In the last issue of the Bulletin, we began exploring the very timely issue of the use of letters of recommendation (LORs) by clinical and counseling graduate programs as a tool to select students with high potential to be effective therapists. Not only do programs use LORs routinely for this process, but LORs have received […]
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2019 report on Admissions, Applications, and Acceptances, over 40,000 individuals applied to clinical psychology programs in the 2016-2017 academic year, with acceptance rates of 12-30% (Michalski et al., 2019). Due to an increasing interest in clinical and counseling psychology (Norcross & Sayette, 2014) and a limited amount of space […]
“I had two important things before me: the one was the carrying on my Business and Shop, which was considerable, and in which was embarked all my Effects in the World; and the other was the Preservation of my Life in so dismal a Calamity as I saw apparently was coming upon the whole City, […]
Given the unresolved nature of the Dodo Bird Verdict (de Felice et al., 2019), clarification of psychotherapy mechanisms remains important and may indicate which clients will respond to treatment (Goldfried et al., 2014), reduce theory-practice gaps (Dobson & Beshai, 2013), and provide insight into why some individuals in control groups show improvement above and beyond […]
At the time of this writing, an estimated one-third of the world’s population is in “lockdown” due to a novel coronavirus (Kaplan et al., 2020). In addition to the loss of life and physical health consequences, the economic and psychological impact of the virus and these containment measures has already been massive and may well […]
Ample research suggests that therapists differ in their level of effectiveness (Blow et. al., 2007; Wampold, 2001). Even more striking is that therapist effects appear to be larger than treatment effects (e.g., Lindgren et al., 2010). These findings suggest that “who” the therapist is may be more important than the type of treatment used. Moreover, […]
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. […]
In the research world, we often hear the mantra publish or perish. It serves as a reminder that careers and advancements depend on research productivity and contributions to the field. However, right around the time I accepted my first academic position, I stumbled upon a book cover that caught my eye. It was a series […]
Over the past decade, the practice of mindfulness has received a significant amount of attention in the psychotherapy research literature. The existing research on mindfulness has demonstrated that it can produce positive health and mental health benefits for psychotherapy clients (Davis & Hayes, 2011). A smaller body of research has also demonstrated that the practice […]