Search

Several evidence-based psychotherapies for personality disorders have been developed in recent decades, including transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP), a contemporary model of psychodynamic psychotherapy developed by Otto Kernberg. Kernberg established Group TFP (TFP-G) as an alternative or adjunct treatment to individual TFP. Although not yet manualized, TFP-G is used in publicly and privately funded mental health services, including outpatient clinics, subacute hospitals, therapeutic inpatient units, partial hospitalization services, and rehabilitation services serving people with borderline personality. Kernberg's model of TFP-G psychotherapy, its application in clinical settings, and what differentiates it from other group psychotherapy models is described as well as illustrated with some examples useful to practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have investigated the benefits of respite to families with a disabled child. Far fewer have examined the effects on the child and none have systematically compared information about this from different sources. Reports of behavioural reactions and views on distress were gathered from parents, teachers and respite staff. Children were also asked for their views. Over half the children (54%) were reported to show medium or strong negative reactions lasting for 1 or more days by a parent or teacher. Reported reactions varied widely between home and school and no concordance was found between parents, teachers and respite staff groups regarding distress. Some children's views differed from those of their parent or teacher. The findings highlight the extent of differences in perspectives and suggest the need for greater awareness of the possible distress to children attending respite. This is discussed in relation to factors such as the potential conflict of interests between parents and children, communication and behavioural difficulties, and the context in which the child is observed.

The article reports that Societies involve unique combinations of social, technical and institutional elements that work together in particular ways to create socio-technical systems. Topics include systems evolve in response to endogenous drivers such as the adoption of new technologies; and engaged in a continual process of recovering from different levels of shock that persist across the system with Elected representatives and policy makers.

Transference‐focused psychotherapy (TFP) is a manualized treatment for patients with a personality disorder based on 18 months of once‐weekly or twice‐weekly therapy. TFP is suitable for publicly funded psychotherapy and private practice. Devised by Kernberg and colleagues, its conceptual framework is based on Kleinian theory of primitive defences in the paranoid schizoid position. A TFP 'structural assessment' is carried out before negotiating a treatment contract, which must be agreed before therapy can begin. Contracting addresses destructive acting‐out and isolative lifestyles, and requires a commitment to active engagement with therapy and its agreed aims. The therapist closely attends to relationships outside therapy and transference parallels. The goal is greater integration of the self and self‐object relations. In addition to changes in symptoms, TFP can lead to changes in patients' defensive structures with concomitant shifts in personality structure, improved satisfaction in life, and fuller engagement in work and relationships. A case example is given of a patient with a withdrawn lifestyle. Her object relationships were interpreted as they unfolded in life outside therapy and in the transference, leading to personality structure changes which enabled her to be able to function successfully in work and in her personal relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Individual energy systems have their own specific technical, and non-technical needs. • A framework is presented for assessing energy storage options against these needs. • It uses multi-attribute value theory and is tested in Cornwall, UK. • It promotes engagement with stakeholders which can inform decision makers. • It is less complex than alternatives and so can be used by non-expert actors. Abstract With the growing adoption of intermittent renewable energy generation the role for energy storage to provide a number of service needs is being increasingly recognised. However, 'energy storage' encompasses a family of technologies, each with its own set of performance, cost and physical characteristics, at different stages of development. At the same time, each energy system – however defined – has specific needs; and energy systems are themselves part of a wider socio-technical system which has aims beyond the confines of the energy 'trilemma'. As energy storage technologies develop, funding is becoming available to demonstrate their application in realistic environments. However, with multiple technical and non-technical factors to consider, it is challenging for many decision makers who often have limited expertise and resources to select which projects to support. In this paper we first describe a novel framework for assessing the wider benefits that could come from deploying energy storage using Multi-Attribute Value Theory (MAVT), a form of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. We then use the framework to assess six potential energy storage projects through a combination of technical analysis and stakeholder input in the county of Cornwall in the UK: a region that has good solar and wind resource with relatively low demand and constrained network infrastructure. The projects assessed were: power to gas, a distributed battery system, battery storage integrated with solar PV and demand from Cornwall Airport Newquay, liquid air energy storage, battery storage integrated with wave energy, and thermal energy storage at a new residential development. We conclude that MAVT can provide a straightforward and user-friendly approach, which can be easily used by decision makers for assessing energy storage projects across a range of criteria and promoting engagement with stakeholders. This approach also allows the subjectivity of decision-making, a potential limitation, to be explored through a sensitivity analysis. The use of MAVT can lead to important insights for the development of energy systems, which in this study included the importance of local priorities to decision-making. In this case, battery storage with PV and demand from Cornwall Airport Newquay was the top-ranking project, performing well across a range of attributes including the maturity of the technology, its ability to defer grid upgrades and economic viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods whereby access to facilities can be captured in order to support national policies geared towards promoting sports participation and help plan the provision of local facilities are urgently needed. Objective measures derived from the use of Geographical Information Systems can be used to gain an understanding of spatial variations in the location and quality of sporting infrastructure. The aim of this study is to draw on a recreational database for Wales to demonstrate the benefits of ‘enhanced two-step floating catchment area’ techniques for gaining a wider understanding of variations in potential demand for sport facilities in the light of available supply. A practical demonstration showing how such tools can be used to examine variations in provision in relation to potential demand arising from targeted demographic groups is illustrated using the case study of spatial access to lawn bowling greens, an increasingly popular leisure pursuit in Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]