Clinical Versus Statistical Significance

Research methods and statistical analysis have become a vital part of studying treatment [Page 268]effectiveness in the field of mental health and psychotherapy. As a specialty within the mental health field, marriage and family therapy desires to understand what is most effective in treating couples and families. As a broad profession, psychotherapy has a responsibility to numerous stakeholders, including clients. Clients, the general public, various payees, and practitioners alike all want to know with a degree of certainty whether treatment is helping clients. Why should people pay large sums of money to engage in a process if there is no certainty that this process delivers the desired outcomes? Specifically, does counseling help clients resolve their difficulties? Also, most stakeholders want to know what is the ...