Evidence-based treatment and practice: New opportunities to bridge clinical research and practice, enhance the knowledge base, and improve patient care.

The long-standing divide between research and practice in clinical psychology has received increased attention in view of the development of evidence-based interventions and practice and public interest, oversight, and management of psychological services. The gap has been reflected in concerns from those in practice about the applicability of findings from psychotherapy research as a guide to clinical work and concerns from those in research about how clinical work is conducted. Research and practice are united in their commitment to providing the best of psychological knowledge and methods to improve the quality of patient care. This article highlights issues in the research- practice debate as a backdrop for rapprochement. Suggestions are made for changes and shifts in emphases in psychotherapy research and clinical practice. The changes are designed to ensure that both research and practice contribute to our knowledge base and provide information that can be used more readily to improve patient care and, in the process, reduce the perceived and real hiatus between research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A modified model for test validation and selection research.

It is argued that the clasisc prediction model is grossly oversimplified and has resulted in corresponding oversimplifications in the design of most validation studies. A modified and more complex prediction model is presented. Implications for future validation research are discussed in the context of the kinds of behaviors to be predicted, the necessity for investigating heterocedastic and nonlinear relationships, and the important advantages in prediction which may be realized by discovering homogeneous subsets of jobs, tests, people, and behavior within which prediction equations may be developed and crossvalidated. (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using qualitative research to develop culturally competent evidence-based practice.

Kazdin (see record 2008-03389-001) pointed out that the requirement for evidence-based practice (EBP) has made the long-standing gap between research and practice in clinical psychology even more salient. He offered several strategies for bridging this gap: investigating mechanisms and moderators of therapeutic change, and qualitative research. We agree that qualitative research can be useful in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice (Silverstein & Auerbach, 2007; Silverstein, Auerbach, & Levant, 2006). In this comment we discuss using qualitative research to develop EBP that is culturally competent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical practice as natural laboratory for psychotherapy research: A guide to case-based time-series analysis.

Both researchers and practitioners need to know more about how laboratory treatment protocols translate to real-world practice settings and how clinical innovations can be systematically tested and communicated to a skeptical scientific community. The single-case time-series study is well suited to opening a productive discourse between practice and laboratory. The appeal of case-based time-series studies, with multiple observations both before and after treatment, is that they enrich our design palette by providing the discipline another way to expand its empirical reach to practice settings and its subject matter to the contingencies of individual change. This article is a user's guide to conducting empirically respectable case-based time-series studies in a clinical practice or laboratory setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some implications of psychotherapy research for therapeutic practice.

Implications for practice and research are drawn from a survey of psychotherapy research findings, condensed into 6 broad conclusions: (1) psychotherapy causes clients to become better or worse adjusted than controls; (2) control Ss improve with time as a result of informal therapeutic encounters; (3) therapeutic progress varies with therapist warmth, empathy, adjustment, and experience; (4) client-centered therapy is the only interview-oriented method that has been validated by research; (5) traditional therapies are seriously limited in effectiveness and are relevant for a small minority of disturbances; and (6) behavior therapies have considerable promise for enhancing therapeutic effectiveness and should be utilized or experimented with more widely. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using qualitative research to strengthen clinical practice.

Does qualitative research have the potential to be useful to practitioners? How might it improve the practice of professional psychology for clients and for practitioners? This article describes the qualitative research paradigm, discusses how it can be adapted to clinical practice, and provides an example of a qualitative study that practitioners can easily accomplish. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acculturative family distancing: Theory, research, and clinical practice.

Despite the rapidly growing immigrant population settling in the United States, our knowledge of acculturative processes and their impact on immigrant families remains quite limited. This article describes a theoretical construct called Acculturative Family Distancing (AFD), the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and children that is a result of immigration, cultural differences, and differing rates of acculturation. AFD occurs along two dimensions: communication and cultural values. Breakdowns in communication and incongruent cultural values between immigrant parents and children are hypothesized to increase over time and place families at risk for mental illness and family dysfunction. Clinical illustrations of AFD's impact on immigrant Asian families are provided and recommendations for dealing with AFD are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Helpful and hindering events in psychotherapy: A practice research network study.

This paper presents the findings of a psychotherapy process study conducted within the Pennsylvania Psychological Association Practice Research Network (PPA-PRN). The investigation was the product of a long-term collaborative effort, both in terms of the study design and implementation, between experienced clinicians of various theoretical orientations and full-time psychotherapy researchers. Based on a relatively large sample of clients seen in independent practice settings, close to 1,500 therapeutic events (described by clients and therapists as being particularly helpful or hindering) were collected. These events were coded by three independent observers using a therapy content analysis system. Among the findings, both clients and therapists perceived the fostering of self-awareness as being particularly helpful. The results also point to the importance of paying careful attention to the therapeutic alliance and other significant interpersonal relationships. The merits and difficulties of conducting scientifically rigorous and clinically relevant studies in naturalistic contexts are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bridging science and practice to improve patient care.

Replies to the comments by Tyron (see record 2009-06923-008), Silverstein and Auerbach (see record 2009-06923-009), and Raps (see record 2009-06923-010) on the authors original article (see record 2008-03389-001). I was very pleased to read these comments about the priority of bridging research and clinical practice and to have the benefit of further perspectives on how this goal might be achieved. The article to which these comments were addressed suggested changes in both clinical research and practice that might develop or strengthen such a bridge. Suggestions for clinical research included evaluating the mechanisms of change in psychotherapy so we know what is critical to include in practice, evaluating who responds to treatment in ways that can be integrated into practice, and increasing the use of qualitative research. Suggestions for practice included using systematic measures to evaluate patient progress, codifying the experiences of practitioners so they contribute to our accumulated knowledge base, and promoting direct collaborations of researchers and practitioners. The above commentaries emphasized specific points about research on mechanisms, qualitative research methods, and the challenges of providing treatments given the nature and scope of the problems that clients present. These commentaries add to the discussion in novel ways and also illustrate the obstacles that may compete with bridging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating outcome research and clinical reasoning in psychotherapy planning.

This article reviews the strengths and weaknesses of outcome research and clinical reasoning as bases of treatment planning and presents a synthesis in which these two types of information complement each other. The author proposes that therapy planning should begin with a review of the relevant outcome literature and also that divergence from research-based guidelines might be warranted under several conditions, including (a) when the client is demographically or culturally dissimilar to the study samples, (b) when assessment suggests a mismatch between the etiologies of the client's disturbance and the processes addressed by empirically supported treatments, and (c) when use of such treatments is followed by a lack of progress that signals the advisability of midcourse correction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity and reliability studies of a computer-based scoring system for inkblot responses.

A computer scoring system has been validated for scoring 17 Holtzman Inkblot Technique Variables: Location, Rejection, Form Definiteness, Color, Shading, Movement, Integration, Human, Animal, Anatomy, Sex, Abstract, Anxiety, Hostility, Barrier, Penetration, and Popular. The basic sample consisted of 145 college students to whom the HIT was group administered. An expert scorer's values were the criteria for validating computer scores. Validity of computer scoring was attested by comparability of means and standard deviations, by acceptable correlations between the 2 methods, and by identical factor structure among 8 rotated factors. The correlation of the computer with the average of 3 hand scorers equaled or approached the interscorer reliability of the scorers. Cross-validation studies demonstrated that equally satisfactory results were obtained for both Forms A and B. Finally, the computer was able to achieve scores from group records which were essentially equal to scores from records individually administered 1 wk. earlier and hand scored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

保护、监控系统的抗干扰措施

变、配电所综合自动化系统很容易受到电磁干扰而不能正常工作。本文从外部、内部以及结构、设计等方面对保护、监控系统的抗干扰措施进行了简要介绍。     

Knowing the self: Building a bridge from basic research to clinical practice.

The articles under discussion give promise that basic research information about the self can be translated into useful information for the clinical practitioner. Several issues were delineated that require more careful attention and research: (a) The self needs to be more clearly defined in both basic and clinical literatures; (b) the process of self-experiencing must be studied in conjunction with the study of the acquisition, functions, and developmental trajectories of self-concepts; and (c) the complexities of identity formation in multicultural societies must be factored into future research designs. Psychotherapists need to be aware that many patients have internalized self-related ideas from several different cultures and subcultures, and puzzling out these culture-based conflicts may become a significant focus of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward more (and better) countertransference research.

This article addresses the definitional and measurement barriers currently inhibiting countertransference research and indicates new pathways toward meaningful and clinically relevant countertransference research. First, I review the countertransference definitional debate and advocate for the adoption of a moderate countertransference definition. Second, I review the extant countertransference research, with primary emphasis on measurement issues, and recommend new methods and instruments for assessing the construct. Finally, I conclude with a few remarks about clinical implications and directions for future CT research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision making and psychotherapy integration: Theoretical considerations, preliminary data, and implications for future research.

In recent years, a number of publications have called for investigation of how psychotherapists make treatment decisions in clinical practice. This recommendation is particularly salient for psychotherapy integration, as studies have consistently shown that a plurality of American clinicians consider themselves to be either "eclectic" or "integrative" in theoretical orientation. Yet, the research on clinician decision making in psychotherapy is in its infancy. This article examines the need for decision-making research in psychotherapy integration, as well as aspects of psychotherapy integration that are targets for research and possible theoretical frameworks for understanding decision-making processes of integrative psychotherapists. A preliminary study provides data from practicing psychotherapists to illustrate these points. Finally, implications and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leading researchers' consensus on psychotherapy research findings: Implications for the teaching and conduct of psychotherapy.

We examined leading international psychotherapy researchers' views on psychotherapy outcome research. Participants completed a questionnaire on which they rated level of research evidence for or against various assertions about psychotherapy processes and outcomes. Participants rated how confident they were that the assertions were supported by psychotherapy research. Strong, or relatively strong, consensus was achieved on several of the questionnaire items. Areas for which relative uniformity of opinion does or does not exist have potential implications for the teaching and conduct of psychotherapy and for the science-practice interface in psychotherapy. Additionally, consensus about psychotherapy findings can be used as a yardstick by which to measure practicing clinicians' knowledge of the research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facilitating rigorous qualitative research in rehabilitation psychology.

Qualitative research methods have much to contribute to theoretical and applied knowledge in rehabilitation psychology. However, as a discipline, rehabilitation psychology has been behind the curve in employing qualitative methods. Objectives: This article is a summary of the state of qualitative research in rehabilitation and an introduction to various methodological dimensions to consider in implementing qualitative rehabilitation psychology research. Types and examples of qualitative rehabilitation research are presented. Criteria for evaluating qualitative research are discussed. Finally, the majority of this article is devoted to presenting the various methodological dimensions on which researchers must make decisions in designing and implementing rigorous qualitative research (e.g., paradigms, methods, data collection strategies, data analysis procedures, reliability/validity). Conclusions: Rehabilitation psychology has much to gain through qualitative research, and success in incorporating qualitative evidence will be ensured by rehabilitation psychologists learning and rigorously implementing qualitative methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The need for theoretical and methodological integrations in family research.

Comments on the article by Carlson and Grotevant (see record 1989-00066-001) who have provided a welcome and thorough evaluation of the adequacy of eight family rating systems, with detailed discussions of optimal scale properties, rater competence and training issues, psychometric reliability, and validity. The present author realizes that it may be unfair to comment on issues that are not part of Carlson and Grotevant's central concerns, but after reading their article, focused entirely on method, he began to worry about the pervasive lack of integration between theory and method in family research. He also notes as worrying, the tendency of family researchers to focus on one perspective and to ignore the possible gains to be derived from integrating theoretical and methodological points of view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of From research to clinical practice.

Reviews the book, From research to clinical practice, edited by George Stricker and Robert H. Keisner (1985). The intended audience for this edited volume "will probably be practicing psychotherapists...[with] a minimum knowledge of the research area but a ready familiarity with clinical concepts" (p. xv). In addition, the editors suggest to the chapter authors that a successful chapter should provide new meaning for the term "scientist professional" by providing a feedback loop between research and practice. The authors also state that the theoretical focus of this volume is psychodynamic. The book is divided into four areas each preceded by a brief overview. The following areas are covered: Basic issues, social psychology, developmental psychology, and special topics. Overall, I found the chapters to be informative and well written. I think some practitioners may find this book overly academic in tone and may question whether enough of the chapters are sufficiently relevant to busy, practicing clinicians. This is not a book on spotting golden research nuggets between the covers of the volume. Instead, this book requires careful mining of considerable content in order to find sparkling applications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)