Welcome to the Clearly Clinical blog! Continuing Ed is our focus, and we’ve created a place for providers to learn information and skills to help you learn, grow, and shine.

Speaking of learning information: Did you know that psychotherapy outcomes have remained stagnant for the last 40+ years, in spite of the use of Evidence Based Practices (EBPs)?  Think about that.  Think about how far treatments for other illnesses have come, like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes?  Those outcomes are breathtaking.  And yet, here we are in the psychology world, trying to crack this nut.  It’s not that therapy isn’t effective… it is effective.  But it hasn’t gotten *more* effective as we’ve added new methods.  

Should it be with another EBP?  

Fascinatingly, the answer is, ‘no’, at least according to the research.  A large-scale study found that the therapy method only accounted for 1% of the improvement the client experienced… a paltry 1%.  This isn’t to say that EBPs aren’t effective or aren’t worthwhile (because they are both effective and worthwhile); they’re just not the primary source of change.

Fear not: The research also pushed us in the right direction… the magic lies in the relationship between the client and therapist, and the responsiveness of the therapist to the individual client and his/her/their needs. 

Want to learn what this means in practice, and how to be a better therapist?  Check out our new free CE course, Psychotherapy’s Fatal Flaw And How to Fix It, featuring Dr. Scott Miller and Dr. Daryl Chow of The International Center for Clinical Excellence.  Scott and Daryl are releasing their new book soon on the same topic: Better Results: Using Deliberate Practice to Improve Therapeutic Effectiveness.

As a bonus, Clearly Clinical and Dr. Scott Miller have partnered on a fantastic giveaway: One lucky winner will receive free enrollment in Dr. Scott Miller’s new 12-CE Credit eLearning course about Feedback Informed Treatment (a $179 value), and another lucky winner will win a free year of Clearly Clinical unlimited CE course access (a $60 value)!  To enter, follow the steps below: 

1. Leave a comment on this blog entry

2. Also leave a comment on Dr. Miller’s recent blog post

Once you complete both of those steps, you'll be automatically entered into the contest.  The winners will be announced on Friday, March 6th, 2020 on Clearly Clinical's blog. Good luck!

References: 

Are Psychotherapies for Young People Growing Stronger? Tracking Trends Over Time for Youth Anxiety, Depression, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Conduct Problems.

The empirical case for the common factors in therapy: Quantitative findings.

Therapeutic Alliance and Outcome of Psychotherapy: Historical Excursus, Measurements, and Prospects for Research