Empirical evaluation of the assumptions in identifying evidence based treatments in mental health

Extensive analyses of data from the remarkably comprehensive data set established by the Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCRP), initiated and conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), enabled us to examine the contributions of three dimensions of the treatment process (type of treatment, aspects of the therapeutic relationship, and patients' pretreatment personality characteristics) to three assessments of therapeutic change (symptom reduction, reduction of vulnerability, and development of adaptive capacities) evaluated at termination and extended follow-up. The most consistent factors predicting therapeutic gain were the quality of the therapeutic relationship and patients' pretreatment personality dimensions. The implications of these findings for clinical practice, training, and research are discussed.