COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOR THERAPY - TOWARDS THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Following on from the American Psychological Association's (1993) :Fin dings regarding empirically validated treatments, a British task force (Roth & Fonagy, 1996) arrived at similar conclusions. Both publicatio ns strongly endorsed the superior efficacy of cognitive-behaviour ther apy (CBT) over placebos, waiting list controls and other psychological treatments. These findings, although not new, are becoming increasing ly important as new ways of funding health care become more likely. Wi th these probable changes in health system funding, organisations such as the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy wil l almost certainly be asked to provide evidence supporting the efficac y of certain interventions for certain problems, but also to decide wh o can implement such treatments. This article attempts to present the well known findings within the current framework, and poses an importa nt question: Who can ethically and competently practice CBT?