608 CHAPTER 15
rate than those who had no psychotherapy and that the passage of time alone could
account for all recovery.Studies of Effectiveness
15.8 Summarize the research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy.
Eysenck’s classic survey created a major controversy within the world of clinical and
counseling psychology. Other researchers began their own studies to find evidence that
would contradict Eysenck’s findings. One such effort reviewed studies that the research-
ers considered to be well controlled and concluded that the psychotherapies did not dif-
fer from one another in effectiveness (Luborsky et al., 1975). Of course, that can mean
either that the psychotherapies were all equally effective or that
they were all equally ineffective. (Reminder—many psychological
professionals take an eclectic approach, using more than one psy-
chotherapy technique.)
Studies that do not use empirical* procedures but instead
try to determine if the clients who have been helped by the ther-
apy in general are plagued by problems such as experimenter
bias (the therapist expects the therapy to work and is also the one
assessing the progress of the client), the inaccuracies of self-report
information, and the same placebo-effect expectations cited by
Shapiro and Shapiro (Seligman, 1995; Wampold, 1997).
to Learning Objective 1.9.
Surveys have shown that people who have received psy-
chotherapy believe that they have been helped more often than
not (Consumer Reports, 1995; Hunsley et al., 2014; Kotkin et al.,
1996). The Consumer Reports research was a survey of the magazine’s readers in which
those who had been or were currently clients in psychotherapy rated the effective-
ness of the therapy they received. Here are the findings from a summary of this and
several other similar surveys (Lambert & Ogles, 2004; Seligman, 1995; Thase, 1999):- An estimated 75 to 90 percent of people feel that psychotherapy has helped them.
- The longer a person stays in therapy, the greater the improvement.
Other studies have found that some psychotherapies are more effective for certain
types of disorders (Clarkin et al., 2007; Hollon et al., 2002) but that no one psychotherapy
is the most effective or works for every type of problem. Overall the evidence for psycho-
therapy is strong, and data support its efficacy with different age groups, across a broad
range of disorders, and with clients from a variety of backgrounds and orientations
(American Psychological Association, 2013; Campbell et al., 2013; Chorpita et al., 2011).
Although psychotherapy is usually accomplished by the client or clients speaking
face to face with the therapist, other modalities of therapy or counseling are available
using various forms of technology. While some interventions are phone based or use
email, others have fallen under the general term of cybertherapy, but Internet-based, online
therapy, online counseling, e-therapy, web-based, and distance counseling are some other terms
referring to psychotherapy or mental health interventions that are offered remotely and
primarily via the Internet. Although this method of delivery may have the advantages of
lower or minimal cost, availability of therapy opportunities for those unable to get to a
therapist easily (such as people living in a remote or rural area), access to support groups
online, and relative anonymity, there are risks.
Just as with face-to-face interventions, clients need to make sure the therapist has
appropriate training and credentials in psychotherapy. Therapists should also have
*empirical: capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment.“William, Chris, Ben, Richard, Neal, Jason, Roger”
© The New Yorker Collection 1991 Mike Twohy from cartoonbank.com. All Rights
Reserved.