For over twenty years I’ve been passionate about evidence-based therapy or empirically-supported treatments. I continue to believe in the importance of psychological science, clinical data, and the importance of integrating research findings into my clinical work.  Unfortunately, there is a misconception that if you are therapist that practices evidence-based therapy you don’t pay attention to the interpersonal aspects of therapy. I can safely say that this is a major misbelief that people make.

As a behavioral therapist I believe that having a solid relationship and a team approach in my clinical work with clients is extremely important; nevertheless, it’s not the only ingredient to promote behavioral change and help clients to reach their goals for therapy or life aspirations.  For instance, if you are struggling with social anxiety or panic disorder the most effective treatments are exposure and interoceptive exposure respectively; therefore, having a therapist that you get along with and feel comfortable is not going to be enough to learn the skills you need to learn in order to deal with those struggles.

The article below from the New York Times highlights this issue as well as the difficulties that arise when people receive ineffective therapy services.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/looking-for-evidence-that-therapy-works/?smid=pl-share