Effectiveness of routine psychotherapy: Method matters

Abstract

This suggests that although psychotherapy is associated with an effective magnitude of symptom improvement in routine practice, additional services for highly distressed individuals may be necessary. The methods described here comprise a comprehensive analysis of the quality of routine care, and we recommend using both methods in concert. Clinical or methodological significance of this article: This study examines the effectiveness of routine psychotherapy provided in a large network of counseling centers. By comparing multiple established methods to define outcomes in this sample we provide a detailed understanding of typical outcomes. The findings show that, across several different problem areas, routine psychotherapy provided substantial benefit, particularly to clients in the most distress. However, there is room to improve, especially by increasing the number of clients who return to normal functioning by the end of treatment. Using distinct methods provides complementary answers to the question: How effective is routine psychotherapy?