Cited by 1,608Psychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsMental Health Treatment and AccessCounseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics

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The effectiveness of psychotherapy: the Consumer Reports study

Seligman, Martin E. P.·1995·American Psychologist

DOI 10.1037/0003-066x.50.12.965

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Abstract

Consumer Reports (1995, November) published an article which concluded that patients benefited very substantially from psychotherapy, that long-term treatment did considerably better than short-term treatment, and that psychotherapy alone did not differ in effectiveness from medication plus psychotherapy. Furthermore, no specific modality of psychotherapy did better than any other for any disorder; psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers did not differ in their effectiveness as treaters; and all did better than marriage counselors and long-term family doctoring. Patients whose length of therapy or choice of therapist was limited by insurance or managed care did worse. The methodological virtues and drawbacks of this large-scale survey are examined and contrasted with the more traditional efficacy study, in which patients are randomized into a manualized, fixed duration treatment or into control groups. I conclude that the Consumer Reports survey complements the efficacy method, and that the best features of these two methods can be combined into a more ideal method that will best provide empirical validation of psychotherapy.

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Morgan, R. D., Winterowd, C., & Fuqua, D. R. (1999) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1023/a:1021969118113 · Cited by 18
“Therefore, client reports provide important and useful information about the success of psychotherapy (e.g., Gaston & Sabourin, 1992; Seligman, 1995; Strupp, 1996).”
Background
Comportamento e saúde: doenças e desafios
Kerbauy, R. R. (2002) · Psicologia USP · doi:10.1590/s0103-65642002000100002 · Cited by 17
Developing multicultural competence: perspectives on theory and practice
Johannes, C. K., & Erwin, P. G. (2004) · Counselling Psychology Quarterly · doi:10.1080/09515070412331317558 · Cited by 17
“Research establishing the success and efficacy of counselling and the psychotherapies (Seligman, 1995; Smith et al., 1980) has not just been with the culturally similar, and multicultural research has not given the same attention to questions of how, when and why existing practices have resulted in…”
Background
‘What help can you get talking to somebody?’ Explaining class differences in the use of talking treatments
Holman, D. (2013) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12082 · Cited by 16
Comparative Efficacy versus Effectiveness of Initial Antiretroviral Therapy in Clinical Trials versus Routine Care
Routman, J. S., Willig, J. H., Westfall, A. O., Abroms, S., Varshney, M., Adusumilli, S., Allison, J. J., Savage, K., Saag, M. S., & Mugavero, M. J. (2010) · Clinical Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1086/650004 · Cited by 17
“Though the efficacy versus effectiveness relationship has been examined thoroughly in cardiac care [2, 4, 5], substance abuse programs [20], and psychotherapy [9, 10, 21], it has been notably understudied in HIV/AIDS therapy [11].”
Background
Expanded Mental Health Benefits and Outpatient Depression Treatment Intensity
Sasso, A. T. L., Lindrooth, R. C., Lurie, I. Z., & Lyons, J. S. (2006) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/01.mlr.0000204083.55544.f8 · Cited by 16
“There is longstanding and substantial data to demonstrate that outpatient mental health services are effective.(24,25) There is additional evidence that demonstrates that lost productivity resulting from the symptoms of mental illness is one of the highest health-related costs that businesses incur.”
Background
Efficacy and Effectiveness: Complementary Findings From Two Multisite Trials Evaluating Outcomes of Alcohol Treatments Differing in Theoretical Orientations
Donovan, D. M. (1999) · Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1999.tb04154.x · Cited by 17
Psychocutaneous Disorders
MILLARD, L. G., & Millard, J. (2010) · doi:10.1002/9781444317633.ch64 · Cited by 24
Brief Intervention: A Promising Framework for Child and Youth Mental Health?
Gee, D. L., Mildred, H., Brann, P., & Taylor, M. (2014) · Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research · doi:10.1007/s10488-014-0563-3 · Cited by 17
“Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that much of the improvement in therapy occurs in the initial session, with therapeutic gains slowing in subsequent sessions (Battino 2006; Howard et al. 1986; Hubble et al. 2010; Seligman 1995).”
Background
Experiences of overcoming depression in young adults in psychoanalytic psychotherapy
von Below, C., Werbart, A., & Rehnberg, S. (2010) · European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling · doi:10.1080/13642537.2010.482745 · Cited by 16
Contemporary Psychotherapy Research: Implications for Substance Misuse Treatment and Research
Clark, J. J. (2009) · Substance Use & Misuse · doi:10.1080/10826080802523228 · Cited by 17
“While the effectiveness of psychotherapy (as compared to no treatment) has been demonstrated scientifically (Lambert and Ogles, 2003) and endorsed by consumers as more helpful than not seeking treatment (Seligman, 1995), many psychotherapy researchers had further hoped that certain approaches, when compared in randomi…”
Background
Therapieeffekte und Responseraten bei unipolar depressiven Patienten einer verhaltenstherapeutischen Hochschulambulanz
Schindler, A. C., & Hiller, W. (2010) · Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie · doi:10.1026/1616-3443/a000019 · Cited by 16
School Mental Health: Politics, Power and Practice
Rowling, L. (2008) · Advances in School Mental Health Promotion · doi:10.1080/1754730x.2008.9715742 · Cited by 16
“The report did not examine the advances in thinking and recommendations for practice in the wider school health promotion field, nor did it consider the importance of fidelity of implementation (Seligman, 1995; Rowling & Kasunic, 2006).”
Background
Improving the Efficacy of Intervention for Bereaved Individuals: Toward a Process-Focused Psychotherapeutic Perspective
Zech, E., Ryckebosch-Dayez, A.-S., & Delespaux, E. (2010) · Psychologica Belgica · doi:10.5334/pb-50-1-2-103 · Cited by 16
“…gold standards involve the use of a randomized blind design, manualized therapies with a precise and structured protocol of intervention, a fixed number of sessions, and trials in which patients typically meet the criteria for a single diagnosis (Reed, McLaughlin, & Newman, 2002; Seligman, 1995).”
Background
‘The third person in the room’: Recording the counselling interview for the purpose of counsellor training – barrier to relationship building or effective tool for professional development?
Gossman, M., & Miller, J. H. (2011) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/14733145.2011.582649 · Cited by 16
“Current research into counselling effectiveness demonstrates that successful therapeutic outcomes are less dependent on technique (Orlinsky & Howard, 1986 ; Seligman, 1995 ) and more on the therapeutic alliance between client and counsellor (Wampold, 2001 ).”
Background
Promoting the Scientist–practitioner Mindset in Clinical Training
Maddux, R. E., & Riso, L. P. (2007) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1007/s10879-007-9056-y · Cited by 16
“…much has been written about the merits and concerns of ESTs (Bohart, O’Hara, & Leitner, 1998; Chambless et al., 1998; Garfield, 1998; Goldfried & Wolfe, 1998; Henry, 1998; Seligman, 1995; Shapiro, 1996; Task Force on Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures, 1995; Wampold, 1997).”
Background
Rater bias in a blinded randomized placebo-controlled psychiatry trial
Marcus, S. M., Gorman, J. M., Tu, X. M., Gibbons, R. D., Barlow, D. H., Woods, S. W., & Shear, M. K. (2005) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/sim.2405 · Cited by 16
Emancipatory Therapeutic Practice in a Turbulent Transmodern Era:A Work of Retrieval
O'Hara, M. M. (1997) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/00221678970373002 · Cited by 16
The Effectiveness of Transactional Analysis
Novey, T. B. (1999) · Transactional Analysis Journal · doi:10.1177/036215379902900107 · Cited by 16
Effective training in clinical and counselling psychology: Not as simple as it sounds
O’Donovan, A., & Dyck, M. (2001) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050060108259640 · Cited by 18

Authors: Seligman, M. E. P.
Affiliations: University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author: Seligman, Martin E. P.
ORCID: Seligman, Martin E. P.
Venue: American Psychologist
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 1995-12
Volume: 50
Issue: 12
Pages: 965-974
ISSN: 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
1935-990X
DOI: 10.1037/0003-066x.50.12.965
OpenAlex: W2121827944
Cited by: 1,608
References: 0
Citations by year: 2026: 6 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 57 · 2012: 75
FWCI: 75.90
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Institute of Mental Health (MH 19604)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
Keywords: psychotherapy effectiveness, psychotherapy outcome, managed care, efficacy studies, randomized controlled trials, treatment comparison
MeSH terms: Consumer Behavior, Humans, Managed Care Programs, Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care, Psychotherapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome

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The effectiveness of psychotherapy: the Consumer Reports study

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