THE SEVEN MAGIC SECRETS OF THERAPEUTIC EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract

It would seem that the advancement of psychology should increase our confidence in our practices, however the proliferation of techniques, protocols, approaches, etc. gives us a sense of confusion instead. We have doubts as to whether we are in the correct therapeutic paradigm or not. Meta-analysis and systematic reviews attempt to create order, trying to determine which psychological therapies are most effective. Unfortunately, the results are inconclusive and seem to indicate that no one psychological approach prevails over the others. The question that emerges is: what factors do the different techniques share that make them effective? There are many categorizations concerning common factors. In this article we unveil the seven magic secrets (common factors) that we consider key in explaining therapeutic effectiveness. This classification has no other claim than to provoke reflection.

Keywords

• Common factors
• Therapeutic effectiveness
• Psychotherapy.