Issues and Controversies that Surround Recent Texts on Empirically Supported and Empirically Based Treatments

ABSTRACT

Since the 1993 APA task force of the Society of Clinical Psychology developed guidelines to apply data-based psychology to the identification of effective psychotherapy, there has been an increasing number of texts focussing on Empirically based Psychotherapy and Empirically Supported Treatments. This manuscript examines recent key texts and comments on the issues and controversies surrounding this movement. Possible reasons for limited transfer to the clinical setting of many psychotherapists are noted.

KEYWORDS:

• Empirically Supported Treatments (EST)
• Empirically Based Psychotherapy (EBP)
• psychotherapy outcome
• clinical efficacy