Characteristics of empirically supported treatments.

Abstract

This study presents a survey of general characteristics of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) identified by the American Psychological Association Division 12 Task Force on the Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures. Results indicate that the ESTs share the following characteristics: they involve skill building, have a specific problem focus, incorporate continuous assessment of client progress, and involve brief treatment contact, requiring 20 or fewer sessions. Traditional assessment methods, such as intelligence testing, projectives, and objective personality tests such as the MMPI-2, are rarely used in these treatments. Although it is recognized that these findings are in part an artifact of sociological factors present in contemporary psychotherapy development and research, the findings may also serve as a heuristic aid in the development of therapies.