INFLUENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY FIGURES, AUTHORS, AND BOOKS: AN INTERNET SURVEY OF OVER 2,000 PSYCHOTHERAPISTS

Over 25 years ago, the American Psychologist published results of a survey of its members regarding trends in the psychotherapy field (Smith, 1982). In particular, 422 members of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) and Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) rank ordered the three psychotherapists they considered to be the most influential on the field and provided the title of one book that represented for them the “zeitgeist” in the psychotherapy field. Although there have since been other surveys of psychotherapists’ adoption of particular psychotherapies, to date there has been no general replication of which psychotherapy figures and books are influencing clinicians current thinking and practice. A major shift in the field has taken place since Smith’s (1982) survey. Over the past two and a half decades, there has been extensive advancement in the scientific investigation of the efficacy of psychotherapies, and endorsement and promulgation of these therapies through various guilds, national organizations, and institutions. Indeed, the APA also advocates for community psychotherapy practices to be more empirically based (APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, 2006; Task Force on Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures, 1995). Evidence-based practice (EBP) represents a broad model encompassing (a) research evidence, (b) clinical expertise, and (c) the unique preferences, concerns, and expectations of the client (APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, 2006; Spring, 2007). The research evidence component, referred to as empirically supported treatments (ESTs; Chambless et al., 1998, 1996; Chambless & Ollendick, 2001), is comprised of psychotherapies that have been found via randomized, controlled trials to be efficacious for a range of psychological disorders. At present, ESTs appear to be the most quantifiable aspect of EBP. Most recently, Chambless and Ollendick (2001) listed 72 ESTs for adults across 41 different disorders. We undertook a study modeled in part after Smith’s (1982) survey to identify currently recognized authorities and trends in the psychotherapy field. Given the lapse of 25 years, such a partial replication could also provide evidence whether or not empirically supported practices are viewed as influential by community practitioners, as well as provide more generally documentation of important changes in psychotherapeutics over time. Although it is useful to track trends in psychotherapy among psychologists, it is also important to document the state of practice for psychotherapists in other disciplines. The U.S. mental health workforce is comprised of numerous core disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, social work, psychiatric nursing, and marriage and family therapy (Robiner, 2006), with additional subcategories such as addiction, pastoral, and licensed professional counselors. Psychologists represent a minority of this workforce. There are likely differences in training, job descriptions, practice scope, and state laws on licensing for psychologists versus other psychotherapists. These differences may affect the way therapists practice, as well as whom they view as influential on their practice, and may indicate that different strategies are needed to effectively tailor dissemination and implementation efforts. Historically, training as a psychologist distinctively involved conducting and interpreting research, with “scientifically minded practice” being one of the core competencies (Assessment of Competency Benchmarks Work Group, 2007; Bieschke, Fouad, Collins Jr., & Halonen, 2004). Although other mental health care professions include research competence in their statements of standards and competencies (American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, 2004; American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work, 2002; Council on Social Work Education, 2004), actual involvement in and exposure to critical appraisal of research are likely to be deemphasized in training programs (Ivey & Wampler, 2000; Wing, Cohen, & McGinnis, 2006). This study had three specific aims. The first was to assess the current state of the psychotherapy field in terms of perceived influential figures and most popular books and authors and compare this to findings from the Smith (1982) survey. The second was to determine whether the top-10 books are ones that describe forms of therapy that qualify as empirically supported treatments. The top-10 books identified in the current study were therefore compared with the list from Chambless and Ollendick (2001) to see how many of the therapies described in these books had achieved EST status. The third was to ascertain whether there were differences between psychologists and nonpsychologists on perceived influential figures and most popular books and authors.