Clinical Research in Mental Health

Book excerpt: The philosophy behind this research methods text is to provide practical, how-to guidance in an accessible format. The authors hope to reach clinical students and postdoctoral trainees at the early stages of training to muster excitement by showing that research need not be either dull or threatening. Their goal is to "demystify the research process," with a style that is informative yet easy-to-read, humorous, and user friendly. One of our reviewers puts it best when he describes the book as "a true 'paperback' research mentor." The authors hope to hook students on research early in their studies so that they see it as a natural extension of their work rather than as drudgery to be endured just to get a degree. The ultimate hope is that this will lead to more direct-care practitioners getting involved in research after they leave school. This book is also different from any other on the subject in being problem oriented. It will emphasize research methods that are appropriate to most clinical settings and will deal with many issues of clinical research that are often ignored by other research methods books.