What is evidence-based psychotherapy, and why does it matter?

If you went to see a medical specialist for a specific problem, wouldn't you expect to receive a treatment that could effectively treat your problem? A treatment that had been subjected to scientific research and subsequently demonstrated effectiveness in treating your specific concern?

The same expectations for effectiveness should be applied when considering psychotherapy.

Evidence-based psychotherapies are specific interventions that have been studied in clinical trials and have been shown to be effective in treating specific problems, such as depression, anxiety, or insomnia. Evidence-based psychotherapies not only help people reduce their psychological symptoms, but they also have the potential to help people reduce their symptoms even after therapy has ended (which means that people who choose evidence-based psychotherapies may need fewer sessions in order to achieve positive outcomes, compared to psychotherapies that are not evidence-based).

To learn more about evidence-based psychotherapy, please visit this link: http://www.abct.org/Help/?m=mFindHelp&fa=WhatIsEBPpublic