Evidence-based psychology and the design and assessment of efficient psychological treatments

Abstract

Evidence-based psychology is a methodological model that expects to legitimize treatments and theories on the basis of the empirical proof that backs up their results. Nowadays, psychological treatments that fulfill the requirements derived from this system are admitted as treatments of choice by the majority of public and private health services. The purpose of this essay is to review the criteria for the design and assessment of treatment guides as applied by the two most relevant institutions in this field, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), by setting out and comparing the updated lists of effective psychological treatments, by disorders. We conclude with an exposition of some of the positive and negative aspects of this system, and offer suggestions for its improvement, focusing on a future adaptation for psychological problems (not for disorders) and in other fields (education, social interventions).