PSY 4C 14: COUNSELLING
PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT–I: Introduction to Counselling
Class Notes
TOPIC:
EVALUATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
, EVALUATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
Psychotherapy is the most prevalent outpatient treatment for
psychiatric disorders. Unlike other medical interventions, however,
psychotherapy entails a particular kind of conversation between the
therapist and the patient, and is not generally dependent on tangible
technical interventions such as setting a bone or suturing a wound.
Unlike many other areas of medicine, however, new
psychotherapeutic techniques and ideologies were adopted before
research evidence had been produced to support their superiority over
current practices.
HISTORY
Psychotherapy research is focused on the empirical investigation of
the processes and outcomes of psychotherapy. It aims to increase our
knowledge regarding the nature of therapeutic interventions, the
patients who will most benefit from those interventions, and the
outcomes expected from those interventions. It is now well
established that psychotherapy achieves significant positive effects
over and above control conditions.
However, in order to determine how such effects are achieved, how to
investigate specific therapies for specific disorders, and the variables
that account for positive outcome, new research paradigms and
enhanced collaboration between clinicians and researchers are
, necessary. The overarching goals of psychotherapy research are to
improve the practice of psychotherapy, inform public policies
regarding psychotherapy, and streamline the provision of mental
health care.
The history of psychotherapy research can be understood by
considering a sequence of developmental phases, each with its own
central issues and achievements. The earliest scientific investigations
of psychotherapy began in the 1920s as the first clinical researchers
began to document their treatment results. Studies of non-
psychoanalytic treatments appeared in the 1930s, but there was little
effort through the 1940s to study either psychoanalytic or non-
psychoanalytic treatments. However, competitors to the
psychoanalytic paradigm made their appearance, and researchers such
as Carl Rogers brought psychotherapy from private offices to be
scientifically studied.
Psychotherapy research remains bedevilled by the diversity of the
variables investigated, the varying methods of appraisal, the
heterogeneity of the patients studied, the differences in therapist
training and skill, and the variations in clinical settings. However,
there is now a substantial body of evidence that shows that:
(1) There are effective psychological treatments for a large number of
psychiatric disorders;
(2) Psychotherapeutic approaches either alone or in combination with
psychotropic medications are more effective than placebo; and
PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT–I: Introduction to Counselling
Class Notes
TOPIC:
EVALUATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
, EVALUATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
Psychotherapy is the most prevalent outpatient treatment for
psychiatric disorders. Unlike other medical interventions, however,
psychotherapy entails a particular kind of conversation between the
therapist and the patient, and is not generally dependent on tangible
technical interventions such as setting a bone or suturing a wound.
Unlike many other areas of medicine, however, new
psychotherapeutic techniques and ideologies were adopted before
research evidence had been produced to support their superiority over
current practices.
HISTORY
Psychotherapy research is focused on the empirical investigation of
the processes and outcomes of psychotherapy. It aims to increase our
knowledge regarding the nature of therapeutic interventions, the
patients who will most benefit from those interventions, and the
outcomes expected from those interventions. It is now well
established that psychotherapy achieves significant positive effects
over and above control conditions.
However, in order to determine how such effects are achieved, how to
investigate specific therapies for specific disorders, and the variables
that account for positive outcome, new research paradigms and
enhanced collaboration between clinicians and researchers are
, necessary. The overarching goals of psychotherapy research are to
improve the practice of psychotherapy, inform public policies
regarding psychotherapy, and streamline the provision of mental
health care.
The history of psychotherapy research can be understood by
considering a sequence of developmental phases, each with its own
central issues and achievements. The earliest scientific investigations
of psychotherapy began in the 1920s as the first clinical researchers
began to document their treatment results. Studies of non-
psychoanalytic treatments appeared in the 1930s, but there was little
effort through the 1940s to study either psychoanalytic or non-
psychoanalytic treatments. However, competitors to the
psychoanalytic paradigm made their appearance, and researchers such
as Carl Rogers brought psychotherapy from private offices to be
scientifically studied.
Psychotherapy research remains bedevilled by the diversity of the
variables investigated, the varying methods of appraisal, the
heterogeneity of the patients studied, the differences in therapist
training and skill, and the variations in clinical settings. However,
there is now a substantial body of evidence that shows that:
(1) There are effective psychological treatments for a large number of
psychiatric disorders;
(2) Psychotherapeutic approaches either alone or in combination with
psychotropic medications are more effective than placebo; and
