台大心理系

Despite the many strengths of empirically-supported treatment, there are challenges in adhering to manualized treatment in clinical settings. The key question becomes how to adapt psychotherapy and maximize treatment gains that are empirically- informed. Theories of change can serve as guiding principles. Thus, a new direction in psychotherapy outcome research is the examination of mechanisms of change― the processes that explain why therapy works or how it produces change. This presentation will discuss about research methods for studying mechanisms, including mediation analyses. To illustrate the strengths and limitations of mediation analyses, this presentation will use a recent study investigating the mechanisms of a lifestyle intervention as an example. The clinical implications will be addressed in the context of presenter’s clinical work, including the need to integrate intervention strategies, personalize treatment, and flexibly adapt empirically-informed therapy for a diverse patient population.