Margarida Gaspar de Matos

Prevention and Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy: challenges for professionals and for public policies

Psychologists' practice is often divided between health and clinical psychologists who practice psychotherapy, (e.g. in hospital settings or private practice); and other health and clinical psychologists who work more on community settings, and are focused on prevention. At a first sight, it looks like the clinical / psychotherapeutic models and community / preventive-promotional models were always completely different issues, without any convergence or any possibility of join evolution. This view also applies to other psychological interventions such as school and work.

We want to challenge this idea and encourage psychologists who intervene in hospital or private practice contexts, and psychologists who intervene in community contexts, to benefit from modern scientific models of cognitive-behavioral analysis and change, and from modern scientific research methods, relevancy, quality and progress in both areas. Implications for professionals, training and public policies will be discussed