Evidence-Based Practice and Psychological Treatments.

A revolution in health care is occurring around the world. Health care strategies that have been the community standard for decades have been brought into question by research evidence, which has led to rapidly changing health care practices (see Barlow, 2004). Psychology has declared itself a health care profession (American Psychological Association [APA], 2001), and the diverse and heterogeneous practice of psychotherapy and related assessment procedures are being influenced by these changes. This chapter outlines historical developments leading to the emergence of the evidencebased practice (EBP) of psychology and summarizes related research and issues. We describe the psychological treatments, their efficacy and effectiveness. Then scientific evidence related to advances in clinical psychology that support the notion of EBP are discussed. These advances include the progress in psychological research informing treatment selection, the specificity of treatments for individual disorders or problems, recent findings suggesting that specific techniques interact with therapist factors, data suggesting that positive therapy characteristics should be complemented with effective techniques, and the development of treatment manuals to assist in the dissemination of psychological treatments and principles. Following the