This textbook presents an innovative educational and training protocol for treating mental health patients in primary care: the Multimodal Brief Systemic Training (MBSTP). Blending theory with practice, this manual offers a rigorous, versatile, and integrative approach, grounded in research, that can be easily adopted by primary care professionalsincluding general practitioners, nurses, social workers, and psychologists. It is not only invaluable for psychotherapy students but also serves as a vital resource for physicians and other non-mental health professionals seeking to support individuals facing cancer, chronic pain, palliative care, and other conditions that intertwine emotional, mental, and behavioural challenges within their close relational systems.
The MBSTP is a compelling alternative to existing evidence-based training programs, which often centre on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Designed as a continuing education course led by a team of mental health specialists, this training provides a structured pathway for professional development. This book will help to reignite practitioners' interest in systemic thinking, encouraging them to revisit its significance in their work, or, for those new to the concept, to embrace it as a crucial aspect of their professional growth and contribute meaningfully to their evolution in the field.
PART I: THE MULTIMODAL BRIEF SYSTEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME (MBSTP)s
CLINICAL CONTEXT AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL BASIS.- 1.1. The MBSTPs Clinical
Context; Dealing with mental health disorders in primary care
settings.- 1.1.1. The Mental health challenges in Primary Health.- 1.1.2. The
mental health training for primary health care clinical staff; limitations of
the available approaches.- 1.1.3. The Multimodal Brief Systemic Training
Programme (MBSTP)s benefits.- 1.1.4. Bookss objectives.- 1.2. The MBSTPs
Epistemological Basis.- 1.2.1. The Integrated Brief Systemic Therapy (IBST);
origins within the Problem and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, along with the
Narrative Therapy.- 1.2.2. Other epistemological, educational & clinical
influences.- 1.2.2.1. The experience of the Family medicine residency program
at the University of California. Cory Johnson & George Saba.-
1. Rationale
for primary care training.- 2. The history, development and key personnel of
the UCSF SFGH Family and Community Medicine Residency.- 3. The Philosophy and
Theory Used to Develop the Training Program.- 4. The Behavioral Science
Training Program.- 5. Implementation of the Training Program.- 6. Research
effectiveness and recommendations.- 7. Conclusions.- 1.2.2.2. The experience
of the Istituto di Psicoterapia Sistemica e Relazionale (ISCRA). Mauro
Mariotti.- 1. Rationale for primary care training.- 2. The history of the
development and the personnel involved.- 3. The philosophy and theory of a
systemic based training.- 4. Applying the philosophy to GPs.- 5.
Implementation of the training tools.-
6. Application by GPs,
research/evidence and recommendations.- PART II: TRAINING PRIMARY CARE STAFF
WITH MBSTP.- 2.1. MBSTPS training course structure.- 2.2. Clinical
psychology considerations.- 2.3. Psychiatry considerations.- 2.4. Social
Worker considerations.- 2.5. Nurse considerations.- 2.6. Other Training
important considerations.- 2.6.1. Primary care team considerations.- 2.6.2.
Limitations and strenghts.- 2.7. MBSTPs Research evidence.- 2.7.1. Research
evidence on ambulatory mental-health services.- 2.7.2. Research evidence on
primary care settings.- PART III: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS.- 3.1.
Discussion and Conclusions.- 3.2. Future
investigations.- Acknowledgements.- References.
Carles Barcons is a PhD Clinical Psychologist at Hospital Sagrat Cor Martorell Germanes Hospitalàries, Spain. He collaborates with the research group Epi4Health, UVic-UCC. He has academic training in Marriage and Family therapy, Brief Strategic Psychotherapy, Group Therapy and Criminology.
George W. Saba is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Mauro Mariotti is Psychiatrist, Child Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, and the founder and Director of The ISCRA Institute, Modena, Italy.
Cory Johnson is Director of Behavioral Sciences and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, USA.
