Abstract
This chapter addresses the evolving role of common factors in psychotherapy, emphasising the historical and ongoing debates around the empirical validation of therapeutic outcomes. The chapter explores the dichotomy between empirically supported treatments (ESTs) and the common factors approach, highlighting the significance of the therapeutic alliance and the customization of treatment to patient needs. The integration of evidence-based practices (EBPs) into psychotherapy is discussed as a strategy to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. The chapter underscores the necessity of personalising therapeutic interventions based on patient preferences and characteristics, advocating for a flexible, patient-centred approach to enhance therapeutic effectiveness. This comprehensive analysis provides a foundation for understanding the complexities and methodological considerations essential for advancing psychotherapy as a scientifically grounded and empirically validated clinical practice.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Assay, T. P., & Lambert, M. J. (1999). The empirical case for common factors in therapy: Quantitative findings. In M. A. Hubble, B. L. Duncan, & S. D. Miller (Eds.), The heart & soul of change – What works in therapy. American Psychological Association.
Boswell, J. F., Nelson, D., Nordberg, S., McAleavey, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2010). Competency in integrative psychotherapy: Perspectives on training and supervision. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 47(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018848
Castonguay, L. G., & Beutler, L. E. (2006). Principles of therapeutic change: A task force on participants, relationships, and techniques factors. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(6), 631–638. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20256
Chambless, D. L., & Ollendick, T. H. (2001). Empirically supported psychological interventions: Controversies and evidence. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 685–716. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.685
Colli, A., Gentile, D., Condino, V., & Lingiardi, V. (2019). Assessing alliance ruptures and resolutions: Reliability and validity of the Collaborative Interactions Scale-revised version. Psychotherapy Research, 29(3), 279–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2017.1414331
De Jong, K. (2012). A chance for change: Building an outcome monitoring feedback system for outpatient mental health care. Leiden University.
Del Corno, F., & Lo Coco, G. (2018). Disegni di ricerca in psicologia clinica: Metodi quantitativi, qualitativi e misti. Edizioni Franco Angeli.
Duncan, B. L. (2002). The legacy of Saul Rosenzweig: The profundity of the dodo bird. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 12(1), 32–57. https://doi.org/10.1037/1053-0479.12.1.32
Eubanks, C. F., Muran, J. C., & Safran, J. D. (2018). Alliance rupture repair: A meta-analysis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 508–519. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000185
Eysenck, H. J. (1952). The effects of psychotherapy: An evaluation. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 16(5), 319–324. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/h0063633
Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis. Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.), 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172
Fonagy, P., Roth, A., & Higgitt, A. (2005). Psychodynamic psychotherapies: Evidence-based practice and clinical wisdom. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 69(1), 1–58.
French, T. M. (1933). Interrelations between psychoanalysis and the experimental work of Pavlov. American Journal of Psychiatry, 89(6), 1165–1203. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.89.6.1165
Goldfried, M. R. (1980). Toward the delineation of therapeutic change principles. American Psychologist, 35(11), 991. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.35.11.991
Goldfried, M. R. (2019). Obtaining consensus in psychotherapy: What holds us back? American Psychologist, 74(4), 484–496. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000365
Grencavage, L. M., & Norcross, J. C. (1990). Where are the commonalities among the therapeutic common factors? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 21(5), 372–378. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.21.5.372
Hawley, K. M., & Weisz, J. R. (2002). Increasing the relevance of evidence-based treatment review to practitioners and consumers. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 225–230. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.9.2.225
Hentschel, U. (2005). Therapeutic alliance: The best synthesizer of social influences on the therapeutic situation? On links to other constructs, determinants of its effectiveness, and its role for research in psychotherapy in general. Psychotherapy Research, 15(1–2), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503300512331327001
Herbert, J. D. (2003). The science and practice of empirically supported treatments. Behavior Modification, 27(3), 412–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445503027003008
Hilgard, E. R., Kelly, E., Luckey, B., Sanford, R., Shaffer, L., & Shakow, D. (1947). Recommended graduate training program in clinical psychology. American Psychologist, 2, 539–558. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0058236
Høglend, P., Hersoug, A., & Bøgwald, K. (2011). Effects of transference work in the context of therapeutic alliance and quality of object relations. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(5), 697–706. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024863
Horvath, A., Gaston, L., & Luborsky, L. (1993). The therapeutic alliance and its measures. In Psychodynamic treatment research: A handbook for clinical practice (pp. 247–273). Basic Books.
Kubie, L. S. (1934). Relation of the conditioned reflex to psychoanalytic technic. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 32(6), 1137–1142. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurpsyc.1934.02250120014002
Lambert, M. J., & Bergin, A. E. (1992). Achievements and limitations of psychotherapy research. In History of psychotherapy: A century of change (pp. 360–390). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10110-010
Levy, R. A., Ablon, J. S., & Kachele, H. (2015). La Psicoterapia Psicodinamica basata sulla Ricerca. Raffaello Cortina Editore.
Lo Coco, G. (2021). L’efficacia dei trattamenti psicoterapeutici: per una ricerca basata sulla pratica clinica. Ricerca Psicoanalitica, 32(2), 403–417. https://doi.org/10.4081/rp.2021.261
Luborsky, L. (1995). Are common factors across different psychotherapies the main explanation for the Dodo Bird verdict that “Everyone has won so all shall have prizes”? Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2, 106–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.1995.tb00033.x
Lutz, W., De Jong, K., Rubel, J. A., & Delgadillo, J. (2021). Measuring, predicting, and tracking change in psychotherapy. In M. Barkham, W. Lutz, & L. G. Castonguay (Eds.), Bergin and Garfield’s handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (7th ed.). Wiley.
Mallinckrodt, B., Porter, M., & Kivlighan, D. (2005). Client attachment to therapist, depth of in-session exploration, and object relations in brief psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42(1), 85. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.42.1.85
Margison, F. R., Barkham, M., Evans, C., McGrath, G., Clark, J. M., Audin, K., & Connell, J. (2000). Measurement and psychotherapy: Evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 177(2), 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.177.2.123
McReynolds, P. (1997). Lightner Witmer: His life and times. American Psychological Association.
Miller, S. D., Duncan, B. L., & Hubble, M. A. (1997). Escape from babel: Toward a unifying language for psychotherapy practice (Vol. 32). W W Norton & Co Inc.
Mueser, K. T., Torrey, W. C., Lynde, D., Singer, P., & Drake, R. (2003). Implementing evidence-based practices for people with severe mental illness. Behavior Modification, 27(3), 387–411. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.52.1.45
Mulder, R., Murray, G., & Rucklidge, J. (2017). Common versus specific factors in psychotherapy: Opening the black box. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(12), 953–962. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30100-1
Muran, J. C., & Eubanks, C. F. (2021). Il terapeuta sotto pressione. Riparare le rotture dell’alleanza terapeutica. Raffaello Cortina.
Norcross, J. C., & Goldfried, M. R. (2005). Handbook of psychotherapy integration. Oxford University Press.
Norcross, J. C., & Lambert, M. J. (2018). Psychotherapy relationships that work (Vol. 55). Educational Publishing Foundation.
Norcross, J. C., & Wampold, B. E. (2018). A new therapy for each patient: Evidence-based relationships and responsiveness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1889–1906. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22678
Owen, J., & Hilsenroth, M. J. (2014). Treatment adherence: The importance of therapist flexibility in relation to therapy outcomes. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61(2), 280–288. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035753
Paul, G. L. (1967). Strategy of outcome research in psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31(2), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0024436
Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (2018). Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis (9th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Rogers, C. R., & Skinner, B. F. (1956). Some issues concerning the control of human behavior. Science, 124(3231), 1057–1066. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.124.3231.1057
Rossi Monti, M. (2012). Psicopatologia del presente: Crisi della nosografia e nuove forme della clinica. Edizioni Franco Angeli.
Sackett, D. L. (1997). Evidence-based medicine. Paper presented at the Seminars in perinatology.
Safran, J. D., Muran, C. J., & Savi, E. (2000). Teoria e pratica dell’alleanza terapeutica. Laterza Editore.
Shimokawa, K., Lambert, M. J., & Smart, D. W. (2010). Enhancing treatment outcome of patients at risk of treatment failure: Meta-analytic and mega-analytic review of a psychotherapy quality assurance system. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(3), 298–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019247
Stiles, W. B., & Horvath, A. O. (2017). Appropriate responsiveness as a contribution to therapist effects. In How and why are some therapists better than others?: Understanding therapist effects (pp. 71–84). American Psychological Association.
Stone, M. H. (2007). Personality-disordered patients: Treatable and untreatable. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Swift, J. K., & Wampold, B. E. (2018). Inclusion and exclusion strategies for conducting meta-analyses. Psychotherapy Research, 28(3), 356–366. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2017.1405169
Tasca, G. A., Sylvestre, J., Balfour, L., Chyurlia, L., Evans, J., & Fortin-Langelier, B. (2015). What clinicians want: Findings from a psychotherapy practice research network survey. Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.), 52(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038252
Thorne, F. C. (1947). The clinical method in science. American Psychologist, 2(5), 159. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0060157
Tracey, T., Lichtenberg, J. W., Goodyear, R. K., Claiborn, C. D., & Wampold, B. E. (2003). Concept mapping of therapeutic common factors. Psychotherapy Research, 13(4), 401–413. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptr/kpg041
Wampold, B. E. (2015). How important are the common factors in psychotherapy? An update. World Psychiatry, 14(3), 270–277. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20238
Wampold, B. E., & Imel, Z. E. (2017). Il grande dibattito in psicoterapia: l’evidenza della ricerca scientifica avanzata applicata alla clinica. Sovera Edizioni.
Westen, D., Novotny, C. M., & Thompson-Brenner, H. (2004). The empirical status of empirically supported psychotherapies: Assumptions, findings, and reporting in controlled clinical trials. Psychological Bulletin, 130(4), 631–663. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.631
Woodworth, R. S. (1958). Dynamics of behavior. Henry Holt and Company.
Zilcha-Mano, S. (2017). Is the alliance really therapeutic? Revisiting this question in light of recent methodological advances. American Psychologist, 72(4), 311–325. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040435
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Compare, A., La Tona, A. (2024). Towards an Integrated Approach to Evidence-Based Practice in Psychotherapy. In: Poletti, B., Tasca, G.A., Pievani, L., Compare, A. (eds) Training in Integrated Relational Psychotherapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71904-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71904-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-71903-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-71904-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)

