Practice‑oriented research: an introduction to new developments and future directions

Health and Well-bein

Implementing precision methods in personalizing psychological therapies: barriers and possible ways forward

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordData availability: No data was used for the research described in the article.Highlights: • Personalizing psychological treatments means to customize treatment for individuals to enhance outcomes. • The application of precision methods to clinical psychology has led to data-driven psychological therapies. • Applying data-informed psychological therapies involves clinical, technical, statistical, and contextual aspects

The 50th Anniversary Edition of Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change

Editorial

Exploring the processes involved in long-term recovery from chronic alcohol addiction within an abstinencebased model: Implications for practice

Background: There is little consensus at policy or treatment level as to what defines ‘recovery’ in the alcohol addiction field. Aim: From interviewing a cohort of eight severely alcohol-dependent people who fulfilled all categories of DSM-IV and ICD 10 diagnostic criteria and had achieved long-term recovery (LTR) of between 8 and 48 years, and who are long-term AA members, a definition of recovery that is inclusive, and achievable, was sought from their lived experiences. Methodology: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used. Findings: This research uncovers the processes involved in long-term recovery, and identifies them as: sober; maintaining sobriety; and recovery. It suggests a move away from the acute model of cure by brief, time-limited therapy, towards a model of sustained, on-going and life-long recovery management, combined with pro-social aid resources. Individuals need to observe, and hear, the success narratives of others, and the therapeutic conditions of empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence need to be strongly experienced by the individual

The importance of conducting practice-oriented research with underserved populations

There has been a growing emphasis on dissemination of empirically supported treatments. Dissemination, however, should not be restricted to treatment. It can and, in the spirit of the scientific-practitioner model, should also involve research. Because it focuses on the investigation of clinical routine as it takes place in local settings and because it can involve the collaboration of several stakeholders, practice-oriented research (POR) can be viewed as an optimal research method to be disseminated. POR has the potential of addressing particularly relevant gaps of knowledge and action when implemented in regions of the world that have limited resources for or experiences with empirical research, and/or in clinical settings that are serving clinical populations who are not typically receiving optimal mental care services - specifically, individuals in rural and inner cities that have limited economic and social resources. The establishment and maintenance of POR in such regions and/or settings, however, come with specific obstacles and challenges. Integrating the experiences acquired from research conducted in various continents (Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America), the goal of this paper is to describe some of these challenges, strategies that have been implemented to address them, as well as new possible directions to facilitate the creation and growth of POR. It also describes how these challenges and ways to deal with them can provide helpful lessons for already existing POR infrastructures