Isolated and Alone: Therapeutic Interventions for Loneliness

Loneliness is among the most common and challenging client problems presented in clinical settings. Loneliness is often a factor in many other disorders, including depression, one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions in the US.

Contemporary research reflects the impact of loneliness and its various forms on social, cognitive, behavioral, physical, and spiritual domains, identifying the experience as a common predictive and mediating factor of other mental and physical disorders. Nonetheless, clients and practitioners often struggle to identify the significance of loneliness during initial interviews and subsequent sessions.

The authors aim to provide mental health practitioners with a framework for understanding loneliness and relevant sequelae. They approach the subject from multiple perspectives, including psychoanalytic, humanistic, existential, cognitive, and behavioral systems and solution-focused theories.

Definitions, measures, and relevant case studies are provided to better equip clinicians to identify, assess, and treat loneliness in children, adolescents, and adults.