THE UTILITY AND FUTILITY OF COMBINING TREATMENTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Some of the main points discussed and elaborated on in this article ar e as follows: (a) There appear to be no data to support the notion tha t a combination of different theories can result in a more robust ther apeutic technique. (b) It is techniques, not theories, that are actual ly used on people. (c) The effectiveness of specific techniques may ha ve no bearing on the theories that beget them. (d) Different treatment combinations should be tried only when well-documented methods do not exist for a particular disorder or when proven techniques are not ach ieving the desired results. (e) When using behavioral or psychoanalyti c techniques one is not necessarily practicing behavior therapy or psy choanalytic therapy. The emphasis throughout is on avoiding confusing and specious conclusions.