Psychotherapy Process
Explore the dynamics and stages of the psychotherapy process, from the initial client assessment to the therapeutic interventions that promote healing. This section provides insights into the complexities of therapeutic relationships and strategies to enhance treatment effectiveness.
257 articles found
Clinical Creativity and Idiographic Goals in Psychotherapy
Walking the hallway of the Psychotherapy and Behavior Change Lab throughout the course of my graduate training, I often glanced at a paper that my mentor had taped to one of the doors, which cited Paul’s (1967) iconic question: ‘‘What treatment, by whom, is most effective for this individual with that specific problem, and under […]
Matteo Bugatti, Ph.D.
April 21, 2020
An Independent Practice Does Not Need to Be an Isolated Practice
Recently we have heard a lot about the importance of therapist self-care. Jeffrey Barnett (2014) made a strong case that self-care is an ethical imperative based on the APA Ethics Code principles of beneficence and maleficence, as well as the guidelines related to competence, managing personal problems and conflicts, and avoiding harm. Self-care has […]
Barbara J. Thompson, Ph.D. + 1 more
April 21, 2020
An Integrative Review of Therapeutic Empathy
The Complex Nature of Therapeutic Empathy Therapeutic empathy has long been identified as a particularly robust predictor of outcome (e.g., Elliot et al., 2018; Lafferty et al., 1989; Luborsky et al., 1988), yet its complexity has made it difficult to operationalize. Historically, some theorists have emphasized the sensory-emotional components (Kohut, 1959; Titchener, 1915), while others […]
Shannon L. McIntyre, Ph.D. + 1 more
March 8, 2020
Therapist Attachment-Related Behaviors and Their Effects on Psychotherapy Process and Outcome
For more than 20 years, our attachment research teams at Western Michigan University (WMU) have been using Bowlby’s attachment theory to examine important psychotherapy process and outcome variables. What have we found? Generally speaking, client and therapist attachment do matter in psychotherapy—often times, in many of the same ways that John Bowlby would have predicted. […]
Eric M. Sauer, Ph.D. + 3 more
March 2, 2020
The Changing Needs of Gamers
Introduction Video games are no longer a fringe pursuit, if they ever truly were. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) estimates that video games grossed over $36 billion in the US in 2017 (ESA, 2018). This represents over 600% growth from estimates in 2000 (Interactive Digital Software Association [IDSA], 2002). The ESA (2018) noted that there […]
Raffael Boccamazzo, Psy.D. + 1 more
February 16, 2020
Building Evidence for Transdiagnostic Treatment Personalization
As psychotherapists, we face the difficult task of understanding a person’s presenting psychological problems, conceptualizing how their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions interact to produce psychological distress, and choosing intervention techniques accordingly. Typically, clinicians use DSM criteria to assign patients one or more diagnostic labels, which theoretically should inform the treatment approach. For example, most cognitive […]
Andrew J. Curreri, M.A. + 1 more
January 19, 2020
Balancing Alliances With Couples and Families
Many therapists in training, and even experienced therapists, anticipate working with couples and families with trepidation. As family therapists and researchers, we understand that trepidation, and indeed, sometimes find ourselves experiencing these same feelings! However, we know that understanding systemic interactions really helps in learning to work with couples and families; thus, we offer some […]
Laurie Heatherington, Ph.D. + 2 more
November 12, 2019
A Doctoral Student’s Perspective on Becoming an Evidence-Based Practitioner
The evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) movement can be considered a response to the medicalization of psychology, where pharmaceuticals are at risk of becoming the primary treatment option. The “year of the brain” illuminated connections between neurobiological markers and psychological phenomena, and as Paris (2015) argues, the field of psychiatry welcomed neuropsychology as a means […]
Molly E. Kelly, M.A.
August 18, 2019
Guideline Orthodoxy and Resulting Limitations of the American Psychological Association’s Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults
Abstract This article introduces the special issue in which we explore problems and limitations inherent both in the development and implementation of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adults. As Chair (Christine A. Courtois) and member (Laura S. Brown) of the guideline development panel, we […]
Christine Courtois, Ph.D. + 1 more
July 8, 2019
Relationships and Responsiveness in the Psychological Treatment of Trauma
Abstract The therapeutic relationship and responsiveness/treatment adaptations rightfully occupy a prominent, evidence-based place in any guidelines for the psychological treatment of trauma. In this light, we critique the misguided efforts of the American Psychological Association’s (APA, 2017) Clinical Practice Guideline on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adults to advance a biomedical model for psychotherapy and thus […]
John C. Norcross, Ph.D. + 1 more
July 8, 2019
6 Recommendations to Reduce Weight Stigma and Discrimination in Eating Disorder Treatment
Weight stigma, or unfavorable attitudes and beliefs about people of a higher body-weight, is ubiquitous in society, as well as mental health settings (Puhl & Heuer, 2009). Stigma associated with high body-weight shares many similarities with stigma related to disordered eating behaviors, such as the perception that both are indicative of a flawed disposition or […]
Laurie A. S. Veillette, M.Sc. + 1 more
July 7, 2019
Responsivity to Patients’ Early Treatment Beliefs as a Form of Evidence-Based Decision Making
Although using an empirically supported treatment package to treat specific mental health problems may represent a good starting point, there is growing recognition that evidence-based practice (EBP) involves more than the uniform application of such standardized interventions. One of the main research findings driving this perspective is that global therapist adherence to a specific treatment […]
Alice E. Coyne, PhD + 2 more
June 23, 2019