THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST MATTERS - COMPARISON OF OUTCOMES ACROSS 22 THERAPISTS AND 7 PATIENT SAMPLES

This research relies on a useful focus for finding the contribution of the psychotherapist to the outcome of the treatment: the outcomes of each therapist's caseload. Our data consist of 22 therapists' caseload s within seven samples of drug-addicted and depressed patients. We con cluded that (a) there were important differences in the improvement le vers and post-treatment outcomes of patient caseloads among the therap ists sampled, and (b) there differences in improvement could not be ex plained by differences in patient background or severity. Some of the differences appeared to reflect the therapists' efficacy with their pa tients because (a) a unique feature of the design war that three thera pists took part in more than one study and therefore more than one cas eload; these three therapists showed a similar efficacy in each new ca seload. (b) At this time, it may be that the safest basis for choosing therapists for research studies or for clinical purposes is their ''w ork sample'' record of efficacy with their previous caseloads.