The consensus in the scientific research literature is that about 75% of people who engage in psychotherapy benefit from it. Of course, that summary statement obscures a wide range of outcomes–some people do not benefit from psychotherapy at all, others experience modestly helpful outcomes, and still others experience profoundly positive change.
The relative impact of psychotherapy hinges on various factors:
- Psychotherapy outcome research indicates that the quality of the relationship between a therapist and client has a singular impact on outcome. Thus, factors such as strength of therapeutic alliance, effective collaboration, clear goals, strong empathy, and positive affirmation, all correlate with positive outcomes in psychotherapy.
- It is also the case that some problems respond to psychotherapy more readily than others. For example, research suggests that depression, general and social anxiety, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder respond well to psychotherapy, while outcomes for other disorders are less robust.
- In addition, research suggests that optimal outcomes in psychotherapy occur in treatment that lasts for somewhere between 7 to 26 weekly sessions.
There is convincing evidence supporting the effectiveness of specific psychological treatments for specific disorders. The Society of Clinical Psychology offers annotated listings of different treatments and their efficacy in addressing different disorders; each listing includes key references and clinical resources.
Further, the National Institute of Mental Health offers detailed information about different psychological disorders and effective treatments for each disorder, including different forms of psychotherapy and different psychiatric medications.
References
Understanding psychotherapy and how it works: learn how to choose a psychologist, how therapy works, how long it lasts and what should and shouldn’t happen during psychotherapy. American Psychological Association website (2023).
The effectiveness of psychotherapy: the Consumer Reports study. M.E. Seligman (1995), American Psychologist, 50 (12), pp 965-974.
The dose-response effect in routinely delivered psychological therapies: a systematic review. R. Robinson, J. Delgadillo, & S. Kellet, (2020), Psychotherapy Research, 30 (1), 79-96.
Targets and outcomes of psychotherapies for mental disorders: an overview. P Cuijpers (2019), World Psychiatry, 18 (3), 276-285.
Psychotherapy relationships that work III. J.C. Norcross & M.J. Lambert (2018), Psychotherapy, 55 (4), 303-315.
Steve Sprinkle, PhD 