Effectiveness
How Effective is Psychotherapy?
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Psychotherapy is effective when it addresses the client's concerns in a way that provides an experience of having been helped. This means that a client's self-report about the outcome of therapy is an important way to assess its value and effectiveness.
In a recent, large-scale and in-depth survey conducted by Consumer Reports (November 1995 issue), subscribers were asked about their experiences with therapy, including their assessment of the outcome. The four thousand individuals who responded provided compelling evidence that psychotherapy can make a substantial difference. The vast majority reported feeling significantly better after therapy, and nearly everyone experienced relief of some kind.
According to survey results, “almost everyone got some relief from the problems that brought them to a therapist, no matter how poorly they felt at the start.” In fact, people who entered therapy feeling the worst ("I barely managed to deal with things"), reported the most significant gains. Two-thirds of the total group of survey respondents who were no longer in therapy had left treatment “because their problems had been resolved or were easier to deal with.”
Consumer Reports found that people got better in three different ways: “First, therapy eased the problems that brought people to treatment. Second, it helped them to function better, improving their ability to relate well to others, to be productive at work, and to cope with everyday stress. And it enhanced what can be called ‘personal growth.’ People in therapy had more confidence and self-esteem, understood themselves better, and enjoyed life more.”
Additional findings indicated that longer-term therapy tended to result in better outcomes. Those who stayed in therapy more than six months realized greater gains than those who left treatment earlier. Those who stayed in therapy two years or longer indicated the most satisfaction. It seems clear that therapy is an extremely effective option to alleviate distress.
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