Medical school will tell you that the most effective form of psychotherapy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). However, the real answer is much more nuanced than this.

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A meta-analysis of the outcome of psychotherapy was conducted by Smith, Glass, & Miller (1980). They analyzed the results of 375 therapy outcome studies. The results produced an effect size of .68, which suggests that an average person receiving ANY kind of therapy would be better off (i.e., more improved) than 75% of untreated (control group) members.

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Because therapy is an interpersonal relationship, the outcome of any specific therapy is going to be influenced by both clinician factors and patient factors. After patient factors (e.g., motivation for treatment, active participation, hope for change, etc.), the most significant predictor of therapy outcomes is the relationship between the therapist and the patient. Specific treatment modalities actually account for the least amount of the effect on outcomes, but there are some treatment approaches that are individually empirically validated.​ For more information, see this page by the American Psychological Association.

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A MOMENT OF CAUTION: It is also important to remember that accurate measurement of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is extremely difficult. Most social science research relies on self-report measures, where patients provide ratings or descriptions of their own symptoms. This assumes that 1) the patient has good insight into themselves, 2) the patient is able to be completely honest, 3) the patient understands the questions and the rating scale, and 4) the researcher has designed a scale that accurately and reliably measures the variable in question. Moreover, there are very few studies that assess prolonged effects of various treatment modalities across time.

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Therefore, at APWI, we prefer to assess therapy effectiveness more simply: Do you feel like you are benefitting? If so, then the therapy is successful.