Old and new topics in old and new psychological therapies

Abstract

After a reflection on biological therapies for mental disorders, health psychology and positive psychol-ogy, ideas and study results are presented as to the efficacy of traditional psychological therapies, offering alternative interpretations that take into account the presence or the absence of relevant as-pects in published investigations. Suggestions are made based upon meta-analyses of psychological therapies, as well as on contributions derived from positive psychology. The outlines of tentative con-clusions point to the need for more and better studies as to the efficacy of those therapies that hinge on therapist-client interaction and their characteristics, and where procedure is less relevant but the presence of events is underlined that are external to the sessions and the course of the therapy though do have a definite influence thereon. Some reflections on illustrative “new therapies” and the “new age therapies” are exposed.