Psychotherapy research as related to practice

Abstract

In order to be scientific psychotherapy must reflect critically its concepts and its practical applications; it is particularly important that it should evaluate its processes and results. Priorities that are presently attributed to research are shown, and questions related to the evaluation of results are discussed in detail. The main problem is that of choosing adequate criteria relating to the effects of psychotherapy on symptom elimination and the development of personality. The debate around methods has centered on the fact that the required random attribution of control groups cannot be implemented in the case of long-term therapies carried out in the setting of private practices. In retrospect the classical efficiency studies are shown to be a wrong method for scientific validation of the (private) practice of psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy cannot be evaluated in the same way as engineering or in analogy to pharmacotherapy. Instead of using methods designed by the natural sciences, the research should reintroduce the human sciences dimension and psychotherapy should be studied where it is practiced, i.e. in the therapist’s office, instead of in a laboratory It is also important to take account of the qualitative aspects of phenomena connected to illness and to therapy instead of applying purely scientifico-biometrical quantitative methods. Methods of analysis and measuring instruments are required, that are adapted to the specific approaches and to their theoretical concepts whereas too often the procedures that are recognized internationally are applied routinely. This includes the theory-based operationalization of disturbances and of therapeutic processes of change.

Psychotherapy research can only be carried out on the basis of a collaboration between practicing therapists and researchers. As these two groups have a different view of things, they may have difficulty understanding each other; but if they both try, a positive collaboration may be quite possible.

Keywords:
Psychotherapy research related to practice, qualitative methods, operationalization, collaboration between practicians and researchers.