Forensic psychiatrists frequently deal with deceptive people. In these
cases, malingering is the most common type of deception one encounters.
However, deception on the part of mental health clients in other
treatment settings is much broader and more complex than malingering,
and learning the signs of deception can be useful for therapists in any
specialty, especially those who do not necessarily take what their
clients tell them at face value.
The book begins with an introduction to some basic concepts concerning
deception, with particular emphasis on "what it is" and "what it isn't."
It then looks at the motivations behind and methods of deception in
mental health practice, as well as the common contexts in which
deception occurs. Finally, with an eye toward the detection of
deception, the book looks at the game of poker as a "clinical case
study" to explore whether the popular notion of "tells" has any
relevance to the practice of mental health treatment.
This short and uniquely illustrated guide will help mental health
professionals determine when, why, and how their clients may lie to
them. With some of the analysis based on insights from the world of
poker players, readers will learn about methods of deception, reasons
why clients deceive them, and the best methods to uncover the truth.