Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 4:243-254 (2004)
Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention Vol. 4 No. 3, © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.
The Evidence Base for Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatments: Four Continuing Controversies
From the University of Iowa.
Contact author: Peter E. Nathan, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa, E119 Seashore Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242. E-mail: peter-nathan{at}uiowa.edu.
Substantial disagreement continues to divide mental health professionals on the evidence base that underlies evidence-based practices. This article considers four of the most hotly debated unresolved issues underlying this controversy; suggests the nature of evidence that might permit their resolution; and speculates on the consequences that might follow a failure in efforts at resolution. Resolution of these issues is crucial to the future of evidence-based practices.
KEY WORDS: evidence-based treatments, empirically supported treatments, psychotherapy outcome studies, psychotherapy, efficacy vs. effectiveness, common factors vs. treatment factors, "dodo bird" effect, art vs. science