Objective: To determine the effectiveness of brief strategic family therapy (BSFT; an evidence-based family therapy) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) as provided in community-based adolescent outpatient drug abuse programs. Method: A randomized effectiveness trial in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network compared BSFT to…

Objective: Therapist adherence has been shown to predict clinical outcomes in family therapy. In prior studies, adherence has been represented broadly by core principles and a consistent family (vs. individual) focus. To date, these studies have not captured the range of clinical skills that are represented in complex family-based approaches or…

Objective: Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with asthma onset and exacerbation. Latino children have higher rates of asthma morbidity than other groups. The current study compared the effectiveness of a newly developed smoking cessation treatment with existing clinical guidelines for smoking cessation. Method: Latino caregivers who smoked…

Objective: The efficacy of cognitive therapy (CT) for depression has been well established. Measures of the adequacy of therapists' delivery of treatment are critical to facilitating therapist training and treatment dissemination. While some studies have shown an association between CT competence and outcome, researchers have yet to address…

Investigated impact of client and therapist gender on psychotherapy process and outcome. Clients, regardless of gender, agreed that women therapists formed more effective therapeutic alliances but both male and female clients of male therapists reported significant improvement as a result of therapy. (Author)

Investigated the degree to which clinician's (N=21) tone of voice speaking about their patients could be used to predict their tone of voice in speaking to those same patients. Speech clips were content analyzed and rated. Results showed significant discriminant validity as well as predictive validity. (JAC)

Investigated the effects of therapists' and patients' religious affiliation on therapists' attraction to, prognostic expectations of, and diagnosis of the patients. Results yielded no differences in therapists' attraction to or diagnosis of the religious versus nonreligious patient. The religious patient was seen as requiring fewer therapy…

Past studies indicated preference for male therapists. To test for changes since these studies, applicants for counseling and nonclient undergraduates completed university counseling service application that included question regarding preference for sex of therapist. More clients than nonclients expressed preferences. Results indicated a decrease…

Explored the degree to which clinicians attributed the client's problems to personality v situational factors. Results supported the hypothesis that previous tentative diagnoses result in personality-based attributions. A recency effect suggested that personality attributions may be lessened by presenting situational information after hearing the…

Examined differences between behavior therapists and psychotherapists while working with unipolar depressed women. Segments of audiotaped sessions were coded on a variety of dimensions. Results indicated skills therapists were more directive, displayed greater initiative, appeared more supportive, and emitted significantly more directive and…

Therapists participated in two analogue interviews and audiotape-recorded two real initial intake sessions. Audiotapes of the therapists' verbal responses in the real and analogue interviews were rated along four process dimensions. Results indicated that the analogues were poor predictors of real therapy behavior. (Author)

Investigated effect of clients' sex on psychotherapists' treatment recommendations. Clients' sex influenced only one treatment recommendation. Psychologists were more likely to recommend vocational counseling for same-sex clients than for opposite-sex clients. More experienced therapists rated male clients as more severely disturbed than female…

Results indicate that clinicians can become favorably disposed toward a family member seen separately, but not toward cases of parents or the family as a whole. (Author)

Results of this study indicated that therapists judged angry clients less favorably than sad clients. Experienced therapists showed greater tolerance of anger. Therapists intervened less with angry clients than with depressed clients; and angry clients received less supportiveness, less directiveness, and fewer requests for information.…

Examined time-limited therapies provided by two therapists to two clients to discover relations between clients' understanding of therapists' intentions and episode level outcome, similarities and differences between the participants' valuing of different intentions, and shifts in intentions valued from beginning to end of therapy. Documented some…