Academic research of therapy process and efficient: history and main topics

Abstract

The historical review of the researches on efficiency of psychotherapy is analysed. Two approaches to a periodization of these researchers are consi-dered: Kalmykovoj E.S., H.Kehele (2000), and Russell R.L., Orlinsky D.E. (1996). The most known researches are systematized according to the stages by Russell R.L., Orlinsky D.E. They are: the period of formation of a field of scientific researches (1927-1954); the period of search of a scientific support (1955 – 1969); the period of expansion of a field of researches and strengthening of their purposeful organization (1970 – 1983); and the period of consolidation of methodology of researches and reformulation of former conclusions (1984 – present). For each of these stages development of research methodology is described and the examples of concrete re-searches for each of strategy are given. The critical analysis of methodology of each stage is carried out. It is shown that the basic research questions are far from the definitive solutions.

Keywords

• psychotherapy
• psychotherapy efficiency
• therapy efficiency factors
• research methodologies in psychotherapy efficiency studies