Many Psychologists Say They Use Evidence-based Treatment.

Question: Many psychologists say they use evidence-based treatment. Does this mean medications like anti-depressants that have been tested and proven not to have harmful side-effects? Kind regards, Debbie

Answer (1) No Debbie, it does not mean this. Though some psychologists may recommend medication, they cannot legally prescribe it and must refer you to a GP or psychiatrist for this to happen. My understanding of their claim for evidence based treatment is their penchant for tests and questionnaires, leading to statistical evidence as to certain methods' efficacies. The tests and questionnaires themselves are sometimes open to interpretation and accusations of pre-determined results. An academic psychologist friend of mine has told me that if you are skilful enough, you can design a test which will tend to show, almost whatever you want it to. What seems to work well for someone, does not necessarily work for someone else, despite claims to the contrary. Horses for courses I guess. I would be wary of any pre-treatment guarantee of success.

Answer provided by David White, Psychotherapist

Answer (2) Hi Debbie, I know that when I refer to evidence-based treatment, I'm referring to a form of treatment that has a broad base of research that shows it to be effective. It can be hard to quantify such things sometimes - effective can sometimes mean cost-effective; result in improvement in symptoms; no or few side-effects; or all of the above. For the most part, psychologists would be talking about cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), or a variant of CBT, when they say they use evidence-based treatment. CBT has the widest base of evidence and has been shown to be effective for a number of problems, including depression and anxiety. There are also a lot of other variables involved in therapy - for instance, if you don't feel comfortable with a therapist, then it might be more difficult to see any improvement! What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. As new research is conducted around the world, a good therapist will modify their work in order to focus on the aspects that produce change for clients. That's why I would recommend a therapist that uses evidence-based treatment, regardless of exactly what type of therapy they do, or what profession they are.

Answer provided by Nicholas Rooke, Psychologist