Choosing Your PsychotherapistBy: Lindsey Berman

Background

Does psychotherapy work? Which type of therapy should I choose? Do some work better than others?

Mary Lee Smith and Gene Glass

Goals:To identify and collect all studies that tested the effects of counseling and psychotherapy

To determine the magnitude of the effect of therapy in each study

To compare the effects of different types of therapy.

Method

375 different studies from 1000 magazines, journals, and books that tested counseling and psychotherapy effects.

Each had one group who received therapy and one control group.

Meta-analysisMost important to include was the effect of therapy

833 effect sizes

25000 subjects combined

Average age: 22

Average time: 17 hours

Average therapist experience: 3.5 years

Results (Does therapy work?)

Average subject that received therapy was better off than 75% of the untreated subjects.

Therapy moved average subject from the 50th percentile to 75th percentile

Only 99/833 (12%) of the effect sizes had negative results

Results (How does therapy work for

different results? )

Results (Which type of therapy works best?)

Results (Behavior superclass vs. non-

behavioral)Split into two “superclasses”

Compared the two control groups

No differences between the two

Significance

The study was “a step in the right direction toward solving the problem” that people do not have enough knowledge of therapy.

Less confusing for clients, more confusing for therapists.

Recent Applications

Meta-analysis for 48 different studies on depression and group therapy

Those who received therapy improved 85% percent more than those who don’t.

Behavioral treatments for people suffering from migraine and tension headache problems.

30 - 50% reduction in the headaches with the behavioral strategies.

Psychotherapy for the mentally retarded.