Glossary // Glossary term Clinical
Evidence-based psychotherapy
Structured psychological treatment delivered by a trained professional whose efficacy for specific problems has been tested in controlled trials. Different therapies often show comparable average outcomes, which has fuelled debate about whether they work through techniques specific to each therapy or through common factors such as the therapeutic alliance. A review concluded that, because research on mechanisms has so far been correlational, no common or specific factor yet meets the criteria for an established working mechanism. What clinical psychology learned about emotional release: emotional processing theory and exposure, the Cochrane evidence against single-session psychological debriefing, and meta-analyses of regulation strategies across psychopathology. The works the definition rests on, with the level of evidence each was appraised at. (2019). The role of common factors in psychotherapy outcomes. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095424 Supports the claim that no common or specific factor yet meets the criteria for an empirically validated working mechanism, because mechanism research has been correlational. Narrative review; it does not question that psychotherapies are effective.Where the site uses it
Studies behind it