Distinguished Publication of Psychotherapy Research

Division 29 and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. sponsored an award for the Distinguished Publication of Psychotherapy Research. This award recognized the best empirical (i.e., data-based) published peer reviewed article on psychotherapy in the preceding calendar year.

The criteria for receipt of this award we as follows

  • Article relevant to psychotherapy practice appeared in any journal (did not have to appear in the Society’s journal) in the preceding calendar year
  • The paper reflected a strong scientific contribution, evidenced through the rationale for the study and theoretical soundness, the methods, the analyses, the explanation of the results, and the discussion of the implications of the findings for the practice and science of psychotherapy
  • The article contributed new knowledge about psychotherapy (e.g., the work is innovative, creative, or integrative; the work advances existing research in a meaningful way) – greater weight was given to novel/creative element than to methodological/statistical rigor

There were no application materials, since decisions for the award are based on published articles.

Award recipients received an honorarium of $500, and an award plaque, both of which were given to the lead author only, at the Society’s Awards Ceremony at the APA Convention.

This award was discontinued in 2013.

Distinguished Publication of Psychotherapy Research

2013 Recipient: Dr. Michael Constantino and Holly Laws (and others)

2013 Recipient Michael Constantino and Holly Laws (and others) for their 2012 published article, The Relation between Changes in Patients interpersonal Impact Messages and Outcome in Treatment for Chronic Depression, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80(3), 354-364.

Michael J. Constantino, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he directs his Psychotherapy Research Lab, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on theories and techniques of psychotherapy, supervises clinicians-in-training, and maintains a small private psychotherapy practice with adult outpatients. Dr. Constantino’s primary scientific contributions include: (1) the investigation of patient, therapist, and relational processes that influence psychosocial treatments, (2) the development and testing of effective therapeutic interventions that address pantheoretical principles of clinical change, (3) the conduct of effectiveness research in psychotherapy training clinics, and (4) the interface of social and clinical psychology in the service of establishing clinical practice guidelines. Dr. Constantino has published both theoretical and empirical work in leading journals and books in the field, and he has received both internal and external grant support for his research. Dr. Constantino’s work has been recognized internationally, including with his receipt of the American Psychological Foundation’s 2007 Division 29 (Psychotherapy) Early Career Award, the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration’s (SEPI) 2007 New Researcher Award, the Society for Psychotherapy Research’s (SPR) 2010 Outstanding Early Career Achievement Award, and fellow status (awarded in 2009) in the American Psychological Association (APA) and Division 29 of APA. Among many positions served, Dr. Constantino is a former Early Career Domain Representative to the Division 29 Board of Directors, and he is currently the President of the North American Society for Psychotherapy Research. Dr. Constantino is a Contributing Editor for Psychotherapy Bulletin and the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. He is also a Consulting Editor for Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy Research, the Journal of Unified Psychotherapy and Clinical Science, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, and the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration.


Distinguished Publication of Psychotherapy Research

Previous Recipients

2010 – Pascual-Leone, A. (2009). Dynamic emotional processing in experiential therapy: Two steps forward, one step back. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 113-126.

2009 – Michelle Newman, Louis Castonguay, Thomas Borkovec, Aaron Fisher, & Samuel Nordberg. (2008). An open trial of integrative therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 45, 135-147.

2008 – Scott A Baldwin, Bruce E. Wampold, & Zac E. Imel (2008). Untangling the alliance-outcome correlation: Exploring the relative importance of therapist and patient variability in the alliance. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 842-852.

2007 – No award given

2006 – No award given

2005 – No award given

2004 – No award given

2003 – Ligiéro, D. P., & Gelso, C. J. (2002). Countertransference, attachment, and the working alliance: The therapist’s contributionPsychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 39(1), 3-11.

2002 – Travis, L. A., Bliwise, N. G., Binder, J. L., & Horne-Moyer, H. L. (2001). Changes in clients’ attachment styles over the course of time-limited dynamic psychotherapyPsychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 38(2), 149-159.