct clinicians in the nuts and bolts of assessment, case formulation, and treatment in accordance with a transdiagnostic perspective.

David H. Barlow, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Emeritus and Founder of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. Dr. Barlow has published over 600 articles and chapters and over 75 books and clinical manuals, mostly in the area of the nature and treatment of emotional disorders and clinical research methodology.

Todd Farchione, PhD, is Research Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. Dr. Farchione's research interests are focused on the psychological factors associated with the development of anxiety, depressive, and related disorders. In particular, he is interested in the development and dissemination of more effective treatments for these disorders.