Psychotherapy research during 100 years – How far have we come?

Abstract

The beginning of psychotherapy research has been dated back to 1920, the year of the foundation of the first psychoanalytic institute, Berlin Poliklinik,
where, from its start, patient data were recorded for quantitative analyses. The paper examines key features of the history of psychotherapy research on
outcome, process and patient variables with an update on recent trends in the research. It outlines different paradigms for the understanding of the relationship between psychotherapy research and practice, evidence-based, process-based, and common factor therapy. It is concluded that research has had an enourmous influence on the application of psychotherapy, primarily due to provision of highly convincing evidence of outcome. Presently, we are
witnessing methodologically sophisticated research on mechanisms of change and patient predictors aiming at providing “personalized” therapy for the
individual patient. Such research is, however, still without clearcut, practically useful results.