Collegially validated limitations of empirically validated treatments

In principle, virtually all clinical psychologists are committed to conduct ing evidence-bared treatments. In application, however, conflicts arise ove r the definitions and details of identifying what ir effective. The healthy debate on the merits of treatment manuals is only one, moderately import-a nt consideration in the larger, complex conflict over what constitutes evid ence of effectiveness and what should be validated. Here several choice poi nts or decision rules in recent attempts to empirically validate psychologi cal interventions are highlighted. In order to reduce barriers to the disse mination of empirically validated psychotherapies, we must first collegiall y validate practitioners' collective experiences that the decision rules an d resultant lists are frequently inapplicable to and inconsistent with thei r daily practice. Specific examples of misguided choice points are provided , and several suggestions for revitalizing the science-practice marriage ar e advanced.